NC State Receives Tremendous Support From State Budget

Dear NC State community,

True to the proud heritage of our land-grant mission, NC State University is an academic, research and service powerhouse educating the leaders of tomorrow, delivering life-changing discoveries across our state, and driving economic prosperity throughout North Carolina and far beyond. I admit I’m biased, but I don’t think there is any institution more important for the current and future success of North Carolina than NC State.

I am greatly appreciative of the North Carolina General Assembly and Gov. Cooper for their strong support and recognition of NC State’s critical role in advancing our state’s future. Thanks to our elected leaders, with the passage of the state budget this week, NC State is poised to make great strides forward in achieving our potential and even better serving our students and our state.

Pay Increase and One-Time Bonus

Most state employees, including eligible university faculty and staff, will receive a 5% pay increase over the next two years, at a rate of 2.5% each year. This year’s increase will be retroactive to July 1. In addition, all state employees will receive a one-time $1,000 bonus, with an additional $500 bonus given to employees who earn less than $75,000 or work as law enforcement officers.

Engineering North Carolina’s Future

To continue providing job-ready graduates for North Carolina’s ever-growing tech economy, NC State will add about 4,000 students — 2,000 undergraduates and 2,000 graduate students — in engineering disciplines and computer science over the next five years. The growth will be funded by Engineering North Carolina’s Future, a state legislative initiative that provides NC State $20 million over the next two years to begin hiring additional faculty and staff needed to support the larger student body, and an additional $30 million to support facility upgrades. Enrollment change funding will provide more resources as our student body expands.

These new funds will enable NC State to keep our best and brightest students in North Carolina and allow us to better meet the needs of the state’s growing technical workforce. The new funding will also affect many other areas across the university as growth in engineering and computer science will create more demand for students and instruction in a wide range of supporting disciplines. This expansion will also fuel NC State’s growth in research and related external funding, partnerships with industry and economic impact for the state.

You can read more about Engineering NC’s Future here.

Repair and Renovation

To expand enrollment and continue providing students with a world-class academic experience, we must have modern, leading-edge facilities. To help support the upgrade of existing campus spaces, the legislature is providing NC State approximately $232 million over the next four years for facility repairs and upgrades, in addition to the $30 million previously noted. This includes a number of different projects such as Dabney Hall, Polk Hall and 111 Lampe Drive. These funds will go a long way toward modernizing some of NC State’s older facilities.

Integrative Sciences Building

NC State will take another big step forward in advancing the university’s mission with the construction of a new $160 million Integrative Sciences Building to be built in the location of the former Harrelson Hall. The new facility will provide much-needed STEM teaching and research space in the heart of campus. While initial funding and authorization for this project was approved in the previous session of the General Assembly, this budget lays out the remainder of the $80 million that the state has committed for the building. The university will be responsible for covering the other half of the necessary funding.

Additional Budget Highlights

• $16 million will advance NC State and North Carolina as a leader in the rapidly growing field of esports. NC State is already a leader in game development, and many of our students excel in gaming. The state’s funding will enable NC State to build a dedicated esports facility and purchase a mobile arena truck.
• Almost $13 million will support agricultural initiatives including a new $4 million apiculture research facility, $1.7 million in support for 4-H Centers and Camps, and a $5 million research contract with the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission to study nematode mitigation.
• $5.9 million will be allocated to building reserves for the operation and maintenance of Fitts-Woolard Hall and the Plant Sciences Building.
• $5.8 million will support new enrollment growth funding.
• $2 million will support the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, also known as NIIMBL.
• The budget approves in-state tuition for out-of-state athletes.

Upward Momentum

More information about several of the items listed above will be shared with the campus community in the weeks and months ahead.

NC State has the talent, the drive and the foundation to achieve our aggressive goals. We can all be thankful that North Carolina values higher education and that our university has earned such great respect and tremendous state support.

The future is bright for our Pack.

Randy Woodson
Chancellor