North Carolina State University (also known as NC State or NCSU) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 by the North Carolina General Assembly as an agricultural and mechanical college, it is the largest university in the Carolinas and a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina system.
Though rooted in its founding land-grant mandate, NC State has grown into a comprehensive university offering degrees in over a hundred fields of study. It maintains historic strengths in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as well as agriculture. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". NC State forms one of the anchors of the Research Triangle alongside Duke University in Durham and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a geographic region that facilitates collaborative research between the universities and nearby corporate and government partners.
NC State's physical footprint is defined by its red-brick Main Campus, which is anchored by the Memorial Belltower. Over the decades, the university has expanded southward into the mixed-use Centennial Campus and Centennial Biomedical Campus. These spaces integrate university research and academic facilities directly with government and corporate partners. The university enrolls nearly 40,000 students.
The university's athletic teams, known as the Wolfpack, compete in NCAA Division I and are founding members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Wolfpack have won six NCAA championships, including men's basketball and women's cross-country titles. The university's alumni include politicians, business leaders, scientists, and professional athletes.
History
The North Carolina General Assembly founded NC State on March 7, 1887, as a land-grant college under the name North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, or "North Carolina A&M" for short. In the segregated system, it was open only to white students. As a land-grant college, North Carolina A&M would provide a liberal and practical education while focusing on military tactics, agriculture, and the mechanical arts without excluding classical studies. Since its founding, the university has maintained these objectives while building on them.
After opening in 1889, North Carolina A&M saw its enrollment fluctuate and its mandate expand. In 1917, it changed its name to North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering—or "North Carolina State" for short.
During the Great Depression, the North Carolina state government, under Governor O. Max Gardner, administratively combined the University of North Carolina, the Woman's College (now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro), and NC State. This conglomeration became the University of North Carolina in 1931.
In 1937, Blake R. Van Leer joined as dean and started the graduate program for engineering, among numerous other programs. In 1942, Van Leer successfully encouraged NC State's first women to pursue an engineering degree, 4-5 women would enroll and the first women graduated in 1941. One of his students, Katharine Stinson, became the Federal Aviation Administration's first female engineer. Following World War II, the university grew and developed. The G.I. Bill enabled thousands of veterans to attend college, and enrollment shot past the 5,000 mark in 1947.
State College created new academic programs, including the School of Architecture and Landscape Design in 1947 (renamed as the School of Design in 1948), the School of Education in 1948, and the School of Forestry in 1950. In the summer of 1956, following the US Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) that segregated public education was unconstitutional, North Carolina State College enrolled its first African-American undergraduates, Ed Carson, Manuel Crockett, Irwin Holmes, and Walter Holmes. In 1962, State College officials desired to change the institution's name to North Carolina State University. Consolidated university administrators approved a change to the University of North Carolina at Raleigh, frustrating many students and alumni who protested the change with letter writing campaigns. In 1963, State College officially became North Carolina State of the University of North Carolina. Students, faculty, and alumni continued to express dissatisfaction with this name; however, after two additional years of protest, the name was changed to the current official name, North Carolina State University at Raleigh. However, by longstanding convention, the "at Raleigh" portion is omitted even in official documents such as diplomas, and in practice the institution's name is simply "North Carolina State University"; "NC State University" is also accepted on first reference in news stories. Indeed, school officials have long discouraged using "at Raleigh" except when absolutely necessary, as the full name implies that there is another branch of the university elsewhere in the state.Editorial style guidelines for North Carolina State
In 1966, single-year enrollment reached 10,000. In the 1970s, enrollment surpassed 19,000 and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences was added.
Celebrating its centennial in 1987, NC State reorganized its internal structure, renaming all its schools to colleges (e.g. School of Engineering to the College of Engineering). Also in this year, it gained of land that was developed as Centennial Campus. Since then, NC State has focused on developing its new Centennial Campus. It has invested more than $620 million in facilities and infrastructure at the new campus, with of space being constructed. Sixty-one private and government agency partners are on Centennial Campus.
NC State has almost 8,000 employees, nearly 38,000 students, a $1.495 billion annual budget, and a $2.2 billion endowment.As of June 30, 2019. It is the largest university in the state and one of the anchors of North Carolina's Research Triangle, together with Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In 2009, NCSU canceled a planned appearance by the Dalai Lama to speak on its Raleigh campus, citing concerns about a Chinese backlash and a shortage of time and resources.Golden, Daniel (November 2, 2011), China Says No Talking Tibet as Confucius Funds U.S. Universities , Bloomberg News.
