The new chancellor
William R. Woodson
Dr. William R. “Randy” Woodson began his duties as NC State's 14th chancellor in April and has made boosting the university's national and international reputation one of his primary goals.
Woodson comes to NC State from Purdue University, where he served as executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. He took on the role of provost at Purdue in May 2008 after serving nearly four years as the Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture. Prior to that, Woodson was the associate dean of agriculture and director of the Office of Agricultural Research Programs at Purdue from 1998 to 2004.
Woodson replaces Dr. Jim Woodward, who had been serving as interim chancellor since June 2009.
“The grand challenges of society now — water, climate, energy — have science and technology issues that have to be resolved, and NC State is in a tremendous position to be among the leading institutions in the country that address those challenges. But we can't do that if we're not strong in engineering, the physical sciences and mathematics,” Woodson told the Raleigh News & Observer in March.
Woodson received a bachelor's degree in horticulture and chemistry from the University
of Arkansas and a master's degree in horticulture and a doctorate in horticulture/plant
physiology from Cornell University. 