Francis “Frank” Thomas Borkowski, the fifth chancellor of App State, died Sunday.

According to an email sent by Interim Chancellor Heather Norris, Borkowski, who was one of the first in his family to earn a high school diploma, increased enrollment numbers by over 2,000. He earned recognition for App State by the American Council on Education as a “model institution” for international students. In 2001, App State was recognized by Time magazine as a College of the Year.

Norris described Borkowski as a lover of the arts, with the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts established in 2003 under his leadership, which spanned from 1993-to 2003.

“Those who knew him knew how much he loved Klezmer music. He was happiest when he was with his wife of 65 years and musician in her own right, Kay, enjoying the arts of all kinds, but especially those that held significance to his Eastern European heritage,” Norris wrote in the email.

Many expansion projects were established during Borkowski’s decade as chancellor.

“During the decade he led our university, the Holmes Convocation Center, Rankin Science North, McKinney Alumni Center and Rivers Street Parking Deck were constructed, Plemmons Student Union underwent a significant renovation, and the university purchased the new New York City Loft and also broke ground on the Belk Library and Information Commons, which was completed in 2005,” Norris wrote.

Norris ended the email honoring the former chancellor’s contributions to App State and said her heart is with the Borkowski family.

“​​We honor Frank and the incredible contributions he made to the university in the decade he was Chancellor and the decades afterward,” she wrote.