{"id":9625,"date":"2026-07-01T16:35:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T20:35:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/provost.ncsu.edu\/global-one-health-academy\/2026\/07\/01\/nc-state-and-america-the-beautiful\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T22:56:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T02:56:55","slug":"nc-state-and-america-the-beautiful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/provost.ncsu.edu\/global-one-health-academy\/2026\/07\/01\/nc-state-and-america-the-beautiful\/","title":{"rendered":"NC State (and America) the Beautiful"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

Even though the United States of America had a 111-year headstart on the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, as NC State University was first named when it was created in 1887, over the last 139 years North Carolina\u2019s first land-grant institution has enriched the nation through its devotion to research, teaching, outreach and engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The college was founded to make societal improvements for the poor but progressive state of North Carolina in agriculture, manufacturing and military science. In fulfilling that land-grant mission, it has reached beyond the state\u2019s boundaries to impact the country and the world with numerous accomplishments and achievements through the decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether by improving soybean production \u2014 America\u2019s top cash crop and No. 1 agricultural export \u2014 or developing the Covington variety of sweet potatoes as major food staples, NC State researchers and graduates have helped feed the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The university\u2019s globally recognized Wilson College of Textiles and its Nonwovens Institute<\/a> have developed natural and synthetic fibers that have helped clothe a nation and save lives, from artificial heart valves to protective wear for first responders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, dating back to the Spanish-American War of 1898, NC State-trained military soldiers and officers have helped defend the nation during world crises. Two grandsons of NC State presidents died during the nation\u2019s participation in the two world wars, Alexander Holladay Pickell of pneumonia on April 18, 1918, at the Naval Training Hospital in Chelsea, Massachusetts, in and Wallace W. Riddick Jr., who was twice wounded before he died at the Battle of Brest in northwestern France on Sept. 1, 1944.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think about this: NC State invented rock-and-roll\u2019s most important instrument, reduced global flatulence and saved Twinkies. It educated the Godfather of Artificial Intelligence, the Sodfather, the Godfather of North Carolina Literary Arts and the First Lady of Statistics, all of whom made such significant impacts on their fields of study and expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, NC State\u2019s more than 300,000 living alumni are testament to the university\u2019s transformative impact throughout the state, across the nation, around the world and into furthest distances humans have ever traveled from Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The collected sampling of stories below scratch the surface of how NC State has made meaningful impacts upon American lives as the country proudly celebrates the semiquincentennial \u2014 its 250th birthday \u2014 on July 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Science, Medicine and Technological Innovation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Amber-colored<\/a>
One of NC State’s first graduates helped make North Carolina the first state to grow soybeans commercially. Today, the U.S. exports twice as much value in soybeans ($24.1 billion) as any other agricultural product, ahead of corn, beef and beef products, and tree nuts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

America’s Biggest Cash Crop<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

NC State\u2019s first valedictorian and the captain of its first football team, Charles B. Williams<\/strong>, traveled from Camden County to enroll in the new college in 1889 as part of the first freshman class<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His family\u2019s affiliation with the school is ongoing, with five generations having attended or graduated from the school. His impact on state and national agriculture has been even greater than his family\u2019s legacy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Williams, who earned degrees in agriculture and chemistry and was NC State\u2019s first chemistry instructor, became North Carolina\u2019s \u201cMr. Soybean\u201d after introducing the important cash crop to farmers around the state before the beginning of the 20th century. North Carolina became the first state in the nation to commercially grow what were then called \u201csoja beans\u201d or \u201cJapan peas.\u201d He later became the head of NC State\u2019s agronomy department and the first dean of what is now the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Charles<\/a>
Charles B. Williams<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Today, soybeans generate more than $141 billion in value to the American agricultural sector and account for about one-quarter of the country\u2019s agricultural production. The U.S. exports twice as much value in soybeans ($24.1 billion) as any other agricultural product, ahead of corn, beef and beef products, and tree nuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, for reference, harvest-ready soybeans are just as amber as grain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Wolfpack Discoveries and Firsts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"William<\/a>
William Edward Shinn (left) and Malcolm E. Campbell inspect the knitting machine on which Shinn developed the synthetic aorta.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 1955, NC State\u2019s Wilson College of Textiles<\/a> professor William Edward Shinn<\/strong> used a necktie-knitting machine to develop the world\u2019s first synthetic aorta<\/a>, launching the institution into the field of medical care and saving the lives of millions globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some 70 years later, the nation\u2019s only textiles school remains at the forefront of developing cutting-edge tools to diagnose, treat and prevent critical medical conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"An<\/a>
An overhead view looking down into the PULSTAR nuclear reactor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

