Student body officers and Political Science Club leaders expressed enthusiasm and hope following the appointment of Kevin Howell as NC State’s 15th chancellor.

Howell, currently the chief external affairs officer at UNC Health and the UNC School of Medicine and former NC State vice chancellor of external affairs, will assume his new role on May 5. The appointment marks a historic moment, as Howell becomes the University’s first Black chancellor.

Isaac Carreno, a third-year studying social work and political science and student body president-elect, said he sees Howell’s appointment as a source of optimism for the campus community. 

“When I saw his appointment, I think when others did, I felt hope, and I’m excited to carry on into that hope,” Carreno said. “ … If I have to describe the historic appointment of Chancellor-Elect Howell, it’d be with the word hope.”

Carreno emphasized the significance of Howell’s background as an NC State alumnus and former student body president. 

“[Howell’s appointment] certainly may have defied expectations of what a lot of students felt would come from the UNC Board of Governors,” Carreno said. “It speaks strongly to NC State, and I think the spirit of NC State and the power in our Wolfpack community.”

Carreno said he is most excited about Howell’s connection to the student body and his ability to acknowledge and interact with students. He said one moment in particular that captured this feeling was when Howell looked up to students on the upper floors of Talley Student Union during his announcement speech when he was addressing the student body.

“Not only is he acknowledging students in his speech, but also, on his day one, really trying to make that connection by looking at them,” Carreno said. “I think that’s going to be really helpful for my vision for student life and advocacy and his vision, as well for really wanting to hear what students are feeling and concerned about on campus. That was a really resonating moment for me.”

Lance Williams, a second-year studying agricultural sciences and student body treasurer-elect, said 

“With chancellors, we do national searches, so I think it is great that we ended up choosing a hometown person, because I certainly think that has its advantages,” Williams said.

As a former member of NC State’s student government, Lance said Howell will likely understand what SG is capable of doing, and will divert special attention to empowering students and federally-targeted DEI programming through SG.

“We all certainly know that we’re in some rough times in higher education and so student government, we’re having to pick up a lot of the slack and do some of the work that the University, just simply, through federal orders, no longer can provide for our students,” Williams said. “And I think with him having such a robust experience in student government, he’s gonna be able to really understand that we are a valuable tool. So I think moving forward, you’re gonna see, I would probably say unprecedented partnerships between student government and the University administration to make sure we’re providing certain resources, especially cultural and DEI-related resources, to our students.”

Naila Din, a third-year studying microbiology and student senate president-elect, emphasized the historic nature of Howell’s appointment and its potential impact on diversity and inclusion initiatives. She said while chancellors are unable to make many decisions regarding the removal of DEI-related services, Howell could facilitate discussions for the role of DEI initiatives on campus.

“I think he has the sense of understanding that he’s a person of color in leadership, and he can understand from me and Isaac, from also being the people of color in leadership,” Din said. “And so I think he’ll be able to facilitate discussions, just empathize with us, understand that we are really here advocating for students, we’re here advocating for diversity on campus.”

Din said she hopes Howell can help uplift and support SG to restore cultural and identity-based learning villages and other initiatives being put into question over federal directives removing DEI programming.

“I’m confident that I feel as though Kevin Howell be willing to work with these campus community centers, with these programs, departments, villages, to ensure that they still stand but are supported under a new frame that is allowed in the board governors, and so I’m really hoping that I’m able to facilitate these conversations and that he’s able to take this up alongside us, me and the other student body officers,” Din said.

Beck Whitehead, a second-year studying political science, external outreach coordinator of Political Science Club and a CHASS student senator, said Howell’s status as a political science graduate prepares him well for the inherently political office and the current political climate.

“I think it’s definitely very good for the NC State community, not only is he political science and CHASS and has that student government experience, obviously, but I think this is the absolute perfect time to have someone with a knowledge and experience and background in politics in a administrative role,” Whitehead said.

Delaney Urchuk, a second-year studying political science, secretary of Political Science Club and a College of Humanities and Social Sciences student senator, said Howell’s experience makes him qualified for the complexities of the position of chancellor.

“Personally, I think that the role has a lot of nuance, especially with him having a history in politics and his education, and I think that currently and all with all the change that we’re seeing on campus, it is reassuring to know that someone with that experience is going to be leading us forward right now, especially during a time of so much uncertainty politically, having that background is very supporting to me,” Urchuk said.

Whitehead said Howell’s appointment is reassuring following the controversial appointment of Lee Roberts to the chancellorship at UNC-Chapel Hill amid a political climate where universities and their services are being put into the national spotlight.

“This is just another prime example of NC State moving forward and really trying to push progress and create a diverse campus and show that it is as great as an institution as it actually is,” Whitehead said.