After more than 14 years as NC State’s chancellor, Randy Woodson has announced his intention to retire.
Woodson has served as NC State’s 14th chancellor since April 2010 — a span nearly three times longer than that of most university leaders. His enduring tenure is testament to both his passion for guiding the Wolfpack and his skill in stewarding one of the nation’s leading public research universities.
Since the chancellor and his wife, Susan, arrived in Raleigh, NC State’s national standing has soared. We’re known as the partner of choice for private industry and government agencies alike. In the 2023-24 academic year, we once again welcomed our largest-ever incoming class and sent forth more graduates than at any time in university history.
Join us as we honor our chancellor’s living legacy of leadership and service, celebrate the transformation he and Susan have helped to create, and look — as ever — to the future.
+53 Spots in National Rankings
In 2011, NC State was No. 111 in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. Today, we’re No. 58.
$583 Million in Annual Research
Among public universities without a medical school, NC State is No. 6 in annual research spending.
$2.03 Billion Endowment
Thanks to Wolfpack donors, NC State’s endowment has quadrupled since 2010.
“This place we love is changing before our eyes. NC State is renewed with each passing season, in support of everything we plan to do next.”
Chancellor Woodson has done as much as anyone to found new glass and steel on NC State’s storied brick. His time has been marked by the physical transformation of our campus: the futuristic James B. Hunt Jr. Library, a reimagined Talley Student Union, the expanded Wellness and Recreation Center and Carmichael Gym, and, after a century’s wait, our completed Memorial Belltower.
The construction of Fitts-Woolard Hall helped cement the College of Engineering on Centennial Campus, right next door to a world-leading Plant Sciences Building where teaching and problem-solving flourish. And the renewal of NC State will continue after the chancellor’s departure: With the ongoing support of donors, Woodson Hall, a new $180 million building devoted to integrative sciences will soon grace the Brickyard.
The Changing Face of NC State
Discover the powerhouse that Woodson built — a 21st-century university devoted to learning, research and partnership.
The renovated Talley Student Union serves as a vibrant hub for student life.
The Wellness and Recreation Center added 430,000 square feet of space for students to improve their well-being.
The expansion of the Gregg Museum of Art & Design created a new campus hotspot for arts and culture.
Fitts-Woolard Hall further strengthened NC State’s College of Engineering, which has seen graduate enrollment more than double this past decade.
A generous gift from Bill and Frances Henry enabled the university to finally complete the Memorial Belltower, which had been awaiting bells for a century.
The hallowed halls of Reynolds Coliseum grew to include a walk of fame celebrating our Wolfpack’s athletic successes.
The James B. Hunt Jr. Library is one of the most technologically advanced — and most-awarded — libraries on the planet.
The N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative’s headquarters is set to become the global home for innovation in the field.
The future Woodson Hall will transform the Brickyard into a hive of scientific innovation and education.
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“NC State isn’t a place where you pick up a degree and go on with your life. It’s a vast network of bright ideas and brilliant people.”
The transformation of NC State is, at heart, a story about a growing community: the NC State Wolfpack, which includes more than a quarter-million living alumni and countless friends.
Under Woodson’s leadership, we’ve added more than 500 faculty members collaborating in clusters that bypass traditional academic boundaries. Through private support, we’ve increased our number of endowed faculty positions — and the number of donor-funded student scholarships, which now stands at 4,500.
With the backing of a state legislative initiative, we’re also enrolling thousands more students to meet North Carolina’s need for skilled STEM graduates. That growth will bring the student population of our world-renowned College of Engineering to around 14,000 and NC State’s total enrollment to more than 40,000.
We’ve done all this while raising our graduation and retention rates, awarding more degrees, and being honored, time and again, as one of the best-value public universities in the nation.
85.3% Six-Year Graduation Rate
That’s an increase of 7 percentage points since 2010, despite growing enrollment.
93.3% Retention Rate
Compared with 2010, we keep more than 1,000 additional students on track to graduate each year.
10,700+ Degrees Awarded Annually
In the academic year 2022-23, we once again set a new record for degree and certificate completion.
About the Transition
As Woodson’s time at NC State draws to a close, the search is underway for NC State’s 15th chancellor, led by the Chancellor Search Advisory Committee. At the NC State Office of the Chancellor website, you can learn more about the transition, its timeline and what to expect.
Holladay Hall in the spring on a warm May afternoon. Photo by Becky Kirkland.
Although so much has changed since Woodson’s arrival, NC State still takes pride in our original land-grant mission: creating economic, societal and intellectual prosperity for the people of North Carolina.
We remain a beacon for first-generation college students and people from every background. Our rich network of outreach and extension continues to deliver the fruits of higher education to communities across our state and nation. And we are a vital source of ideas, applications and talent for the emerging and established fields that drive the economy.
Together, we have so much more to achieve.
“NC State University started 137 years ago, and it will continue long after you — or I — are gone. Wolfpack, I cannot wait to see what you Think and Do next.”