NC State built the world\u2019s first nuclear reactor on a college campus. This small research reactor, which is still operational at the Burlington Laboratories on main campus, is the centerpiece of the NC State nuclear engineering program<\/a> that was established by Clifford Beck<\/strong> in the aftermath of World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beck was a chief contributor to the Tennessee Valley Project that developed the atomic bomb technology that ended the largest military conflict in world history. His experience with the TVA helped spread nuclear power production throughout the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

NC State\u2019s top-earning patent to date was awarded to Sylvia Blankenship<\/strong>, professor emeritus of horticulture science,<\/a> and research partner Edward Sisler<\/strong>, a biochemistry professor.<\/a> In the 1990s, the two professors collaborated to identify the compound 1-methylcyclopropene, which is widely used to preserve fruits and vegetables for longer freshness and longer transport time. To date, 1-MCP has generated more than $25 million in royalty revenues and is licensed in more than 70 countries globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

NC State\u2019s work in food science became world famous in the 1970s, when CALS microbiologist Marvin Speck<\/strong> and food scientist Stanley Gilliland<\/strong> pioneered a process<\/a> that used freeze-dried Lactobacillus acidophilus<\/em> to yield a lactose-friendly, low-fat sweet acidophilus milk<\/strong> that helped those unable to digest lactose by providing a better-tasting and more palatable version of the natural beverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was the beginning of the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences\u2019 research in microbiomes and probiotics<\/a> that continues today through the pioneering work of Rodolphe Barrangou<\/strong> and his CRISPR genome-editing project. Barrangou, the Todd Klaenhammer Distinguished Professor in Probiotics Research, has won multiple international awards, including the Canada Gairdner International Award<\/a>, considered a precursor to the Nobel Prize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rodolphe<\/a>
Rodolphe Barrangou and Ph.D. student Echo Pan in the lab.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"Gertrude<\/a>
Gertrude Cox<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The most widely known woman associated with what is now the College of Sciences<\/a> is Gertrude Cox<\/strong>, the “First Lady of Statistics.” Cox came to NC State in 1940 to establish the Department of Experimental Statistics, becoming NC State\u2019s first female professor and department head<\/a>. She was instrumental in NC State\u2019s role in founding the Research Triangle Institute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cox, namesake of Cox Hall and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, also established the UNC System’s Institute of Statistics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Working in tandem with UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University, NC State became a founding partner in the Research Triangle Institute, now known as RTI International.<\/strong> With backing from Governor Luther Hodges and support from UNC Consolidated System President William Friday, RTI purchased land in between Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill to create a forward-looking technology-based research park. RTI broke ground in 1958. Supported and promoted by the state of North Carolina, companies like IBM and GlaxoSmithKline, and government organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency, set up shops at the park. RTI brought well-paying jobs and first-class research opportunities to the state, making North Carolina a hub for  high-technology companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The College of Design<\/a>, founded in 1948 under the inaugural leadership of Dean Henry Kamphoefner<\/strong> and his cadre of modernist architects, has introduced pioneering initiatives in architecture, landscape design and fashion that have changed the face of Raleigh and, among other achievements, sports arenas around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Raleigh\u2019s Dorton Arena, designed by NC State architecture professor Matthew Nowicki<\/strong><\/a>, ushered in the construction of dome stadiums that revolutionized sports. The now-demolished Houston Astrodome, world famous when it opened in 1966, was based on Nowicki\u2019s original design for what was initially called the N.C. State Fairgrounds Arena, and every domed stadium that has followed uses the same design principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NC State\u2019s current home for football, Carter-Finley Stadium, was based on the prestressed concrete construction methods developed by COD professor Charles Kahn<\/strong>, architect Milton Smalls and building engineer L. E. Wooten<\/a>, all of whom had deep ties to NC State\u2019s colleges of engineering and design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s well-known concept of \u201cuniversal design\u201d comes from the work of design professor Ron Mace<\/strong><\/a>, who first coined the phrase. NC State is home to the Alliance for Inclusive Design Practice and Research<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

