Provost’s Corner: December 2017

Dear faculty and staff,

With 2017 drawing to a close, we’ve all been busy wrapping up our work for the fall semester. This Friday, nearly 3,500 students will wrap up their careers at NC State. Through your guidance and encouragement, they’re ready to take their Think and Do attitudes out into the world.

Your commitment to NC State’s mission also played an instrumental role in increasing our graduation rate 2 percent this year to 78 percent, and bringing our first-year retention rate to 94 percent. The nation is taking notice.

U.S News & World Report ranked NC State No. 81 among national universities — up 11 spots from 2017 — in its 2018 “Best Colleges” rankings. We also placed 33rd among public universities, up five spots from the previous ranking.

Our academic disciplines are also enjoying the national spotlight. The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine ranked NC State No. 19 on their list of  “Top 25 Best Undergrad Programs for Entrepreneurs in 2018.” Our outstanding faculty played a large role in achieving this ranking, with 59 percent of faculty having entrepreneurial experience.

We remain committed to helping faculty and staff succeed by creating a culture of constant improvement, and your accomplishments make us all proud. Here are just a few notable achievements from 2017.

• Jere Confrey, the Joseph D. Moore Distinguished University Professor of Mathematics Education, became the first NC State faculty member to be named a fellow of the American Educational Research Association, the highest honor for educational researchers.
• John Blondin, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Physics and associate dean for research in the College of Sciences; Steven Clouse, professor emeritus of genomics, plant physiology and horticultural science; and Anastasios Tsiatis, the Gertrude M. Cox Professor of Statistics, were elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
• Benny Suggs, executive director of the NC State Alumni Association and a 1969 graduate of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, received North Carolina’s Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest award that can be presented to the state’s citizens by the governor.

All of these accomplishments strengthen our world-class reputation, allow us to tackle society’s grand challenges and make a positive difference in the lives of countless people in our local community and around the world. As the Campaign for NC State continues to progress, we’ll continue to see this impact grow. So far, we’ve raised nearly $1.17 billion of our $1.6 billion goal.

We’ve clearly enjoyed a successful year, and in 2018 we’ll seek to strengthen our commitment to making NC State an even better place to teach, learn, research and serve. Thank you all for a wonderful 2017, and here’s to a prosperous new year.

To keep up with all academic and faculty- or staff-related developments, follow @NCStateProvost on Twitter.

Until next time,

Warwick Arden
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost