Appalachian State University (ASU) is a comprehensive (Master's L), public, coeducational university located in Boone, North Carolina, United States. Appalachian ( /ˌæpəˈlætʃən/) State, also referred to as Appalachian, App State, or simply App, is the sixth largest institution in the University of North Carolina system. The university has been ranked among the top 15 Southern Master's Universities since the U.S. News and World Report's America's Best Colleges Guide began publication in 1986. In 2001, Appalachian was recognized by TIME Magazine as a College of the Year. Appalachian State University began in 1899 when a group of citizens in Watauga County, under the leadership of Blanford B. Dougherty and his brother Dauphin D. Dougherty, began a movement to educate teachers in Northwest North Carolina. Land was donated by Daniel B. Dougherty, father of the leaders in the enterprise, and by J. F. Hardin. On this site a wood frame building, costing $1,000, was erected by contributions from citizens of the town and county. In the fall of 1899, the Dougherty brothers, acting as co-principals, began the school which was named Watauga Academy.