NC State researchers Craig Yencho<\/strong><\/a> and Ken Pecota<\/strong>, after years of field testing, introduced the Covington variety of sweet potatoes in 2005, paving the way for North Carolina to regain its place as the nation\u2019s leading producer of the food tuber. The Covington accounts for about 90% of all sweet potato production in North Carolina, which provides nearly three-quarters of the global export market. Yencho and Pecota have introduced sweet potato varieties in Africa and South America, helping farmers on those continents to produce reliable food sources in difficult growing conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Nonwovens Institute opened on Centennial Campus, offering the world\u2019s first accredited program for the interdisciplinary field of engineered fabrics. When the world needed N95 respirators and personal protective equipment during the global COVID-19 pandemic, the NWI stepped up to help produce critically needed medical gear<\/a> and alleviate supply chain pressure during nationwide and global shutdowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
A man wears a surgical mask produced by the Nonwovens Institute during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Business and Industry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Jim Goodnight, NC State alumnus and founder and CEO of the SAS Institute, with his wife, Ann. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Software Pioneer Who Invests in People \u2014 and the Future<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jim Goodnight <\/strong>and several of his NC State research colleagues founded SAS Industries in 1976 as a spinoff of their data analytics research project at the university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goodnight, a native of the Rowan County seat of Salisbury who spent his youth in Greensboro and Wilmington, earned three degrees from NC State: a B.S. in mathematics and both a master\u2019s and a Ph.D. in statistics. After working with a company affiliated with the NASA Apollo program, he returned to NC State in 1973 to begin a life\u2019s work in statistical analysis. Working with applied physics graduate Tony Barr<\/strong>, postgraduate student John Sall<\/strong> and documentation writer Jane Helwig <\/strong>on a statistical analysis system that studied agricultural data, they created the SAS suite of programs that eventually became the world\u2019s largest privately owned software company. Goodnight has been its chief executive officer for more than 50 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SAS Institute \u2014 headquartered on a 900-acre campus in Cary, and with more than 10,000 employees worldwide \u2014 produces analytical software used for data management, analytics and machine learning by companies and government agencies around the world. It is also known for its family-friendly work culture that resulted in its being named the Triangle\u2019s best place to work for many years running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jim and his wife, Ann, have used the wealth produced by the company to enrich their alma maters, specifically at NC State through the Goodnight Scholars<\/a> and Goodnight Transfer Scholars<\/a> programs, which provide hundreds of scholarships per year to NC State students pursuing STEM education. They have also created a doctoral fellowship and have funded 28 named faculty positions and a deanship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More Business Ventures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Three-time NC State graduate Calvin H. Carter<\/strong> Jr. and other former students of professor Robert Davis founded the electronics company Cree, the world\u2019s first manufacturer of blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five of the company\u2019s six founders were graduates of NC State\u2019s Department of Materials Science and Engineering who had studied in Davis\u2019 lab. Cree technology was based on the untapped potential of silicon carbide. The material had long been used as an abrasive, but Cree\u2019s founders discovered that it could be used to make lighting products. After years of producing blue-light LEDs, Cree transitioned to manufacturing more efficient semiconductors made from silicon carbide and gallium nitride, so-called \u201cwide bandgap\u201d semiconductors that are 10% to 15% more efficient than silicon semiconductors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NC State\u2019s background in researching and developing wide bandgap technology helped the university land the lead role in creating and hosting the National Science Foundation-funded PowerAmerica National Manufacturing Innovation Institute<\/a>, as announced on campus by President Barack Obama in 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

