Introduction

The Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services is one of the most recognizable and distinctive programs at East Tennessee State University. Funded by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC), the Center was established in 1984 to serve the people of Tennessee through research, education, preservation, and community engagement.

The Center is one of 26 THEC centers in the state and is the only one focused on the Appalachian region. Housed in the Department of Appalachian Studies, the Center builds upon ETSU's strong history of service to the region and its institutional mission that emphasizes stewardship of place. Further, ETSU’s location, situated between southern and central Appalachia, and near the junction of Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia, provides unique opportunities for research and service in the region.

In 1986 the Center was named one of the top five centers in the state and was subsequently designated an Accomplished Center of Excellence in 1987.

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Today, the Center comprises four units:

Archives of Appalachia: The Archives collects the written words, images, and sounds that document life in southern Appalachia; stewarding two miles of rare manuscripts, 300,000 photographs, 100,000 audio and moving image recordings, 16,000 books, and over 30 terabytes of digital files. More than 2,000 visitors from ETSU and around the globe utilize its collections each year for scholarly and creative projects.
B. Carroll Reece Museum: The Reece Museum has been a part of campus culture since 1928, and was officially dedicated as a memorial to congressional representative Reece in 1965. The American Alliance of Museums formally accredited the Reece Museum in 1973, making it one of the first museums to hold that distinction in the state of Tennessee. The museum collects, exhibits, and provides educational programming that highlights historic and expressive material culture in Appalachia. Housing more than 22,000 artifacts in its permanent collection and hosting a wide variety of rotating exhibitions, the museum welcomes an average of 10,000 visitors per year.
Institute for Appalachian Music and Culture: Formally established in 2023, the IAMC highlights, preserves, and extends the rich and diverse musical and cultural heritage of the Appalachian mountain region, encouraging innovative research, scholarship, creative activity, and teaching. The IAMC also works to engage ETSU with communities in the region, stimulating the study and appreciation of Appalachian music and culture through fieldwork, public events, conferences, seminars, and other outreach programs.
Regional Resources Institute: This unit is the administrative and outreach arm of the Center, overseeing all aspects of governance and facilitating partnerships with ETSU departments and community organizations to promote research about and service to the Appalachian region. The RRI manages the Appalachian Collegiate Research Initiative (formerly called the Appalachian Teaching Project) funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Governor’s School for Tennessee History and Environmental Studies. It also publishes the online magazine, Appalachian Places: Stories from the Highlands.