This is a blog of the App State Board of Trustees meetings on March 18-19. These only happen four times a year, minus special or emergency meetings, and one of them is a retreat. If you want to know big-picture campus items, this is how you get plugged in.
As is standard, the committee meetings are on the Thursday followed by the Big Board Meeting on Friday, which is kinda boring unless the Board Chair decided to say wins and losses don’t matter.
If you want to watch yourself, here’s over six hours of video. First is Thursday, second is Friday.
At the start of each meeting, they ask if any of the board members have any conflicts or appearance of conflicts. They also say anyone who disrupts the meeting could be arrested.
Now onto Thursday’s committee meetings.
AUDIT RISK AND COMPLIANCE COMMITTEE
Look at that camera set up.
State Auditor Dave Bolick is here via Zoom to deliver the audit. He’s a Tar Heel and says so in his intro.
He really, really, really, really, really appreciates App State. Yes, he said “really” multiple times. His sister-in-law went to App State! So relatable!
Second Zoom dude’s audio feed to the video cuts out seven seconds into his intro. No one tells him. He continues.
So much risk assessed! Auditors are very dry and this comes across not interesting at all to most everyone
The opinion is clean and there were no findings or material misstatements or uncorrected misstatements for fiscal year 2025. This is all very good! The best result!
This is Kris Collum, the guy speaking over the last three paragraphs.
Compliance and Ethics Plan with Brad Boswell, who is on the far right two images above here.
Developing a Code of Ethical Conduct. Reporting mechanisms and such. Brad is weirdly nervous as he has to stop for breath a lot. Slow down the speech about 20% and you should be good.
$536,000 has been claimed since last meeting from Helene claims, now over $3 million total.
Still got Legends building and Varsity Gym floor insurance claims to go. The former will be made in the next year, and the latter is a strategic replacement when the facility isn’t being used.
FEMA is involved in these projects, so there might be more dollars coming in.
Compliments from board members on working with FEMA because that ain’t easy.
(forgot to turn on uBlock for YouTube and during this I got an ad for the University of Phoenix)
Athletics compliance lawsuits with Brad. Mentions the anti-trust lawsuit wave challenging eligibility clocks. Mentions Aguilar lawsuit at Tennessee. Brad says absence of federal action has resulted in patchwork rulings from favorable local judges.
Athletics compliance is 100% successful when filing waivers, saying they have to go “where the wind is blowing.”
Now onto sports gambling, another risk. It’s more accessible, so there’s more scandals. Notes the FBI charges from January and that the athletes were targeted because they were at non-P4 schools.
To mitigate the risk, they’re using the service “Prohabit” (sic) to proactively stop infractions.
Brad’s done. Now Christy Gregg from Office of Internal Audits.
We got an award for FY24 for being clean! Hooray award!
There’s a few more audits to speak of.
In all this, there’s a reference a partner university, Swansea University in Wales. Note how the UK wasn’t mentioned. The breakup of the Kingdom is coming y’all! Break free of the English yoke!
The ARC Committee Charter and Internal Audit Charter were both approved and moved to the full board consent agenda.
Going into closed session. It lasts about 10 minutes, then comes back and immediately adjourns so fast they forgot to turn the audio back on.
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS/STUDENT AFFAIRS
Audio comes on during the “we will arrest you if you disrupt this meeting” warning. Same setup as the last meeting.
Faculty handbook changes as an information item i.e. no vote needed/ Mostly technical changes. Very brief.
It is funny how every speaker concludes with “and now I will answer any questions” and the committee chair still does the “thank you so and so, now does anyone have any questions for so and so?”
We got students presenters. Sydney McKee, She’s with ASU PD. It’s a long intro. Ella Bolz is from Wilmington. Intro not as long.
Sydney is visibly nervous and is meta with it. Give her history. Got BLET at age 20 while in school. It’s a lot of police PR.
Ella is here for Mountaineer Medics. Mentions the national EMS shortage. Says they can alleviate some of that here in rural Watauga County.
There’s a fair bit of questions. Ella wants to go to Chapel Hill after undergrad.
Now going into closed session.
Closed session was just under 10 minutes. They approve some things, including tenure recommendations, faculty emeritus, leadership medalions and now another speaker.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Distinguished Professorship changes. To include the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences. It’s unanimous and we’re adjourned.
FINANCE AND OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
(this is an hour long and will be screenshot heavy, the previous meetings were an easy 30 minutes)
Conflicts. Arrests. I just noticed the plant in the background you’ve already seen above. Are there other plants in the room?
Presentation from student Hampton Smith. He’s wearing a bowtie.
He’s thankful, please hire him, this is awesome.