NCSU Libraries Special Collections Research Center, in D.H. Hill Library, maintains a website devoted to NC State history entitled Historical State.
In October 2023, polychlorinated biphenyl was detected in Poe Hall. NCSU closed the hall the next month. The Campus Community Alliance for Environmental Justice, a student-led coalition, was formed to petition the college to test for environmental contaminants in all campus buildings and increase transparency surrounding Poe Hall.
Campuses Main campus
NC State's Main Campus has three sub-campuses: North Campus, Central Campus, and South Campus. North Campus is the oldest part of NC State and is home to most academic departments and a few residence halls. Central Campus is mainly residence halls, cafeterias, gymnasiums and student support facilities. Finally, Greek Court, the McKimmon Conference and Training Center, and student park-and-ride areas are found on South Campus. North and Central Campus are separated by the North Carolina Railroad. Pedestrian tunnels allow students to commute between campuses. Central and South Campuses are separated by Western Boulevard, a major downtown artery. University Housing divides Main Campus into West, Central, and East Campus for residence hall purposes. West and Central campuses are divided by Dan Allen Drive, while Central and East are divided by Morill Drive and Reynolds Coliseum.
Architecturally, Main Campus is known for its distinctive red brick buildings. Brick statues dot the landscape, and the University Plaza, colloquially named "The Brickyard", in North Campus is nicknamed for its paving material; most sidewalks are also made from brick. The Brickyard and sidewalks also contain white brick mosaics of the athletics logo and other patterns.
The Memorial Belltower, located in the Northeast corner of North Campus, serves as the signature of NC State and appears in the NC State Chancellor's Seal. It was constructed as a monument to alumni killed in World War I. The granite tower, completed in 1937, is 115 feet (35 m) tall. As a tradition, the Belltower is lit in red at night immediately following athletic victories and certain academic achievements.
The Court of North Carolina, just west of the Memorial Belltower, is surrounded by the 1911 Building; the College of Humanities and Social Sciences in Tompkins, Caldwell, Winston Halls and The College of Education in Poe Hall; Page Hall, home to College of Engineering offices; and Leazar Hall, former location of the Computer Science Teaching Labs. It was once home to 100 trees (one for every county in North Carolina), but damage caused by Hurricane Fran in 1996 reduced the number significantly, including the destruction of a particularly old and large tree which was some in diameter. Some replanting has occurred, but the Court's former appearance is far from being restored.
Southwest of the Court of North Carolina is another landmark, the Free Expression Tunnel. The Tunnel functions as one of three pedestrian tunnels underneath the railroad tracks separating North Campus and Central Campus. This particular tunnel is the site of sanctioned graffiti; anyone may paint there, and it is often the place for political statements, personal messages, and art. This tunnel also serves as a way to advertise events going on around campus. In 2008, racist and threatening graffiti in the tunnel directed at then President-elect Barack Obama prompted an investigation from the United States Secret Service. Students held a "Unity Rally" in response to denounce the acts of racism.
The Wolfline bus service connects points on the campuses with each other. It also provides transportation to collegiate athletic events.
Centennial
NC State's main campus is augmented by the mixed-use Centennial Campus. Located south of the Memorial Tower, this campus houses university, corporate, and government research, in addition to classrooms and non-student residences. The Wilson College of Textiles has been based on this campus since 1991. Beginning in 2002, the College of Engineering began to relocate to Centennial Campus. Six of the nine College of Engineering departments are housed in three Engineering Buildings in an area known as the Engineering Oval. The Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), part of the College of Engineering, is located adjacent to the Engineering Oval. The offices of ABB, LexisNexis and the National Weather Service are also on the Centennial Campus, as well as Centennial Campus Magnet Middle School.
Centennial Biomedical Campus
The North Carolina State University Centennial Biomedical Campus is located west of the NCSU Memorial Tower. North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, NC State's professional college and North Carolina's only veterinary medicine program, serves as the anchor of the Biomedical Campus. The campus consists of 20 buildings including the CVM Research Building where biomedical investigations in genomic sciences; vaccine development; cancer immuno-therapy; emerging and infectious zoonotic diseases; and diseases of the lung, respiratory tract, skin, and digestive system are undertaken. The Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research, the Veterinary Teaching Hospital with its clinical research and clinical trials, and the Teaching Animal Unit (TAU), which is a working farm, are also campus elements. The 110,000-square-foot Randall B. Terry Jr. Companion Animal Veterinary Medical Center, completed in 2011, doubled the size of the veterinary hospital.