The Appalachian College Association is pleased to announce that the application period for the 2026 Ledford Scholars Program is now open. Eligible undergraduate students from ACA institutions are encouraged to seek funding to support their intensive research projects in either the summer or fall terms of 2026. Deadline for fully completed applications (including endorsement letters from your CAO and Faculty Mentor) is Wednesday, February 18, 2026. Visit the Ledford webpage to learn more and/or submit a proposal.
12/01/2025
Larry Hall
No Subjects
11/17/2025
Alexa Arndt
No Subjects
The Appalachian College Association, in collaboration with Credo, is thrilled to host the second cohort of the Rural Higher Education Leadership Institute (RHLI) in 2026. RHLI specifically aims to empower leaders in private rural and rural-serving institutions. Running from February 2026 and through September 2026, this hybrid program is designed to develop aspiring campus leaders with a particular focus on leadership in the rural higher education institutional context.
The opening workshop will be held in person at Berea College (KY) February 24-26, 2026; the one-day closing workshop will be held in September 2026 as a part of Summit in Asheville, NC. All other monthly sessions will be offered online. Participants can expect to engage in conversations not only with higher education experts but to extend their network with colleagues from across the ACA. The monthly schedule can be found here along with additional logistical information.
We look forward to providing not only a memorable and impactful professional experience for participants of this second cohort, but we also are excited to further develop a larger RHLI community more broadly. Join us!
Click here to register by December 1, 2025.
10/14/2025
Larry Hall
No Subjects
The ACA”s Center for Teaching & Learning seeks proposals from faculty and staff to facilitate sessions in the spring semester for its new initiative, Teaching Exchange: Brown-Bag Conversations to Spark Practice. These sessions are designed as collaborative spaces rather than formal presentations. Each online meeting invites faculty into a structured, interactive conversation about core issues in teaching and learning.
To learn more and/or submit a proposal, please visit the special application site. Submission deadline is Friday, December 8, 2025.
09/21/2025
Larry Hall
No Subjects
The ACA is very pleased to share the recorded presentations of our 2025 Ledford Scholars who completed their research projects during either the summer or fall terms.
The Ledford Scholars Program offers financial assistance for intensive research projects to undergraduate students enrolled at ACA member institutions. Undergraduate students from Appalachian or contiguous counties, from any disciplines, are eligible, and a variety of fields of study, research approaches, and methodologies are supported each year. Visit the Ledford Scholars webpage to learn more about the program
06/19/2025
Beth Rushing
No Subjects
The Appalachian College Association invites proposals for planning collaborative projects among subsets of its member institutions, in anticipation that such planning could result in projects that could benefit a broader set of ACA member institutions in the future.
Proposed planning projects may be in any area of institutional operations and will ideally involve at least three ACA institutions. Potential collaborative projects might include faculty/staff professional development, cross-institutional shared positions or functions, collaborative research programs, collaborative student services, and the like.
A total of $100,000 is available for these planning projects.
Register for the 7/16/2025 webinar to learn more about this opportunity.
06/18/2025
Larry Hall
No Subjects
The Center for Center & Learning is pleased to announce for summer 2025 programming to support ACA faculty - especially new faculty (many of whom are joining our schools after extensive professional careers outside of traditional higher education) - as they prepare for fall semester. Our "Getting Started" initiative seeks to assist instructors in two ways.
First, we have collected and curated resources designed to support instructional preparation for the upcoming term. We hope these carefully chosen materials will provide needed supports to make faculty members' teaching experiences both rewarding and effective. These resources focus on the "fundamentals:" Syllabus design and development; assignment selection and formation; and tools for effective classroom teaching.
Second, our Board members will be holding informal drop-in "office hours" during the summer to meet with any faculty who want to bounce course ideas, ask questions, or seek out other teaching supports as they prepare their fall courses. These sessions begin around mid-July and run until mid-August.
Visit our Getting Started webpage to learn more.
04/03/2025
Larry Hall
No Subjects
The Appalachian College Association is very pleased to announce our 2025 Ledford Scholars. Forty-eight undergraduate students, representing 16 member institutions, receive funding for their intensive research projects to be completed in either the summer of fall terms. Visit the special recognition page to see all the award recipients.
03/12/2025
Larry Hall
No Subjects
The Appalachian College Association, in concert with our member colleges and universities, is very pleased to administer the ACA’s Graduate Tuition Discount Program. The program seeks to encourage greater educational attainment and professional development among our members’ faculty and staff and to furnish our qualified undergraduate students and alumni enhanced and more affordable opportunities to achieve their educational goals while remaining in the Central Appalachian region.
For full details regarding policies and procedures, or for the list of participating schools and graduate programs, visit our webpage.
01/09/2025
Larry Hall
No Subjects
The ACA is pleased to announce the establishment of its Entrepreneurship Alliance (EA), a consortium-wide endeavor to share expertise and events related to the study and cultivation of entrepreneurship at our member institutions - especially as it relates to the opportunities and challenges of our Appalachian region.
Alliance members share their expertise in curriculum, staff, and programs to promote entrepreneurial education and activities on our campuses and to increase access among our students, faculty, and staff to events, speakers, and other educational opportunities.Through these collaborations, we hope to increase our students' diversity of learning experiences, enhance our faculty's and staff's professional development, and cultivate increased relationships with our broader communities across Appalachia.
Visit the EA webpage to learn more about this initiative and to see how our member institutions connect with their surrounding communities in a myriad of programs and events. ACA schools serve as "beacons" for their communities - making the worlds beyond their campuses rich laboratories for student learning, for building beneficial partnerships, and for sharing educational and cultural opportunities with community members young and old.
The Appalachian College Association seeks proposals from undergraduate students at its member institutions for its inaugural Student Entrepreneurship for Appalachia pitch competition. This program furnishes undergraduate students from ACA member institutions with the opportunity to develop and present their innovative commercial or social entrepreneurial plans, receive valuable feedback from academic, business, and community experts, and compete for cash awards.
This program occurs in two stages. The preliminary stage provides students with the opportunity to submit their written and video pitch proposals before the end of fall semester. The final stage, in which the top proposals come together for a live competition, takes place on Friday and Saturday, March 27-28, 2026, at the Lake Junaluska Conference Center, west of Asheville, NC. Students who reach the final competition are required to attend the event. Most (if not all) expenses of the students and mentors associated with travel and lodging to Lake Junaluska are covered by the ACA.
To learn more and/or submit an application, please visit the special application webpage. Deadline for proposals has been extended to Monday, December 15, 2025.