In 1984, outgoing North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt transferred more than 350 acres of undeveloped state land to his alma mater for an innovative public-private research campus. The grant of land \u2014 called Centennial Campus<\/strong><\/a> in recognition of NC State\u2019s then-approaching 100th birthday \u2014 tripled the size of the original campus. Over the 40 years since then, Centennial has become the national and international model for public-private partnerships, leveraging academic research, resources and student participation to drive the state\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Called \u201cone of the greatest benefactions \u2014 if not the greatest \u2014 in the university\u2019s nearly 100-year history,\u201d the initial grant and an additional gift of 600 acres by Hunt\u2019s Republican successor, Governor James Martin, was a bipartisan gift for the ages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hunt\u2019s initial gift of undeveloped land<\/a> has been transformed into 50 university buildings housing more than 70 NC State academic units along with more than 75 companies, government agencies and nonprofits, comprising some five million feet of research and educational space. Centennial also includes the College of Engineering<\/a>, the Wilson College of Textiles, a championship golf course, the school\u2019s alumni center, a privately operated hotel, the chancellor\u2019s residence, private and student housing, and the world\u2019s most advanced university library, named after the NC State alumnus who made the innovative campus possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"An<\/a>
Centennial Campus has become the national and international model for public-private partnerships, leveraging academic research, resources and student participation to drive the state\u2019s economy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
\"Jay<\/a>
Professor Jayant Baliga’s semiconductor work has saved some $24 trillion in gas and electric power usage. (Photo courtesy of the Millennium Technology Prize)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Alumnus Gary Stokan, CEO of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, spearheaded the effort to build the $1.8 billion Mercedes Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta and make the city the “College Football Capital of the World.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Cementing Centennial Campus\u2019 place as a pioneering research park for private partnerships and government agencies, the National Weather Service<\/strong> became the first government partner on Centennial Campus when it established a Forecast Office in Research Building III in 1993, creating a campus relationship with weather services around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graduates from NC State\u2019s Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences<\/a> populate NWS and NOAA offices across the country, including the five degrees earned by the top two administrators of the National Hurricane Center<\/a> in Miami and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Neil Jacobs,<\/a> who earned both his M.S. and his Ph.D. degrees in air-sea interaction and numerical weather prediction at NC State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their mission in predictive climate and weather forecasting is to keep people in danger zones informed and updated when weather emergencies arise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2009, the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies<\/a> \u2014 a joint partnership between NC State and NOAA that brings together private-sector companies, nonprofits, community groups and government agencies \u2014 opened in Asheville.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"Jay<\/a>
Professor Jayant Baliga’s semiconductor work has saved some $24 trillion in gas and electric power usage. (Photo courtesy of the Millennium Technology Prize)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A pioneer in semiconductor research, Professor Jayant Baliga<\/strong> of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering<\/a> is best known for his invention of the insulated gate bipolar transistor, a kind of high-efficiency power switch that is now used globally in household appliances, cars, fluorescent lights and other electronic devices. Baliga, a native of India, has been part of NC State\u2019s faculty since 1988. The Inventors Hall of Fame, to which he was elected in 2014, estimates his research has saved some $24 trillion in gas and electric power usage. The creation of Baliga\u2019s Power Semiconductor Research Group was an integral step in NC State becoming the headquarters of the PowerAmerica Institute<\/a> in 2014 and of the Commercial Leap Ahead for Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors Hub<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Since its founding more than 100 years ago, heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. has maintained strong ties with NC State, from its corporate leadership to its new employee recruitment to academic scholarships. The world\u2019s largest maker of construction and mining machines, headquartered in Irving, Texas, has five divisions in North Carolina, including corporate offices in Cary and manufacturing facilities in Sanford, Clayton, Winston-Salem and Goldsboro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Led from 2004-2010 by CEO and three-time NC State graduate James Owens<\/strong>, who earned a Ph.D. in economics in 1973, Caterpillar offers multiple layers of internships and postgraduate programs for NC State students and alumni. Owens, a native of Elizabeth City, served his alma mater in various capacities during and after his career, serving on the university\u2019s Board of Trustees and as chair of the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2024, Owens and his wife Kathrine gave the university a $2 million gift<\/a> in honor of retiring chancellor Randy Woodson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
James and Kathrine Owens (center) with former Chancellor Randy Woodson and former NC State University Foundation Board Chair Trent Ragland.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Beginning in 1998, after a full decade spent reviving college football postseason game the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, chief executive officer Gary Stokan<\/strong> dedicated his career to turning his adopted hometown of Atlanta into the \u201cCollege Football Capital of the World.\u201d It was an odd passion for a Pittsburgh native who came to NC State to play and eventually to coach basketball under head coach Norman Sloan; but Stokan, a former athletics shoe representative for Converse, put his business management degree to use in a different sports venue. He spearheaded the effort to build the $1.8 billion Mercedes Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta, move the College Football Hall of Fame to Atlanta from South Bend, Indiana, and bring both the Super Bowl and college football\u2019s national championship game to the Georgia capital. Those sporting events alone brought more than $1.1 billion in economic impact and tax revenue to the Peach State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gary<\/a>
Gary Stokan speaks at a press conference.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Remember when Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Ho Hos almost went bye-bye? In 2012, Hostess Brands filed bankruptcy and started the process of selling off all its bakeries and trademarks. Thanks to former NC State swimmer Bill Toler<\/strong>, however, the national snackcake catastrophe was averted. Toler, who earned an NC State degree in business management and economics, was named chief executive officer and president of the company\u2019s reorganization. He changed the company\u2019s infrastructure and distribution systems, and he took the formerly private company public with great fanfare on the NASDAQ stock exchange. During a 2014 Red and White Week speech at the Poole College of Management<\/a>, Toler credited his time at NC State and with his swimming coach Don Easterling for sending him down the path to make a global impact in food manufacturing and production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Politics, Government and Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Two-time<\/a>
Two-time NC State student body president and four-time North Carolina governor Jim Hunt shakes hands with guests at an opening reception for NC State’s Hunt Library, named in his honor. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

North Carolina’s Longest-Serving Governor<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From the tiny community of Rock Ridge in Wilson County, a young boy who helped his dad milk cows in the barn they built together at the beginning of World War II came to NC State to study agriculture. James Baxter Hunt Jr.<\/strong> was immediately involved in student government, twice elected as student body president. He was also elected to two four-year terms as governor of North Carolina, serving a record 16 years as North Carolina\u2019s highest-profile politician. He continued to be one of the nation\u2019s strongest voices in education, serving as an advisor to several presidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On one of his final days of his first term in office, Gov. Hunt gave his alma mater more than 355 acres of state land that became Centennial Campus, an innovative public-private partnership that has been modeled by universities and research entities across the world. His legacy to North Carolina, NC State and education will be etched forever at Centennial\u2019s award-winning Hunt Library and the Hunt Institute, the public policy program he founded in 2001. Until his death in late 2025<\/a>, Hunt continued to milk cows in the barn he and his daddy built on their farm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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