Office of Human Resources

The Division of Academic Affairs partners with Academic Impressions to provide App State employees with professional development resources designed by and for faculty and staff working in higher education. Access to these resources will enable our employees to better serve our students and advance the educational mission of App State. You can learn more about these professional development offerings and register for specific courses on App State’s Academic Impressions homepage.

Career Pathways is designed to prepare employees to advance their career. This program will help employees learn more about themselves and their career options, empower employees with the knowledge and skills to make effective career decisions, and provide employees with tools and resources to help them put their plan in motion.

Communicating Effectively with Distressed Customers

October 6, 2025, 10:00 a.m.

Description: Do you argue or engage in debate when interacting with customers? Do you become frustrated when communications fail and complaints start rolling in? Every business has some angry, emotional, or difficult customers. Even if most of your customers are happy, there will always be outliers. There are ways we can respectfully engage with customers and diffuse strong feelings. This training will help you de-escalate a customer’s volatile emotions by responding effectively to their distress. The key skills that will be addressed in this session include careful listening, understanding, making appropriate apologies, and taking action. Key strategies will also involve affirming what customers need and providing them assurances.

Click here to register. 

Navigating Menopause: Empowering Your Journey Through Change

October 8, 2025 1:00 PM 

Menopause is a significant and often misunderstood transition affecting thousands of women daily in the U.S. Led by ComPsych Health & Well-Being Team Lead Malissa Owen, this webinar provides actionable strategies for navigating menopause, empowering you to open the conversation with healthcare providers, loved ones, and colleagues while prioritizing your mental well-being through hormonal shifts. You'll also learn to optimize your nutrition and focus on staying active for symptom management and overall health. Join us to discover how to build a support network, reduce stigma, and thrive through this significant life stage together.

Register here.– Navigating Menopause: Empowering Your Journey Through Change

Learning to Say “No”

November 7, 2025, 12:00 p.m.

Description: Saying “no” can often be difficult. It can arouse feelings of guilt or fears of displeasing others. Nevertheless, the word “no” is one of the most important words in our language. By saying “no” we define who we are, what we are willing or not willing to do, and what we permit others to do to us. The ability to say “no” is a critical skill that many have never developed or fear to use. This workshop will address the skills involved in learning to respectfully say “no” in order to build and maintain healthy self-esteem.

Click here to register. 

Digital Mindfulness: Taking Control of Your Device and Screen Time

November 18, 2025, 12:00 p.m.

Description: Excessive screen time can result in headaches and sleep deprivation, as well as sedentary behavior, weakened relationships, and feelings of sadness. This training will present a variety of techniques to intentionally control the time spent looking at phones, tablets, and laptops, including an overview of techniques for mindfully making behavioral changes

Click here to register. 

After the Holidays: Managing That Debt 

December 10, 2025, 2:00 p.m.

Description: Did you spend more for the holidays than you intended? Did you go into debt, maybe at unfavorable terms? Are you worried about how you will pay these debts off? Would you like to avoid being in the same position next year? Holiday shopping can sink even the best budget if one is not careful. And post-holiday credit card bills can cause high levels of stress. This workshop will help you figure out how to get out of debt quickly and cost-effectively and take steps to make sure you don’t end up in debt again next year.

Click here to register. 

Click this link to view recordings of previous ComPsych webinars.

New supervisors are strongly encouraged to complete Core Training for Supervisors within their first year of employment in their leadership position. New leaders will develop a base understanding of leadership fundamentals and university policies. This program is also open to anyone who has an interest in learning more about leadership at Appalachian State University. 

Your journey to professional growth starts here. This flexible series offers one-time training sessions to support your personal and professional development. Each session stands alone, so you can join when it fits your schedule. Whether you're looking to build a skill, gain a new perspective, or try something different, these trainings are here to help you grow. Visit this link to Explore Your Mountaineer Potential.

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning for Student Success or CETLSS (pronounced see_tulls) is the university's comprehensive center dedicated to growing excellence in teaching and learning, leadership, and supporting faculty professional development and student success. Visit this link to learn more about Faculty Professional Development.

We’re excited to offer LinkedIn Learning to all faculty and staff at Appalachian at no additional cost. LinkedIn Learning provides access to thousands of high quality professional development courses and videos that cover the latest software, creative, and business skills to help you acquire new skills and advance your career. Click this link to learn how you can activate your LinkedIn Learning account today!

Mountaineer Mentoring provides support for employees at all career levels. Providing employees mentoring and career support is a central part of the university’s “priority to invest in faculty and staff excellence.” A mentoring circle is a small group of people who meet regularly to discuss specific topics related to their personal and professional development. Visit our Mountaineer Mentoring for Staff website for more information.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment is used at the individual and team levels to better understand personality styles. Understanding your personality type provides insight to your individual preferences to help you better understand your behavior. At the team level, this assessment can assist with learning communication styles and help you understand others. A courtesy debriefing session is lead by an MBTI-certified Learning and Organizational Development Consultant. 

Dialogue across differences is an important value at Appalachian. To support this, we have partnered with the Constructive Dialogue Institute to support Faculty and Staff in building skills to practice constructive dialogue: A form of conversation where people with different perspectives try to understand each other - without giving up their own beliefs - in order to live, learn, and work together. Visit this link to enroll in the online Perspectives by CDI for App State Faculty and Staff.

The Summit Series: Leadership Development Program offers three cohort-based training academies designed to support and cultivate leaders at every stage of their career. Whether you are an aspiring manager or experienced leader, this program equips you with the tools, strategies, and insights to elevate your leadership, overcome challenges, and drive meaningful impact. Each cohort is carefully tailored to address the unique needs of its participants, fostering growth, collaboration, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

The Tuition Waiver and Tuition Reimbursement programs support App State's commitment to employee performance, engagement, and retention by providing a tool for professional development and career growth.  It also supports strategic organizational development of competencies and behaviors needed to achieve the University's mission, vision, and values. Visit our website to learn more about Tuition Waivers and Reimbursement.

Visit Workshops to browse trainings and events currently offered.