Letter from the Chancellor

Dear NC State University Alumni and Friends:

On June 30, 2008, we officially marked the conclusion of the momentous—and historic—Achieve! The Campaign for NC State. I am very pleased to report that we raised more than $1.36 billion for new academic and athletic facilities, faculty research and outreach, as well as student scholarships and financial aid. We even met our $1 billion goal 19 months early. Now that’s an incredible achievement.

When we publicly launched this campaign in September 2005, our goal may have seemed daunting. After all, we had never attempted a campaign of this scale before, nor had many other public universities. Achieve! The Campaign for NC State has brought us to this long-anticipated — and deserved — new level, providing us with the opportunity to build on our strengths by realizing and capitalizing on our relevance and our impact as a leader in higher education.

Today, without question, we are the national leader we knew we could be. Thanks to gifts from more than 66,000 donors like you, we have transformed our campus and transformed the lives of students, professors, alumni, our community and business partners, and the many beneficiaries of our extensive outreach programs in the state and beyond.

We asked for your support and you responded. Specifically, you raised over $205 million to provide scholarship opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students. You created 68 new professorships. You raised $406 million to renovate or build facilities, including the impressive new Dorothy and Roy Park Alumni Center. You dedicated $500 million to research that will have a far-reaching impact on areas such as cancer research and applications of textile technology in healthcare and national defense. And we can direct $114 million to our extension and outreach programs, advancing K-12 education, agriculture, the arts and many other efforts throughout the state.

This is a very exciting time for the university as these transformations begin to carry NC State to a new level of excellence. I ask that you take pride in the fruits of your support and generosity. The response we received throughout the campaign was extraordinary. The stories you will find on the following pages are outstanding examples of how your contributions have created opportunities and changed lives. But these examples are by no means inclusive, as your enormous generosity could never be captured in one publication.

On behalf of the Achieve! Campaign for NC State Committee, the university, its faculty, students and staff, I thank you for all you have done to make this campaign and NC State the success that it is. While some were surprised when we surpassed not only our financial goal but also our timeframe to do so, these achievements did not surprise me. They only confirmed what I have known for quite some time, that at NC State we don’t wait for the future. We wait for it to catch up. After all, at NC State, “Red means go” and thanks to you, we’ve only just begun.

Sincerely,
James L. Oblinger
Chancellor
North Carolina State University