{"id":235830,"date":"2026-06-23T10:14:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T14:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/23\/app-state-chancellors-innovation-scholars-aim-to-boost-western-nc-cybersecurity-trades-workforce\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T10:20:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T14:20:11","slug":"app-state-chancellors-innovation-scholars-aim-to-boost-western-nc-cybersecurity-trades-workforce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/23\/app-state-chancellors-innovation-scholars-aim-to-boost-western-nc-cybersecurity-trades-workforce\/","title":{"rendered":"App State Chancellor\u2019s Innovation Scholars aim to boost Western NC cybersecurity, trades workforce"},"content":{"rendered":"

App State Chancellor\u2019s Innovation Scholars aim to boost Western NC cybersecurity, trades workforce<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/today.appstate.edu\/2026\/06\/23\/innovation-scholars<\/a><\/p>\n

Publish Date: 2026-06-23 10:14:00<\/a><\/p>\n

Source Domain: today.appstate.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Author: <\/a><\/p>\n

Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points.
\n BOONE, N.C. \u2014 Two Appalachian State University projects designed to strengthen Western North Carolina\u2019s building trades workforce and cyber defenses have been selected to receive funding support through the university\u2019s 2026 Chancellor\u2019s Innovation Scholars Program. The faculty-led initiatives will give App State students hands-on experience protecting small businesses from cyberattacks and the opportunity to explore career options in the trades.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Chancellor\u2019s Innovation Scholars are turning campus expertise into solutions that will help strengthen our communities and build a stronger, more secure future for our region.\u201d
\n App State Chancellor Heather Norris<\/p>\n

The projects:<\/p>\n

The Western North Carolina Cyber Resilience Initiative is a Hickory-based cybersecurity clinic aimed at improving cybersecurity readiness for small businesses while supporting underserved areas. Led by Christopher W. Taylor \u201909 \u201911, practitioner-in-residence in the Department of Computer Information Systems in App State\u2019s Walker College of Business, the initiative will receive $24,815 in Chancellor\u2019s Innovation Scholars Program funding over the next three years. Taylor was recently honored with the Hickory Innovation Award for his work advancing cybersecurity at App State.
\nThe Trades Pathways Initiative, supported by a $25,000 Chancellor\u2019s Innovation grant and led by App State associate professor Dr. Andrew Windham, will help bolster workforce development in partnership with myFutureNC, with a focus on field experience pathways in the skilled building trades. A nonprofit organization, myFutureNC is spearheading efforts to achieve the statewide goal of having 2 million North Carolinians aged 25\u201344 hold a postsecondary degree or credential by 2030. The project team includes Dr. Jamie Russell, director of the Appalachian Energy Center; Dr. James Beeler, executive director of the Office of Rural Promise; and Jason Miller, associate dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese projects exemplify App State\u2019s commitment to driving economic growth and resilience across Western North Carolina,\u201d said App State Chancellor Heather Norris. \u201cBy addressing critical gaps in cybersecurity for our small businesses and pioneering new pathways in the skilled building trades, our Chancellor\u2019s Innovation Scholars are turning campus expertise into solutions that will help strengthen our communities and build a stronger, more secure future for our region.\u201d
\nSince 2016, the Chancellor\u2019s Innovation Scholars Program has supported App State research, innovation, partnerships and practice that have a beneficial impact on society. The program emphasizes student engagement, community and industry partnerships, enduring impact and interdisciplinary collaboration.<\/p>\n

\u201cComputer information systems and cybersecurity students in a business-focused program are trained to bridge technical security insights with organizational decision-making \u2014 exactly the capability regional businesses need.\u201d
\n Christopher W. Taylor \u201909 \u201911, practitioner-in-residence in App State\u2019s Walker College of Business<\/p>\n

Pictured in the cybersecurity lab at App State\u2019s Hickory campus, Christopher W. Taylor \u201909 \u201911, practitioner-in-residence in App State\u2019s Walker College of Business, is leading a Hickory-based cybersecurity clinic that draws on App State student expertise to improve cybersecurity readiness for the region\u2019s small businesses. The three-year Western North Carolina Cyber Resilience Initiative is supported by funding awarded through the Chancellor\u2019s Innovation Scholars Program. Photo by Chase Reynolds<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the region\u2019s workforce and economy, the Trade Pathways Initiative shifts the outlook on resilience and affordability by addressing the shortage of skilled tradespeople.\u201d
\n Dr. Andrew Windham, associate professor in App State\u2019s Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment<\/p>\n

