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FAQs about Boone and Appalachian

The Hubbard Center surveyed newly hired faculty members to find out what they wish they had been told about Appalachian and Boone when they first arrived on campus. You may scan the entire site or select the targets below to link to specific topics of interest.

Information About Boone and
the Local Community

Information about Appalachian

 

Information about Boone and the Local Community

Travel/Transportation

Detailed maps of Watauga County are also available for free from Appalachian's Visitors Center, John E. Thomas Academic Support Building, 828-262-2179.

  • Public Transportation: The AppalCART is the busline that services the campus and the town of Boone, 828-264-2278.
  • Planes: There are three major airports serving the Boone area (approximately 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours from Boone):
    * Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, NC
    * Greensboro-High Point Airport in Greensboro, NC
    * Tri-Cities Airport in Johnson City, TN
  • Buses: Greyhound departs daily from 261 Boone Heights Drive, 828-263-8150.
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Day Care Facilities

Elementary Schools

  • watauga.k12.nc.us or call 828-264-7190
  • The public schools offer snow day/holiday programs for children, as well as afterschool programs. For more information, contact the public school in which your child is/will be enrolled.
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Area Colleges/Universities

Public Library

Health Care/Medical

Housing

Watauga County is a major tourist area, so home prices and rental rates in the immediate Boone area are surprisingly high. If you plan to buy a house, you may want to ask your realtor about homes available within a 25-mile radius, possibly in the neighboring counties. If you do plan to buy within the county, you will want to find out about areas of flooding by contacting the Watauga County Planning and Inspection Department, 331 Queen Street, Boone, 828-265-8043.


Jobs/Career Counseling

Boone is primarily a university and tourist town, and employment opportunities within Boone itself are limited. Therefore it is essential to be creative and flexible when searching for employment in this area. Some commuting may be necessary for the "trailing" spouse or partner to find employment.


Recreation/Leisure

Community Organizations

Service Providers

Political Involvement/Voting

  • Information about North Carolina government officials.
  • You can apply for voter registration as soon as you arrive in the state. Your application will be put on file, and you will be eligible to vote within 25 days of your arrival. You can register to vote at the Watauga County Board of Elections, 331 Queen Street, Boone, 828-265-8061, or when you apply for your North Carolina driver's license at the NC Driver's License Office, 155 Furman Road, Boone, 828-265-5384 or you can register online.

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Driver's License/Tags

  • To get a new driver's license, apply at the NC Driver's License Office, 4469 Bamboo Road, Boone, 828-265-5384. You will be required to take a written and vision test, and you must take with you proof of insurance, car title, your old driver's license, and your social security card. (You can also change your voter registration at the same time.)
  • Check out detailed information including a Driver' Handbook and road signs at the NC Division of Motor Vehicles.
  • To get a North Carolina registration and car tags, go to the North Carolina License Plate Agency at 834 West King Street, Boone, 828-268-2315.
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Information About Appalachian

History of Appalachian

Click here for brief history about the founding of our university and its growth over the years.


Organizational Chart

Click here for an organizational chart for the university.


Physical Layout


Libraries

  • Belk Library is the main library (828-262-2186).
    * Library Instruction and Services: A librarian will meet with you to discuss library-related assignment you are giving your students; advise you on whether the Library's resources are adequate for the assignment; and schedule one or more class sessions in the Library.
    * The Library is able to provide links from within your WebCT/AsULearn courses to resources and services which will support class assignments and give students easy access to relevant library materials and information. We can do this for classes held both on and off-campus.
    * Off-Campus Teaching Support: Traditional and unique library services and resources are available to faculty who teach distance or off-campus courses. The University Library is committed to providing Appalachian's off-campus students equitable access to library services and resources. Visit Off-Campus Teaching Support site for important information if you will be teaching off-campus students.
    * Guided tours of Belk Library for students and faculty are also available upon request. Visit the Reference Desk to schedule a tour.
    * Cooperative Borrowing and Document Delivery: We can get materials for you from all over the world. Request forms are available on-line.
  • The Music Library (828-262-2388) supports the Mariam Hayes School of Music and is located in the Broyhill Music Building.


Computing/Computers


Textbooks

  • Undergraduate students rent their textbooks through the University Textbook Rental system. Check with the University Bookstore or with your department to determine which texts are currently being used in the courses that you will be teaching. All undergarduate students in the summer term and all graduate students purchase their texts. You may also choose to utilize any number of supplemental paperback and hardcover texts in your courses.
  • The Hubbard Center for Faculty Development offers Textbook Grants to help faculty create their own textbooks.


Parking

  • Parking permits are available from the Parking and Traffic Office located in the lower level of the parking deck on Rivers Street, 828-262-2878. To obtain a parking permit, you must bring a valid Appalachian State University I.D. card with you as well as your vehicle registration card.
  • Note: Parking spaces are hard to find and parking citations are issued to faculty members.On-Campus
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Recreation/Exercise

  • Health Promotion (spouses/partners and children are eligible; there is no fee for this program)
  • Informal/Fitness Recreation (annual user fee of $48 for the individual faculty member or $96 per year for the entire family for use of Mt. Mitchell Life Fitness Centre and the Quinn Recreational Center)

 

Benefits

Human Resource Services, 828-262-3186, has information on employee benefits including insurance coverage, retirement plans, tax forms, etc.


