BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University has received a Research Activity Designation of Research 2 from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education — the nation’s leading framework for categorizing U.S. higher education institutions. This new designation is awarded to institutions with high research activity and doctorate production.
“This designation aligns with App State’s steady growth in research investments, giving our students more opportunities to engage in innovative and meaningful research and creative activities alongside App State’s expert faculty and staff,” said App State Interim Chancellor Heather Norris. “This work yields real-world solutions and technologies that drive innovation — answering the needs of our communities and strengthening economies.”
Dr. Jennifer McLean, a first-generation doctoral graduate, is all smiles after receiving her hood from Dr. Shawn Ricks, professor in the Department of Leadership and Educational Studies, during App State’s Spring 2023 Commencement. The university’s new Research 2 status through the Carnegie Classification system is based, in part, on the number of doctoral graduates produced by the university in the 2022–23 academic year. Photo by Chase Reynolds
In fiscal year 2024, App State set a university record for research funding, securing over $25 million in awards for faculty and staff projects. Over the last five years, App State’s funded research has increased by nearly 75%.
A strong emphasis on undergraduate research opportunities has long set App State apart from other research universities. App State students benefit from hands-on experience on impactful projects and avenues to present their research at major conferences — deepening learning and preparing students to excel in their future careers and/or graduate studies.
Dr. Rahman Tashakkori, the Lowe’s Distinguished Professor of Computer Science in App State’s Department of Computer Science, second from right, is pictured in his bee research lab on App State’s Boone campus with three student members of his Beemon research team. Pictured, from left to right, are Will O’Brien ’23 ’24, a graduate of App State’s computer science master’s program who served as student manager for the project; Temitayo Olofintuyi ’24, a fall 2024 App State graduate who earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science; and Logan Richardson ’14 ’24, who graduated from App State in August 2024 with a Master of Science in computer science and served as the team’s data visualization specialist. The team received an NCInnovation grant in spring 2024 for over $640,000 to commercialize four parts of the Beemon Hive Monitoring System. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Dr. Shea Tuberty, professor in App State’s Department of Biology and co-director of the university’s Quality Enhancement Plan, left, and George Hotelling ’23, an App State alumnus with bachelor’s degrees in environmental science-earth systems science and chemistry-environmental, catalog South Fork New River water samples in Tuberty’s lab in Rankin Science South on App State’s Boone campus. Their research examining the seasonal and annual change in phosphorus levels in High Country watersheds — funded by a five-year Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability (STEPS) Center grant through the National Science Foundation — is part of a national effort aimed at strengthening phosphorus management practices that will enhance food systems resilience and reduce environmental damage. Phosphorus is one of the fundamental elements of life and is vital to the productivity and sustainability of food systems. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
App State’s R2 designation opens the door for additional opportunities for students to conduct groundbreaking research and advance creative endeavors side-by-side with faculty and staff, according to Dr. Christine Ogilvie Hendren, vice provost of research and innovation at App State.
She added that the designation positions the university within a broader, national peer group, helping to more clearly assess App State’s performance, quality and value against similar institutions.
“At our core, we are still a teaching institution, and that will always remain fundamental to our identity,” Norris said. “This new distinction will support continued teaching and research opportunities for faculty, which provide important pathways for student learning.”
The Appalachian Opera Theatre in App State’s Hayes School of Music rehearses its production of the opera “Dido and Aeneas,” conducted by Dr. Alexandra Dee, assistant professor of orchestral studies, and directed by Dr. Gennard Lombardozzi, associate professor of voice. Photo by Chase Reynolds
About the Carnegie Classifications
First published in 1973, Carnegie Classifications are updated every three years to reflect changes among colleges and universities and serve as a critical benchmarking tool for postsecondary institutions, as they are frequently used by policymakers, funders and researchers. In 2022, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education began a collaboration to reimagine the Carnegie Classifications, with a goal of making the classifications “more representative of institutions’ missions and better reflect a variety of education pathways and student experiences.”
Carnegie Classifications rely on publicly available data sources that contain data on all institutions in the United States, including the National Center for Education Statistics’ Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development Survey.
A Research 2 designation — part of the system’s modernized classifications for 2025 — recognizes institutions that spend at least $5 million on research and development and produce at least 20 research doctorates, on average, in a single year. App State’s research expenditures in fiscal year 2023 were more than $8.4 million — grant funding secured by university faculty and staff for research. In the 2022–23 academic year, the university awarded 20 doctoral degrees.
A working group led by Hendren is engaged in a full assessment of all R2-related factors for the university.
Dr. Adam Booker, associate professor of double bass in App State’s Hayes School of Music, center, provides instruction to students in his bass string class. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Hayden Girling, a senior studio art major from Charlotte, works with clay while crafting a sculpture as part of a ceramics class at App State’s Boone campus. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
Advancing research and innovation at App State
“We’ve been steadily evolving over time to arrive at this moment because of visionary planning, institutional and state support and, most importantly, the dedication of our faculty, staff and students to meaningful research,” said App State Acting Provost Neva J. Specht. “As we continue to expand our research and creative endeavors, we will remain focused on areas in which App State strategically leads and where the market shows demand.”
The advancement of research, innovation and creativity is one of the university’s six strategic priorities and is informed by the university’s new Academic Affairs Strategic Plan and Strategic Plan for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities.
