Chancellor Randy Woodson announced his retirement in a Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday after 14 years in the position. 

Woodson has been the longest-serving Chancellor in NC State history, having served since 2010. His contract expires on June 30, 2025, which aligns with his planned retirement date.

NC State released a video announcement after the Board of Trustees meeting. 

“We have experienced so much together in my time as your chancellor,” Woodson said. “From extraordinary growth in enrollment, growing demand for admission, dramatic improvements in retention and graduation rates, to incredible discoveries in innovation and research, to new facilities and a changing campus landscape and so much more.”

Woodson guided NC State through several unprecedented events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and a mental health crisis in 2023. He oversaw two of the largest donations in NC State’s history, including a $40 million gift from Lonnie and Carol Poole, which increased the endowment by 10% and strengthened the College of Management. 

In September 2023, Woodson cast the transformative vote to expand the Atlantic Coast Conference to accept Southern Methodist University, Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, into the conference. He also faced criticism earlier this year when College of Education faculty voted no confidence in him due to his handling of the discovery of PCBs in Poe Hall.

In April, The Chronicle of Higher Education and the Assembly co-published a profile on Woodson, naming him “the politically invincible chancellor.” The article states Woodson’s tenure is almost triple the average for college leaders and credits his longevity to his temperament and intuitive understanding of the job, allowing for calm relations with the UNC Board of Governors. 

Woodson’s retirement comes as the UNC System experiences leadership transitions at several universities. There are currently three other chancellor vacancies in the system, including an ongoing search at UNC-Chapel Hill.

The current President of University Systems of North Carolina, Peter Hans, told the Assembly after a meeting on Tuesday that it takes between six and nine months to complete searches for a new chancellor. 

With current searches for chancellors for other UNC System schools underway, Hans said the system remains in a good position.

“There’s a mix — a different mix at each institution,” Hans said. “I feel so good about the recent choices we’ve had.”