On Tuesday, January 9th, 2024, the staff of the Office of General Counsel (OGC) had lunch at the Hayes School of Music with Dean  Dr. James Douthit, Dr. Soo Goh, Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Scott Wynne, Professor of Music Industries Studies and Chief Recording Engineer; Dr. Laura Brown, Associate  Professor of Music Therapy, Jessica Yandow, Business Officer and Wendy Jarema, Executive Assistant to the Dean.  The two departments came together to learn more about each other and discussed how the OGC could assist the School of Music and support its operations and endeavors.   The Office of General Counsel was given a tour of the impressive School of Music, including the Arnold and Muriel G. Rosen Concert Hall, The Nancy and Neil Schaffel Recital Hall, The Nicholas Erneston Music Library, and the Robert G. Gilley Recording Studio.  Below are some photographs from our fantastic tour:

On Thursday, April 6, 2023, the Office of General Counsel met over breakfast in the beautiful Plemmons Student Union with JJ Brown, Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs, Matt Dull, Associate Vice-Chancellor, Jeff Cathey, Assistant Vice-Chancellor, Margaret Bumgarner, Interim Assistant Vice-Chancellor and Judy Haas, Dean of Students.  The two departments came together to learn more about the staff and the functions of each department and how the OGC could assist Student Affairs in its operations.  The Office of General Counsel was given a tour of the Student Union, including the Career Development Center and the Student Veterans Resource Center.  Below are some photographs from our meeting:

On February 17th, 2023, the Office of General Counsel and several staff members in the ASU Athletics Department came together to learn more about the functions of each department and how the OGC could assist the Athletic Department.  The OGC staff was given a tour of the beautiful athletic training facilities.  Below are some pictures from the meeting.

On January 26th, several staff members from the Appalachian State University Division of Institutional Integrity traveled to the ASU Academy at Elkin (lab school) to assist with their STEM-focused QUEST day. QUEST stands for Question, Understand, Explore, Share, and Try!

 We had a wonderful time with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders as they participated in various challenges, such as an Exploration Based Learning Sprint through downtown Elkin; a Lego building project and a read-aloud activity.

The Appalachian State University Academy at Elkin is a free, public lab school located on the campus of Elkin Elementary School.

In response to the ever-shifting regulatory landscape in higher education, which has been exacerbated by the advent of COVID, Chancellor Sheri Everts authorized the creation of a new division in the fall of 2021-the Division of Institutional Integrity-that includes the following enterprise-wide legal, risk and compliance functions that report to the General Counsel:

• Office of General Counsel
• Office of Enterprise Risk Management
• Office of Disability Resources
• Office of Title IX Compliance
• Office of Compliance and Ethics (which is under development and will include Clery Act Compliance)
• Office of Internal Audits

The Division of Institutional Integrity supports Appalachian by driving a campus culture of compliance and facilitating the University’s ability to maximize strategic opportunities while minimizing liability exposure.  This allows the University to achieve its academic mission and strategic plan while adhering to ethical, legal and regulatory responsibilities, thus creating a unique environment to comply with the extensive regulations and administrative oversight applicable to operations.

On September 12, 2022, the Office of General Counsel hosted the first retreat of the newly formed Division in order to further develop the relationships of the units making up the Division.

On August 24, 2022, the Office of General Counsel staff, alongside The Honorable Ted McEntire, The Honorable Becca Eggers-Gryder, Senator Deanna Ballard, Clerk of Court Charles Haynes, Sheriff Len Hagaman, Deputy Preston Russell, as well as staff from the Clerk of Court Office, Mediation and Restorative Justice Center, Watauga County Courthouse and other distinguished community members welcomed Chief Justice Paul Newby to Watauga County.

Chief Justice Newby and his wife Macon have embarked on a journey to visit all 100 counties in North Carolina. The Watauga County Courthouse stop marked the 85th county they have visited.  During his visit, Chief Justice Newby expressed his sincere thanks to all the staff that has kept the court system running while working through a global pandemic and along with his wife Macon, honored Courthouse staff who have worked 20 years or more with thank you cards and handed out lapel pins to all staff.