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Extraordinary Leadership

NC State’s mission to create economic, societal and intellectual prosperity for all requires extraordinary leadership — and extraordinary support.

NC State is committed to serving its state and the world through applied innovation that solves problems and fuels prosperity. The grand challenges currently threatening our security, health, food systems, environment, energy and social well-being require a cross-disciplinary approach to solve. Nimble leadership and vision all across campus provide the spark to continue that tradition.

Flexible funding is also needed in order to power our big, bold future. Through the  Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign, which is coming to a close at the end of 2021, members of the Pack are enabling our university to reach new heights. Together, we’re unleashing enormous potential — now as always.

Campaign donors have dramatically benefited NC State’s endowment — essentially the university’s savings account, which generates millions of dollars in annual income that we can count on to support education, research and extension regardless of fluctuating public funding. Unrestricted gifts have provided critical underpinning for the university’s strategic goals and serve as a shield against unexpected challenges.

The University’s Greatest Needs Fund, for instance, empowers Chancellor Randy Woodson to quickly direct money toward opportunities or obstacles. In today’s incredibly competitive academic landscape, that could mean using funds to recruit or retain leading professors, seeding new initiatives, providing professional development for staff, purchasing specialized equipment or awarding students with Chancellor’s Study-Abroad Scholarships.

Campuswide, programs and initiatives such as the Shelton Leadership Center, Leadership and Civic Engagement and the McLauchlan Leadership Series provide students with unique opportunities to learn about personal, team and organizational leadership, as well as public policy and ethics.

A growing culture of philanthropy and giving back at NC State completes our circle of leadership and reinforces our ability to be a pacesetter. We lead, together.