BOONE, N.C. — Joseph Bathanti will serve as macebearer for the Fall 2025 College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Commencement Ceremony. Dr. Cathy Marcum, interim associate dean of CAS, will carry the university banner and Dr. Mike Madritch, dean of CAS, will carry the college banner. Dr. Paul Worley, chair of and professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, will read the graduates' names.
The Appalachian State mace is carried by a senior faculty member in all academic processions. Traditionally, the macebearer precedes the chancellor of an institution, both upon entering and leaving a ceremony. The mace serves as a symbol of authority just as it did during the Middle Ages, when a macebearer accompanied an official taking office or opening court. The App State mace symbolizes the university’s mountain heritage, the rustic location and the sophistication of an emerging, national leader in higher education.
About Joseph Bathanti
North Carolina’s poet laureate from 2012–14, Bathanti is the inaugural McFarlane Family Distinguished Professor of Interdisciplinary Education in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at App State, and he also serves as a professor in the Department of English and as writer-in-residence in App State’s Watauga Residential College.
Bathanti has authored more than 20 books and was inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame in 2024. In 2016, he received the North Carolina Award in Literature, the state’s highest civilian honor, in recognition of his lifelong contributions to literature. Among his additional honors are the CAS Donald W. Sink Family Outstanding Scholar Award (2021), Provost's Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity (2021) and University of North Carolina Board of Governors Appalachian State University Excellence in Teaching Award (2022).
He will retire from App State at the end of the fall 2025 semester.
Joseph Bathanti, reading his poetry to an audience at Appalachian State University in 2015. Photo by Marie Freeman
Bathanti's scholarly accomplishments and service to the college and the university for over two decades qualify him for the esteemed role of macebearer. CAS congratulates him on this honor.
The CAS Commencement Ceremony will be held on Friday, December 12, 2025, at 5 p.m. in the Holmes Convocation Center at 111 Rivers Street in Boone. For details about the Fall 2025 Commencement Ceremonies and to watch a livestream of the Ceremonies, visit appstate.edu/commencement.
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About the Department of English
The Department of English at Appalachian State University is committed to outstanding work in the classroom, the support and mentorship of students, and a dynamic engagement with culture, history, language, theory and literature. The department offers master’s degrees in English and rhetoric and composition, as well as undergraduate degrees in literary studies, film studies, creative writing, professional writing and English education. Learn more at english.appstate.edu.
About the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies
The Department of Interdisciplinary Studies offers graduate and undergraduate degrees in four program areas: Appalachian studies; gender, women’s and sexuality studies; global studies; and interdisciplinary studies. The department is also home to Watauga Residential College, an interdisciplinary, alternative general education program. The department promotes creative and imaginative engagement through a cross-disciplinary investigation of complex systems and problems. Learn more at interdisciplinary.appstate.edu.
About the Watauga Residential College at Appalachian
The Watauga Residential College is a specialized academic program where classes are discussion-based seminars that allow students to pursue topics of interest to them within the context of the class. This program provides an unusual opportunity for students to become engaged in learning at a deep level through class discussions and research projects. Watauga classes are interdisciplinary and this approach to learning requires students to integrate knowledge from a variety of disciplines to gain a complete perspective on a topic. Learn more at watauga.appstate.edu.
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Appalachian State University is home to 17 academic departments, two centers and one residential college. These units span the humanities and the social, mathematical and natural sciences. CAS aims to develop a distinctive identity built upon our university's strengths, traditions and locations. The college’s values lie not only in service to the university and local community, but through inspiring, training, educating and sustaining the development of its students as global citizens. More than 6,800 student majors are enrolled in the college. As the college is also largely responsible for implementing App State’s general education curriculum, it is heavily involved in the education of all students at the university, including those pursuing majors in other colleges. Learn more at cas.appstate.edu.
By Lauren Gibbs
November 19, 2025
BOONE, N.C.
Joseph Bathanti will serve as macebearer for the Fall 2025 College of Arts and Sciences Commencement Ceremony. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Joseph Bathanti will serve as macebearer for the Fall 2025 College of Arts and Sciences Commencement Ceremony. Photo by Chase Reynolds