All-Funds Budget is up for vote. Chief Financial Officer Brad Cooper, second from right in the blue suit jacket, is trying to interject humor. All the students did this too. Makes sense for them because they’re nervous. Brad is Barney from Parks and Rec.
This is all about transparency and strategic allocation of resources. It’s public dollars so they better. He basically explains the slide below.
Apparently budget season is now year-round. He says it with mock enthusiasm. It’s like election season/ Some things shouldn’t be year-round.
The All-Fund Budget and Narrative is due May 1. We’re in the consolidation and review phase.
A “barrage of numbers is incoming.” We need a new. long song.
App made $16 million for fiscal year 2026-27, which is weird to me because fiscal year 2026-27 doesn’t start until July. And you don’t just close the book on a previous fiscal year once the new one begins. Anyway, he sounds like he knows what he’s talking about, so let’s go with that.
“We’re not operating at a loss.” Always good in post-secondary education in 2026! It’s one-time capital investments and using reserves for some of that. Calls himself “a recovering accountant.”
Very modest increase in appropriations ($3.5 million), primarily from $1.1 million in enrollment growth funding and fringe benefit funding support.
Tuition and fees increase means more tuition and fees money. Novel concept. Existing students are grandfathered in while the new students get the hike.
Salary and benefits are 85% of operating expenses. I’d like to know how much the top five earners account in that.
In auxiliary and other trust funds, tuition and fees projected to increase by $6.7 million *does 6-7 hands*
Most of this is due to the Project Kitty Hawk online program, which sucked when it launched and now sucks a lot less. Guy says App State’s partnership with it is paying off, literally.
Sales and service revenue projected to increase $3 million due to increased rates for dining, housing, parking and transportation, plus New River Light and Power.
Gifts and investments projected to increase by $10.8 million. This is due to STIP earnings and $5 million from the Yosef Club and other athletics fundraising.
In auxiliary and other trust funds, salaries and benefits are 37%. This assumes a 3% salary increase. Salaries are flat and down because the hiring process is slowing down. This has helped supplies and services, which had its largest year-over-year growth at $16.1 million.
January and February’s cold drove more natural gas purchases and natural gas rates are way up.
Campus Dining and classroom tech upgrades are going up, including renewal of cybersecurity contract.
He goes into overhead/F&A receipts anticipated to remain flat and restricted trust funds.
More on Project Kitty Hawk. App State has six programs. Enrollments have exceeded expectations by 20%. About 600 students in it. All of the fees will be paid back by September 2027, earlier than anticipated.
PKH could generated $4.5 million by then, which will be reinvested in the program to grow it. “A great success story.”
Athletics is going up 24% because of sports wagering, a new athletics fee increase and increased Yosef club gifting.
It’s then mentioned that the Holmes Center is now managed by athletics. Gillin said this very quickly in December and it’s a major change. For its entire lifespan, the Holmes Center has been a separate entity. Radio and TV people have said they had to take down everything after every basketball game, like a road game, because of the management structure. It’s also true in a dollars sense. Hence why you’re seeing new concerts that directly benefit athletics.
Incremental revenue will provide nine new faculty and three academic advisors. And this is also investing in high-quality faculty, including tenure and such.
Now more numbers. So grateful for the state’s support. Click to zoom in.
Notice how athletics is the third-biggest line.
Brad is done. Questions.
Wayne Summer asks the “do we have to spend what we get so we get it next year” question that is true in all levels of government. Brad says we can carry over 2.5%, but “generally, we spent all of that.” Minus the trust fund. Are we using our dollars prudently? Someone not on camera answers and says it goes through a rigorous process. They also say we just don’t give them what they got last year.
Steven Wyatt asks about the 2.5% and where that figure comes from Likely the legislature (which will soon have a new Senate President Pro Tem and maybe an App undergrad diploma holder from Mitchell County taking that job).
Board Chair Jamie Harris said he previously asked what the return on investment (ROI) is and, while admitting bias, believes it’s great.
Short Queen Heather Norris, who was the off-camera voice two paragraphs ago, says that bias is founded in truth. DeLoitte did a study in the last couple years and found every academic department as a “positive student return on investment.”
Hey look, it’s buddy cop drama duo Mark Ricks and Tommy Sofield.
Someone in the crowd starts talking and the audio feed dies for a couple of minutes.
Audio returns with motions and seconds to approve the All-Funds Budget. It’s unanimous. Brad is happy.
Capital projects time with J.J. Brown, aka building updates
We got three authorizations this time.
Look at those renderings! Can those people rebuild a football locker room?
JJ says Phase One continues in the Student Union and will be completed in a year. This will open up the walkway and open up the second floor into the book store. Then there’s a new market in the bottom hill of Thunder Hill residence hall, which is near the stadium.
