| For those desiring to pursue advanced educational degrees, update existing skills, prepare for new careers, or just be involved in an academic setting, the High Country offers three distinct centers of higher education — Appalachian State University, Lees-McRae College, and Caldwell Community College. In the heart of downtown Boone lies Appalachian State University. ASU has built a national reputation for providing outstanding academics. With a student/faculty ratio of 19:1, faculty members are able to take a personal interest in student progress, often becoming mentors, advisers, and friends – even tennis partners. That can only happen in a close-knit community. Appalachian State University is a public institution and part of The University of North Carolina System, a multi-campus university composed of 16 constituent institutions, with an enrollment of 14,650 undergraduate and 1,650 graduate students. ASU placed 5th among the South’s top public universities and 12th among the South’s public and private universities in U.S. News & World Report’s 2007 America’s Best Colleges Guide. Additionally, ASU has been named as one of 140 colleges identified as a “best” southeastern college by The Princeton Review. Located in Banner Elk is Lees-McRae College, a Presbyterian-affiliated institution founded in 1900 to serve the educational needs of the Southern Appalachian region. Lees-McRae College continues to provide a quality, values-based education in an ecumenical environment, inspiring and enabling individuals to contribute to a changing society with integrity and civic responsibility. Through a curriculum rooted in a liberal arts core and emphasizing leadership and service, graduates obtain knowledge, skills, and a holistic understanding of themselves and the world. Lees-McRae College is an academic community where classroom learning is meant to foster connections with life outside the classroom. To achieve that end, the college offers significant opportunities for service learning and is one of the few colleges to ask all freshman to complete a community service project. Lees-McRae’s is committed to educating whole person…mind, body, and spirit. The High Country is fortunate to host the Watauga Campus of Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. Since 1964, Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute has served thousands of people with its quality programs and services. For many, this community college offers one of the most affordable ways to prepare for a new career, earn an associate’s degree, update existing skills, and explore new interests. Caldwell’s tradition of excellence remains paramount to its mission of serving the community with a wide variety of academic and cultural opportunities. Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. |
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Appalachian State University |
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Lees-McRae College |
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Caldwell Community College and Techcical Institute |
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The University of North Carolina System |
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