NC State Promotes Course Ready and New Office Space Standards

NC State’s Wolfpack 2030 strategic plan goals inspire implementation plan initiatives that meet faculty, staff and student needs today while also establishing dynamic new foundations for the future. This month, we highlight two such initiatives led within the Office of Finance and Administration. 

Course Ready

Textbooks and course materials are critical components for student success. Course Ready, NC State’s new digital course materials program for degree-seeking undergraduates, aims to keep textbooks and course materials accessible and affordable. Each semester through Course Ready, NC State undergraduates can pay a flat rate ($279 for fall 2025 and spring 2026 semesters) and receive digital access to all required course materials on the first day of class. 

Although students can opt out of the program, high adoption rates have already exceeded expectations. This fall, more than 70% of all eligible undergraduates – including over 90% of first-year students –  elected to participate. 

The program is reducing the cost of attendance for its more than 20,000 participants. To date, compared to the 2024-25 estimated cost of attendance for books and supplies, Course Ready has generated over five million in combined savings for undergraduate participants.  

According to Jeff Halliburton, senior director for Auxiliary Services, “Course Ready is helping NC State achieve its program goals of ensuring that more students have access to their required learning materials earlier in the semester, and for a predictable, budgetable price. At the same time, faculty engagement is increasing, and on-time course material requests for the spring 2026 semester are 40% ahead of submissions for the same period last year.”

Updated Office Space Standards

The global pandemic changed work life for many employees and introduced remote and hybrid work. As such arrangements continue, guided by NC State’s flexible work regulation, what does that mean for office spaces on campus?

An October 20, 2025 3D memo announced an update to NC State’s Office Space Standards, stemming, in part, from NC State’s new flexible work arrangements which were “instituted to align units’ business and operational needs with employee interest in alternative work locations and flexible work schedules.” 

This update to office space standards was informed by a year-long study of campus administrative buildings. The study aimed to improve space utilization while also creating more effective and vibrant workspaces. A cross-collaborative Advisory Committee provided valuable insight on the various types of work and flexible schedules that exist across campus. Representatives included Budget and Resource Management, Campus Enterprises, Environmental Health and Public Safety, Facilities, Finance, the NC State University Libraries, Office of Information Technology, Office of Sponsored Programs and Regulatory Compliance Services (SPARCS) and University Human Resources.  

The updated Office Space Standards reflect a shift from allocating office space solely based on a unit’s number of employees to an allocation that factors in flexible work, right-sized spaces and shared campus resources. Within the office space budget, the unit leader has the flexibility to determine the best mix of spaces that support their unique work. The Office Space Kit-of-Parts  provides guidance on types of spaces that can support individual or collaborative work, plus tips on maximizing an office space budget. The Space Planning Tool allows unit leaders to explore combinations of these space types within their unit’s office space budget.

According to Lisa Johnson, assistant vice chancellor for Campus Planning and Strategic Investment, “NC State has more than 1.9 million square feet of office space on our five main campus precincts. Right-sizing these spaces provides the opportunity to use our space more effectively and to also create a more vibrant campus environment. The updated Office Space Standards and associated resources provide the groundwork for a collaborative planning process that supports effective workspaces, flexibility for long-term use and responsible stewardship of campus resources.”

NC State’s Space Standards can be accessed from the Facilities website, as part of the Design and Construction Guidelines.

NC State’s approach to implementation drives accountability and progress

Institutional Effectiveness (IE), which oversees the Wolfpack 2030 implementation plans, identified the two initiatives featured in this article during October 2025 check-in calls with implementation plan contacts. Approximately once a quarter, initiative contacts meet with IE and share progress updates. Specifically, contacts are asked: what’s been achieved since the last call, and what, if any, barriers or challenges are at hand or anticipated? 

Questions about the implementation plan? Contact Courtney Thornton, Associate Vice Provost for Strategy, Implementation and Communication, Institutional Effectiveness, at chthornt@ncsu.edu.