From the article (emphasis added):
Table I presents a ranking of economics faculties at regional universities in the U.S. South that is based on the EconLit-recorded scholarly output score across the "top five researchers" for each university. As indicated there, with an EconLit score of 70.2, Appalachian State University currently maintains, by a wide margin, the top-ranked economics faculty, followed by those affiliated with James Madison University, Southeastern Louisiana University, Trinity University (San Antonio) and Loyola University – New Orleans. Interestingly, if integrated into the recent ranking of national universities in the U.S. South by Mixon and Upadyaya (2016), Appalachian State’s economics faculty would occupy the twenty-sixth spot. ...
Next, a closer look at the top three institutions in Table I reveals some interesting details. For example, the Appalachian State economics department’s website prominently displays links to the latest research of its faculty, which is indicative of the importance placed on academic research endeavors by its members. As a result, the economics faculty at Appalachian State is not only a productive one. [sic] ...
Appalachian is known by many in the U.S. South (and beyond) as what Nobel Laureate George Stigler would refer to as an academic beehive in terms of environmental and resource economics (Stigler, 1985).