Strengthening business through cybersecurity
\nGlobal research shows that cyberattacks disproportionately target small and medium-sized businesses \u2014 and cause many to close. The Western North Carolina Cyber Resilience Initiative tackles this problem by drawing on undergraduate student expertise from the Walker College of Business and its computer information systems and cybersecurity programs. Under the initiative, students provide businesses with in-depth assessments and risk reports and offer the option of ongoing security monitoring.
\n\u201cThe program\u2019s defining strength is its student profile,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cComputer information systems and cybersecurity students in a business-focused program are trained to bridge technical security insights with organizational decision-making \u2014 exactly the capability regional businesses need.\u201d
\nOver the next three years, the initiative will complete security assessments for at least 20 businesses. Six to 10 students per semester will engage in four- to six-week security assessments, generating and documenting outcomes and methodology needed for the initiative to compete for federal funding, Taylor said. The initiative will also host regional educational workshops.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the region\u2019s workforce and economy, the Trade Pathways Initiative shifts the outlook on resilience and affordability by addressing the shortage of skilled tradespeople.\u201d
\n Dr. Andrew Windham, associate professor in App State\u2019s Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment<\/p>\n

\u201cStudies show that roughly 60% of small businesses close within six months of a breach,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cRather than waiting for a crisis, this initiative helps Hickory-area companies identify and address vulnerabilities proactively \u2014 protecting their operations and their futures.\u201d
\nAccording to Taylor, the initiative is unique due to its integration of three key assets: Walker College students who can translate technical findings into organizational risk language; alert triage augmented with artificial intelligence; and open-source security tools.
\nExternally, the program seeks to build enduring relationships with the Small Business and Technology Development Centers in Western North Carolina, economic development offices across Catawba, Burke and Caldwell counties and area chambers of commerce.
\n\u201cThe collaborative architecture of this program is intentional and broad,\u201d said Taylor. \u201cThese relationships form a regional cybersecurity resilience network designed to outlast the grant period.\u201d
\nWith grant support through the Chancellor\u2019s Innovation Scholars Program, an App State team, in partnership with myFutureNC, is leading an initiative to bolster the building trades workforce pipeline across Western North Carolina. Pictured from left to right are team members Dr. Jamie Russell, director of the Appalachian Energy Center; Jason Miller, associate dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts; Dr. James Beeler, executive director of the Office of Rural Promise; and project leader Dr. Andrew Windham, associate professor in App State\u2019s Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment. Photo by Chase Reynolds
\nAddressing a skilled trades workforce gap
\nUniversities, community colleges and career and technical programs must collaborate to create predictable, stackable career pathways in the trades, said Windham, associate professor and graduate program director in the Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment. The Trades Pathways Initiative seeks to address the region\u2019s workforce shortage in the trades.
\nHe explained that the initiative will seek out partners in the community colleges of Mayland, Caldwell, Wilkes, Western Piedmont, Catawba Valley and McDowell to address this gap by repositioning skilled trades and work-based learning as smart, valued career pathways \u2014 not as alternatives to higher education but integrated components of it.
\n\u201cBy building cross-institutional relationships, generating new knowledge about regional needs and piloting innovative curricular structures, this project helps position App State as a regional convener and leader in workforce resilience,\u201d said Windham.
\nThe initiative\u2019s first phase involves relationship-building, stakeholder sessions and needs mapping \u2014 all with a goal of creating a regional inventory of existing resources and gaps relating to the region\u2019s trades education ecosystem. Windham\u2019s project calls for a Mountaineer trades roundtable to bring App State students together to explore career pathways and other opportunities. A scholarly publication focused on needs in the skilled trades and field experience proposals and curriculum concept models are also planned deliverables.
\n\u201cThe project team is well positioned to reach these goals,\u201d Windham said. \u201cThe collaboration between STBE, the Appalachian Energy Center, the Office of Rural Promise and myFutureNC leverages disciplinary breadth, regional credibility and existing community relationships. For the region\u2019s workforce and economy, the initiative shifts the outlook on resilience and affordability by addressing the shortage of skilled tradespeople.\u201d
\nWhat do you think?
\nShare your feedback on this story.
\nMay 28, 2026Chris Taylor \u201909 \u201911, a senior lecturer in Appalachian State University\u2019s Department of Computer Information Systems (CIS), has earned the university’s inaugural Hickory Innovation Award in recognition of exceptional advocacy and leadership in the development and implementation of the cybersecurity program and lab.
\nAbout the College of Fine and Applied ArtsAppalachian State University\u2019s College of Fine and Applied Arts is a dynamic and innovative group of seven academic departments, bringing together a variety of perspectives, experiences and real-world education to provide unique opportunities for student success. The college has more than 3,500 undergraduate and graduate majors. Its departments are Applied Design, Art, Communication, Military Science and Leadership, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment, and Theatre and Dance. Learn more at https:\/\/cfaa.appstate.edu.
\nAbout the Walker College of BusinessThe Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University delivers transformational educational experiences that prepare and inspire students to be ethical, innovative and engaged business leaders who positively impact their communities, both locally and globally. The college places emphasis on international experiences, sustainable business practices, entrepreneurial programs and real-world applications with industry. Enrolling nearly 5,000 students, including more than 4,500 undergraduates across 11 majors, the Walker College of Business has the highest full-time undergraduate enrollment in the University of North Carolina System. App State\u2019s Walker College is accredited by AACSB International \u2014 the premier global accrediting body for business schools. Learn more at https:\/\/business.appstate.edu.
\nAbout Appalachian State UniversityAs a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https:\/\/www.appstate.edu.
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