Phase Two will renovate 18,000 square feet. Goal is create a better retail dining experience. “micro restaurants” like in a food hall. Will highlight black and gold, which was recommended last time.
Mark Ricks has a question. Is it part of the meal plan? It’s cash and card JJ says. This will provide space for retail options. Are there retail options coming in? JJ dances around the question. Says they’ve looked at Virginia Tech’s dining halls.
Steven Wyatt encourages memorializing the Bavarian Inn. Jamie Harris says he got food poisoning there from the Wheel of Death.
Second authorization is a “hard reset” in the Campus Master Plan. No questions.
App State got a gift for this increase to Raley/Peacock, which JJ calls a great story, but doesn’t expound too much.
All three are unanimously approved.
All the major carriers are on this tower. This is for the T-Mobile lease specifically. No discussion, unanimous approval.
Master Plan Update by JJ Brown
Again, “hard reset” over last several months. We’re getting deep in those weeds y’all. So strategic.
60-plus students were engaged. I see on the power point that LS3P were involved, because of course they were. A survey had responses form 50% students.
JJ said they cast the net wider to engage.
This will frame capital decisions for the next decade and how the physical environment changes. It must frame how we grow and be actionable along with aspirational. Very buzz word ish.
We have six revised project goals. Gratuitous foliage picture.
Additional forums are coming up at the end of April. Summer is not the best time to engage students and faculty, obviously, so they’ll engage before then. Students are already taking graduation photos so they better hurry up.
Now JJ moves onto building updates. This is one of the things you’ve been waiting for. JJ says you’ve heard his voice too much today. I mean, Brad’s right there to take over if needed.
Several projects will be completed in the coming months. Hooray!
Obviously, weather has been a challenge. 40-plus days lost to weather. Mountains!
Duncan will be done “in just a few weeks.” Classrooms, College of Arts and Sciences, Math Department, labs, etc.
Peacock crawls along. You can see the shape now. “This building is massive.” The funding total is now a $1 million more than above.
The former green space or whatever it was on top of Bodenheimer trudges along. There will still be greenhouses up there. JJ hopes we get more support from the legislature for this.
First mention of Hickory today. “Later on this summer” Labs and additional classes.
Indoor Tennis Facility is the last athletics piece on App 105.
The gigantic housing project at App 105 will be done in 17 months. It started a year ago. Man this has flown along while it seems Peacock and Duncan have taken a decade. A year from now the school will be leasing space there. I’ve seen this before with The Standard and other housing projects. Hotels better be ready.
Indoor Practice Facility has slowly been pushed back to September completion. JJ doesn’t mention this, but he says football will be in there in August, followed by other pieces.
Here’s the Chancellor’s projects. Trivette will be for increased dining capacity. Paving repairs coming up this summer (please pave Bodenheimer), along with retention pond dredging because who knows what’s in there.
Board Chair Jamie Harris compliments everyone he can. Budgets and capital projects are tough work. He declares meeting adjourned, which I believe requires a vote, but let’s not hold it against him.
ATHLETICS
Now onto the Thursday main event. Doug Gillin declines Board Chair Jeff Chesson’s invitation to sit with him.
We got two student athletes here. First is Colton Phares, football player.
Phares said he visited during the 2022 North Carolina game and was awestruck by the environment. Says we’ll get back to the championship standard. Got to work on the new Indoor Practice Facility as part of his construction major. Wants to go to the NFL or become a pilot. Short speech. Asked how he got his girlfriend. Apparently, Phillip Byers asked that question. “a friend.”
Next up is the women’s tennis GOAT, Savannah Dada-Mascoll, who is ranked No. 5 in America.
Fell in love with the people and nature here, plus faith. Says people care about her before the athlete. Most challenging years of her life, but also the most fruitful. Studying digital journalism with a minor in English. Loves interviewing for stories. Works during football game on the popcorn machine. In the future, plans to go pro and travel.
Gillin plays a video of Sav at the NCAA Tournament where she got to the quarter finals.
Now onto the UNC Intercollegiate Athletics Survey, which Gillin sarcastically calls exciting. This is required.
This is to help avoid course clustering, so there’s not a ton of athletes in one class and normal grade distribution. This sounds like the result of the academic fraud at Chapel Hill. No irregularities found, Gillin says.
Now onto revenues for one of the biggest departments at the university.
Gillin says App State generates 17% more revenue than the Sun Belt Conference average and 22% more than the Division I average. And that’s nearly $4 million more in ticket revenues than the Sun Belt average last year and among the best in the Group of 5/6. Anticipating a 8% revenue increase in fiscal year 2026-27, which will bring the total to around $50 million.