Faculty Responsibilities

  • Policies on classroom management, attendance, etc.: for univeristy policies pertaining to course syllabi, student absences, and faculty absences, please consult the Faculty Handbook.
  • Office hours: Every full-time faculty member is required to be available seven (7) hours per week during the regular academic year to consult with students. Requirements for part-time faculty will be prorated according to the nuber of hours taught. For more information see the Faculty Handbook, Chapter 5, Section 4.
  • Student advisement: During their first semesters at Appalachian, students are advised through the Academic Advising Center operated by General Studies. When students declare a major, their academic records are transferred from the General Studies program to the degree-granting college and department of their choice. Your advisement duties will differ according to the practice of the college and department in which you teach. For more information on your department’s practices, see the Faculty Handbook, Chapter 5, Section 5.14 of the Faculty Handbook.
  • Summer School: Teaching summer school is not required. It is an option that many faculty members choose as a way to increase their salaries. Chairpersons normally send out a memo to all faculty during the spring semester asking faculty whether or not they wish to teach summer school. Faculty may ask the chair what classes are available to teach or ask if they can teach a particular course during the summer.
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Help with Your Teaching/Research

  • Many departments keep copies of all faculty syllabi on file.
  • Students in their senior year who plan to become teachers must serve as instructional assistants (IAs) at Appalachian before they do their student teaching in the public school system. Having an IA to assist with some of the classroom procedures can be very helpful.
  • The Hubbard Center for Faculty Development offers many services for faculty including:
    * a mentoring program for first-year tenure-track faculty.
    * various seminars, lectures, workshops, etc., are sponsored throughout the year to help with various aspects of teaching.
    * funds available to assist both part-time and full-time faculty members with a variety of special projects related to teaching. Contact the Hubbard Center, 828-262-3040, for a copy of the funding guidelines or visit the grants web page.
  • Funding for special projects, research, and development of new skills: Individual departments receive notices about various available grants, such as Fulbrights. Usually a notice will be posted or individual flyers/memos will be put into mailboxes notifying faculty that the department has the material available.
    * The Graduate School has funds available for a variety of projects, research, and travel expenses.
    * The Office of International Education and Development has funds to support foreign scholarly travel for the purposes of developing study abroad or exchange programs, conducting research, or making presentations at conferences or other forums abroad.
    * Occasionally funds are available through the departments for research assistants. Ask your chair and department secretary for information on these.
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Evaluation/Tenure

  • How teaching will be evaluated: C.D. Spangler, former president of the University of North Carolina system, mandated a peer observation and evaluation system for all nontenured and part-time faculty. Nontenured and part-time faculty members will be observed at least once during the academic year by another faculty member(s). Each department has its own observation procedures and guidelines. Generally, the faculty member to be observed may help choose his/her own observation team and consult with the team about a mutually convenient time for the observation. Talk to your own faculty chair for information on your department's procedures.
  • Student evaluations: All faculty are also evaluated using student evaluation forms; these must be distributed during the fall semester. Each department has its own evaluation forms; the Colleges of Business and Education use college-wide forms.
  • Requirements for gaining tenure: University-wide standards and procedures for retention, promotion, and tenure are outlined in the Faculty Handbook.
  • Fulfilling department's requirements for tenure: Every faculty member must have an annual conference with his/her chair, during which the faculty member's performance is discussed and analyzed. The Hubbard Center offers workshops on promotion and tenure that may address your concerns and answer many of your questions. For more information, call 828-262-3040.


Career Opportunities (outside the classroom)

  • Non-teaching job possibilities within Appalachian exist, but it is the responsibility of the individual faculty member to search for these opportunities, which are usually advertised in The Appalachian Scene.
  • A few part-time directorships are available in programs such as the Honors Program, Cultural Affairs, and various administrative posts that become available from time to time.
  • The directorships of the Appalachian Loft and Appalachian House--our New York and Washington, DC, facilities--are rotated every semester and during the summer.
  • Appalachian has developed exchange programs with universities in China and in Poland.
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Committees/Faculty Senate

  • Each department has a number of standing committees and each faculty member is expected to serve on one or more. Usually, a list of departmental committees is given to each faculty member at the first departmental meeting of the fall semester and everyone selects the committees on which he/she would like to serve. As a rule most people get their first or second preference with no difficulty.
  • To serve on the Faculty Senate, candidates must be selected by the members of their college (self-nomination is also possible) and elected by secret ballot. Procedures are outlined in the Faculty Handbook.
  • The Faculty Senate nominates members for the standing University Committees. All those interested in serving on these committees may express their interest to the Faculty Senate Office, 828-262-2067.
  • Chapter VII of the Faculty Handbook, covers all relevant information concerning committees, including names of the committees and their functions.


Clubs/Organizations