Chancellor James Oblinger spoke Thursday of N.C. State’s accomplishments in research, fundraising and individual achievements — the kind of stories he said must be told for the University to make a national impact.
As part of his inaugural “State of N.C. State” address,Oblinger called for leadership and partnerships to continue throughout the state and made an announcement of a new energy initiative. The plan calls for the school to form departments and scholarships to pursue research focused on energy and the environment and to pursue partnerships with major corporations.
He spoke of partnerships like this, and those with Dole Foods, the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center and other agricultural and biological businesses.
He spoke of accomplishments such as the billion-dollar Achieve campaign, new clothing innovations by the College of Textiles and the story of the women’s basketball team and coach Kay Yow.
“It’s easy to think we’ve been so busy doing the work that we haven’t gone about the telling of our stories,” Oblinger said.
The telling of these stories is what NCSU must do to move into the national scene of top-tier public universities, according to Oblinger.
On the international front, recent ties formed with China and Chile have brought more opportunities to students and faculty, he said. But it won’t stop there.
“This year, we will continue our international work, further developing our ties with India while also sending delegations to South Korea and Japan to help build relationships there,” Oblinger said.
Students who turned out to the event, such as Marquis McCullough, a sophomore in science education, said the speech was very informative, but left out current students.
“I didn’t hear a lot about things that actually affect current students,” McCullough said. “But something like this is very beneficial for people who don’t normally get a chance to hear the chancellor.”
For Jesse Triplett, a senior in arts application, the speech showed the originality of the things NCSU is accomplishing.
“We’re doing some really unique things,” Triplett said. “The chancellor is driving the University, but it involves both faculty and students.”
McQueen Campbell, the chair of the Board of Trustees, works with the chancellor on a consistent basis. But he said the idea behind the “State of N.C. State” address is perfect, because not everyone gets to hear the chancellor.
“This way, the University community really gets to hear the vision,” Campbell said.
Campbell did not shy away from praising the chancellor for the work Oblinger has accomplished.
“[UNC-system president] Erskine Bowles has said there’s no university chancellor greater than James Oblinger,” Campbell said. “You continue to hear that because of the way he interacts with people, from legislatures to students and staff.”