App State alumna Temitayo Olofintuyi ’24, who graduated from App State in fall 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, left, and Dr. Rahman Tashakkori, the Lowe’s Distinguished Professor of Computer Science in App State’s Department of Computer Science, inspect two Beemon Hive Monitoring Systems on App State’s Boone campus. Tashakkori and his research team received a grant for over $640,000 from NCInnovation in spring 2024 to commercialize four parts of the Beemon Hive Monitoring System. Photo by Chase Reynolds
The Office of Research and Innovation, led by Hendren, works to connect and coach App State faculty on their paths to protecting and commercializing intellectual property that has the potential to generate value and financial impact for the state of North Carolina.
This work, performed with support from the Transportation Insight Center for Entrepreneurship, is part of App State’s collaboration with NCInnovation — a nonprofit organization that provides grant funding, mentorship and partnership development to support researchers at North Carolina’s public universities. As a regional NCInnovation hub, App State assists researchers by connecting them with industry and business services, helping advance their research so it can become widely available and applicable for the marketplace.
One example of applied research at App State is led by Dr. Rahman Tashakkori, Lowe’s Distinguished Professor of Computer Science in the Department of Computer Science, who was awarded over $640,000 in grant funding from NCInnovation for his work on the Beemon Hive Monitoring System — an innovative tool for decreasing honeybee die-off and increasing hive production. This funding will help bring parts of the system to market that will assist beekeepers in preserving the health of their hives.
Dr. Alan Needle, professor in App State’s Department of Public Health and Exercise Science, presents his research at the university’s sixth annual Research and Creative Activity at Appalachian Event, held Feb. 5 in Rosen Concert Hall on App State’s Boone campus. Needle’s research explores how brain stimulation techniques can be added into injury rehabilitation to improve patient function. Photo by Chase Reynolds
App State faculty member and Fulbright Scholar Dr. Alexandria Sterling-Hellenbrand presents her research during App State’s sixth annual Research and Creative Activity at Appalachian Event, held Feb. 5 in Rosen Concert Hall on App State’s Boone campus. Sterling-Hellenbrand is a professor of German and global studies in App State’s Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. Photo by Chase Reynolds
The Office of Student Research supports opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to engage in research and mentored scholarship at App State. In the 2023–24 academic year, the Office of Student Research awarded almost $100,000 to students to perform and present their research and creative activities and supported 60 paid Undergraduate Research Assistantships with faculty mentors.
“Our unique excellence in research, scholarship and creative endeavors stems from the special intersection of our wonderful people and this amazing place,” said Hendren. “This positions us to generate significant place-based impact with local-to-global applications, drawing on history and tradition, navigating our present times, and adapting tech, business and social systems to build a vibrant future for communities in North Carolina and beyond.”
Pictured at App State’s sixth annual Research and Creative Activity at Appalachian Event, Master of Business Administration graduate student Ngoc Tran, of Charlotte, left, and John Wiswell, interim coordinator of collection management, health sciences librarian and associate professor in App State’s University Libraries, view a research poster on artificial intelligence by Dr. Jason Xiong, associate professor and associate dean for advanced studies in the Walker College of Business’ Department of Computer Information Systems. The event, which celebrates the research, scholarship and creative endeavors of App State faculty and staff, was held Feb. 5 in Rosen Concert Hall on App State’s Boone campus. Xiong serves as a faculty mentor to Tran and has advised her research on autonomous vehicles. Photo by Chase Reynolds
App State’s upcoming 2025 classifications
In addition to its R2 designation, the university will receive two additional Carnegie Classifications in April — an Institutional Classification and a Student Access and Earnings Classification.
- The Institutional Classification is an update to Carnegie’s current Basic Classification, which has been in place for more than 50 years. The new Institutional Classification will group institutions by characteristics, including the types of academic programs an institution offers, the types of degrees they award and the institution’s size.
- According to Carnegie, the new Student Access and Earnings Classification is focused on the long-term success of learners, with institutions to be classified according to student characteristics, access and outcomes.
Until the new Institutional Classifications are released in April, App State’s 2021 Basic Classification — a regional, master’s comprehensive institution — remains in effect, alongside its R2 designation. The Research Activity and Student Access and Earnings designations are separate and distinct from Institutional Classifications.
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The monitoring system could help decrease honeybee die-off, improve hive production
About the Office of Research and Innovation
Appalachian State University’s Office of Research and Innovation supports the scholarly and creative activities of App State faculty, staff and students by expanding access to and facilitating the management of research opportunities. The office consists of four units: Grants Resources and Services, Sponsored Programs, Research Design and Analysis, and Research Protections. The office also collaborates with the university’s Special Funds Accounting on the fiscal management of awarded projects. Learn more at https://research.appstate.edu.
About the Division of Academic Affairs
The Division of Academic Affairs is responsible for student learning and success at Appalachian State University, including oversight of the university’s challenging academic curriculum, active classroom environments, and close collaboration between faculty members and students on scholarly activities. Academic Affairs encompasses the degree-granting College of Arts and Sciences, College of Fine and Applied Arts, Beaver College of Health Sciences, Reich College of Education, Walker College of Business and Hayes School of Music; as well as the Cratis D. Williams Graduate School, the Honors College, University College and 12 other units that support the innovative, interdisciplinary and integrative academic experience for which Appalachian is known. Learn more at http://academicaffairs.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
The monitoring system could help decrease honeybee die-off, improve hive production
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