In 1903, after interest in the school had spread to adjoining counties, D. D. Dougherty was convinced the state would fund institutions established to train teachers.

[10] W. C. Newland of Caldwell County introduced the bill in the North Carolina Legislature to make this a state school, with an appropriation for maintenance and for building.

In 1925, the legislature changed the name to the Appalachian State Normal School and appropriated additional funding for maintenance and permanent improvement.

In 1929, the school became a four-year degree granting institution and was renamed Appalachian State Teachers College.

Plemmons led from 1955 to 1969, and his administration oversaw the addition of new buildings as the campus expanded and enrollment grew to nearly 5,000 students.

The center of campus is nicknamed Sanford Mall, an open grassy quad between the student union, dining halls, and library.

Rivers Street, a thoroughfare for town and university traffic, essentially divides the campus into east and west sections with tunnels and a pedestrian bridge connecting the two halves.

The George M. Holmes Convocation Center at Rivers Street's south end is the gateway and entrance to campus.

It is the largest visual arts center in northwestern North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and southwestern Virginia.

[14] It displays rotating exhibits indoors and outdoors, some culturally specific to the Appalachians, and offers community outreach programs through art courses.

The Appalachian State University Nature Preserve consists of 67 acres of protected woodlands near the heart of campus.

[16] The University of North Carolina's Board of Governors plans and develops the coordinated system of higher education in the state.

[26] With the opening of the new library building in 2005, Bill and Maureen Rhinehart of Long Island, New York, donated a large collection of rare books in English history, spanning from the 16th to the 19th centuries.

The university created a special collections room for this donation which includes some 900 volumes comprising nearly 450 titles.

Watauga College was founded to be an "interdisciplinary, experimental, residential, coed alternative for social science and humanities general education requirements.

"[30] Watauga Residential College was developed as "response to rising criticism of American education during the sixties and to the artificial fragmentation of knowledge in the academy; it was seen as a return to the world, where problems and themes do not recognize disciplinary boundaries and education is reconnected with individual learners.

"Watauga Residential College pursues its mission through a sequenced, interdisciplinary, experiential curriculum that requires students to integrate class content, community-based research, and multicultural immersion.

This innovative curriculum, in conjunction with the academic and residential community, creates an atmosphere for the emergence of dynamic learning experiences through unique interactions among students and faculty.

These centers are: Off-campus programs offer students the ability to maintain family and careers while working toward a degree.

Full-time undergraduate programs are available in Elementary Education, Advertising, Criminal Justice, Management, Social Work and Psychology.

The mountains offer snowboarding, skiing, tubing, rock climbing, hiking, rafting, camping, and fishing on and around the Blue Ridge Parkway.

is a university-funded organization that exists to plan and provide diverse educational, enriching, and entertaining events for ASU's student body and community.

members select, plan, promote, and present a diverse variety of popular entertainment programs and films that enhance ASU students' social and cultural life.

are Heritage, Club Shows, Main Stage, Representation and Intentional Student Engagement (RISE), Films, Special Events, and Spirit & Traditions.

In 2017, App State added a new video board, sound system and LED ribbon displays.

On February 19, 2011, the Appalachian State Mountaineer women's basketball team won the 2011 Southern Conference regular-season title.

[54] Appalachian State moved to the FBS subdivision in 2014, finishing its first season with a winning record but ineligible for a bowl bid per NCAA rules.

[55] The video was never intended to promote Appalachian State to anyone but the Family Caravan, much less as a recruiting tool for prospective students.

On March 16, 2012, Appalachian State placed a tenured sociology professor on administrative leave for a variety of charges, which included showing an anti-pornography documentary, The Price of Pleasure.