From fiscal years 2024 and 2025, expenses went up 10% while operating revenue went up 4% to 5%.
NCAA financial survey will show another balanced budget, cash positive.
27 straight semesters with a student-athlete cumulative GPA of 3.0.
Gillin wants to continue to have events in Hickory. Mentions the MBB win over High Point at Lenoir-Rhyne. Then the several baseball games. Says there’s a really good relationship with L.P. Frans Stadium. “Good market for us.”
Then Gillin gets into the football schedule notes I’ve already mentioned.
In case you can’t view that, the Sept. 19 home game versus Charlotte is likely a night game, says there’s been a lot of interest in it.
Oct. 10 versus ODU will be during Fall Break. Gillin says the Sun Belt has tried to avoid that, but not this year.
Mentions the South Alabama game moved up to Black Friday at their request.
“Season tickets going well.” Says football season ticket waiting list continues to grow.
Gillin says owner of the Comedy Zone is an adjunct professor at App State Hickory. Says the comedy events are designed to bring in people to help the local economy and raise money for athletics. The next comedy event is in August. “Stay tuned.” Says it’s cash positive but not a huge money maker. Compliments nonprofit The Appalachian Theater for being a good partner. Better than that no-good, stinking Schaeffer Center that Gillin disparaged in September 2024.
“It’s not athletics anymore, it’s sports entertainment.” Says it’s a trend. Okay Vince McMahon.
Mentions Rainbow Kitten Surprise at the Holmes Center bringing in 5,000 people in October, now Young the Giant on March 26 (which might have happened by the time you see this). Opening act is Cigarettes at Sunset, had gone back and forth. “This is all student focused.” Gillin says we have a role to play in student life.
Oh yeah, concert in Holmes on June 18 and in KBS July 25. Just solidified and no word on who. Gillin says stadiums across the country are doing concerts. Says they’re not experts in concerts but are learning.
Softball fundraiser raised $25,000. Baseball Brunch raised $150,000, including $97,000 for an endowed scholarship. 300 people showed up.
Football Golf Tournament raises hundreds of thousands of dollars. There’s also a women’s basketball, wrestling and golf program fundraisers coming up. Gillin says it’s 24/7/365 trying to raise money.
Goes over wrestling accomplishments, including NCAA Tournament in progress. Mentions MBB finishing Top 4 (by tiebreaker) and Softball starting the season 8-1, best in program history.
Capital projects. Sofield Indoor will be ready in August for practices, as mentioned earlier. There’s 10,000 square feet of public-private healthcare space (physical therapy). That’ll be done “by the first of the year.”
Gillin says “App State” on the roof would look very cool, something Mark Ricks and Tommy Sofield came up with.
Indoor Tennis will have soft opening later in April. A “significant grant” from U.S. Tennis Association will be announced to help fund that facility.
East Tower update. Lots of advanced planning. “They’ll change lots of times.” Says there’s lots of interest. Wants to match East and West. Says the East Side has structural issues that need to be addresses regardless. Then the connection between East and North. “It’s not inexpensive.” (no kidding).
Baseball indoor (which is behind) hitting facility has gone out to bid. Gillin says we need it. Just a few more things before groundbreaking.
FIN for Gillin. No questions. Now into closed session.
Just over 5 minutes later, back with no further action and we’re adjourned and done for Thursday committee meetings.
FULL METING (FRIDAY)
Mark Ricks time in front of the glaring windows and a printer. His giant Yosef gavel is here as well and his cop-drama buddy Tommy Sofield.
There’s actually one conflict of interest stated regarding a certain vote on a Plemmons Medallion.
After roll call, we’re going into closed session.
About 34 minutes later, we’re back.
Norris speech time. Her entire comments are found on her website word for word, so I won’t recap them all.
The ongoing Master Plan will go into a comprehensive fundraising plan.
Scholarship fundraising is up to $12 million so far, the most ever by this point in an academic year.
“Since March of 2024, the university’s endowment has grown from just over $163 million to nearly $240 million.” That’s….quite something.
And there’s the spin cycle on the tuition hikes. This is a good thing! Seriously! Meanwhile the endowment fund just went up like $80 million.
Now onto committee reports. Basically, a short recap of yesterday and quick votes.
After all that, Ricks talking about a Board of Trustees self-survey mandated every four years.
Nothing moved off consent agenda. So, everything you just read that was approved passed unanimously.
Ricks has comments at the end of the meeting and promises to be brief. He compliments the audit report.
Mentions “Young Nicole” leaving for Johns Hopkins. Not exactly sure who Ricks is mentioning.
The food was good. The police kept them safe. Thanks to the “people in the corner with the headsets on.” Also, to the military “fighting for our freedom.”
And that’s it.
pipedreams 
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