Rising to New Heights...
Reasons to Support the Appalachian Fund
- Today, Appalachian ranks as one of the finest institutions in the UNC system, however we rank next to last in state funding among our peer institutions.
- Tuition only covers part of the true cost of an Appalachian education. The remaining funds must be made up by gifts, grants, and unrestricted support from the Appalachian Fund. Every student - benefits from the support of the Appalachian Fund.
- U.S. News & World Report’s 2008 America’s Best Colleges Guide placed Appalachian fifth among the South’s top masters-degree granting public universities and 10th among public and private universities in the South. Appalachian has ranked in the top 15 among southern universities since the rankings first appeared in 1986.
- Appalachian is one of 186 colleges in the nation considered a best value for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review. The listing appears in the 2008 edition of “America’s Best Values in Colleges.”
- Full-time professors are paid 20% less than the average salary of their peers within the UNC system. Competitive salaries are essential in attracting and retaining qualified faculty and staff.
- In the 2006-07 academic year, 6,762 alumni, parents, and friends participated in a gift to the Appalachian Fund with contributions totaling $589,130.
- Corporations and foundations use participation rates to measure Alumni satisfaction for grant funding. With a total of 89,000 alumni, Appalachian has a 10% alumni participation rate in overall giving to the University. We need our alumni to show their mountaineer pride by making an annual gift to the university.
- Appalachian is preceded only by UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State as the school of choice for the top freshman in North Carolina.
- Appalachian is included in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s “100 Best Values in Public Colleges.” In February 2007, Appalachian ranks 31st in the nation in-state costs.
- Appalachian has one of the top education programs in the nation and is a leader in helping to address the teacher shortage in North Carolina.
- The Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT) organization at Appalachian provided an estimated $1.74 million of volunteer service to the community during the 2006-07 school year based on the national standard for volunteer time.
