Biography

Dr. Randy Woodson became North Carolina State University’s 14th chancellor in April 2010. Woodson leads the largest university in North Carolina, with nearly 38,000 students and a $2 billion budget. Under his leadership, the university created, implemented and completed “The Pathway to the Future,” a strategic plan that elevated NC State’s recognition among the nation’s top public research universities. In 2021, NC State created the “Wolfpack 2030: Powering the Extraordinary” strategic plan to build on this momentum and carry the university even further.

NC State has become a lead university for two National Science Foundation Engineering Research Centers and one Manufacturing USA institute (and a partner in six others). The university has also expanded to more than 65 industry and government partnerships on its nationally recognized Centennial Campus. NC State has also garnered national and international recognition for its faculty and student scholarship.

NC State launched and completed the Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign, which raised $2.1 billion for scholarships, research, programs and facilities, propelling the university to even greater heights.

A nationally recognized scholar and academic leader, Chancellor Woodson came to NC State having most recently served as provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at Purdue University. An internationally renowned plant molecular biologist specializing in reproductive processes in agricultural crops, he earned his undergraduate degree in horticulture from the University of Arkansas and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in plant physiology from Cornell University.

Under Woodson’s leadership, NC State has become a preeminent research enterprise known for solving real-world challenges — a true Think and Do university. His strategic vision has enabled the university to advance in areas of student success, innovative research and collaborative partnerships. This has resulted in students ready to solve real-world challenges, public-private partnerships that transform ideas into solutions, and a creative, engaging center of learning and exploration for all.

True to its land-grant heritage, NC State creates economic, societal and intellectual prosperity for the people of North Carolina and the country — with increasing momentum under Woodson’s direction.