Provost’s Corner: April 2018

Dear faculty and staff,

April 27 marks the last day of classes for the 2017-2018 academic year. It is hard to believe how fast the time has passed as we prepare for another round of final exams. We’re already making plans for commencement and the summer, while taking time to reflect on the happenings of this past semester.

Our colleges continue to rise in national rankings due to your tireless pursuit of educational excellence. In U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 list of best graduate schools, the College of Engineering rose to No. 24 and the College of Education rose nine spots to No. 46. Additionally, the publication’s 2018 “Best Colleges” rankings placed NC State No. 81 among national universities, up 11 spots from the previous year. NC State was ranked 33rd among public universities, up five spots from 2017.

The teaching done by our outstanding faculty remains one of the main reasons for our success. Recently, we honored some of these educators at the University Teaching Awards on April 4. Melissa A. Pasquinelli received the Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching, the most prestigious award given to faculty for teaching excellence. Faculty were also honored with the Outstanding Teacher Award and the Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor Award. Faculty, staff and postdoctoral scholars received the Gertrude Cox Award for Innovative Excellence in Teaching and Learning with Technology.

Regardless of if you are a faculty or staff member, many of you are helping to educate the next generation of North Carolinians through your work with Science Olympiad. Those of you who volunteer know firsthand the impact of experiential science education on children, many of whom are inspired to choose their college path due to their involvement in the program. In fact, there are more than 1,800 current NC State students who participated in Science Olympiad in the past. We’re hosting the state tournament on campus April 20-21, and it is something you won’t want to miss.

With all the positive activity taking place on campus, we’re set to end the year on a strong note. Good luck to everyone preparing for finals, and I look forward to what next month will bring.

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