Technician: How has your time been here so far?

Woodson: It’s gone fast. I’ve been here six months and I have spent a lot of the time getting to know the state of NC and the constituents of N.C. State, the students, the faculty, and the alumni. Been all over the state of NC, so it’s been fantastic.

T:Do you think the University’s investment in the 10% Campaign is important?

W:We’ve committed to the 10% Campaign for buying locally and we’re on board. It’s important for the state of N.C. to keep our farmers and to support local farming and to do it by purchasing. It just sends a statement that N.C is one of the most diverse agricultures in, frankly, the U.S. We have more opportunities to buy locally than many states. It sends a signal that the land grant that has supported agriculture for so long is one of the early ones to sign on.

T:How is the provost search going? Why is it taking so long?

W:The provost search is going very well and it is nearing the final stages of bringing the finalists to campus for interviews. In fact we are working now to get the dates set up and we hope to get the interviews complete by Thanksgiving. It’s hasn’t taken long at all, from a national search perspective. You don’t initiate a search like this that involves faculty and students when the faculty and students aren’t here and they’re largely not here during the summer. So it couldn’t begin in earnest until the beginning of the semester and it is the middle of October now.

T:Have you seen any effects in Student Affairs after moving it under the provost?

W:No, I have not; only positive. We need to support students in their effort to gain a strong education, and so it was quite unusual for us to not have Student Affairs embedded in the Academic Affairs.

T:What are your thoughts on Debbie Yow so far?

W:Debbie Yow has been a tremendous asset to this institution. She has a business ethic about her in terms of organize athletics and how to elevate expectations. I think you are already seeing an impact. I don’t think Debbie would stand up and say I am responsible for the football team winning, but you have seen evidence of is a different level of energy, enthusiasm, marketing, Wolfpack Unlimited, and the notion that were are taking this up a notch. She is going a great job.

T:What does “Locally Responsive, Globally Engaged,” mean to you?

W:This is an institution that its reputation that its reputation is both local and global. That means that if you ask the industries in the triangle which university they look to for support N.C. State is at the top of their list. In fact a recent survey in the triangle business journal of all the industries in the triangle said that N.C. State is the most important university to their success. That is locally responsive. Also locally responsive is what we do across all 100 counties in the state through extension and what we so to support manufacturing and other industrial pursuits through the industrial extension service. So that is locally responsive. But the fact is this university is globally engaged. Our students are graduating from here and are a part of a global economy. We have students from all over the world we have students from 130 countries at N.C. State. So that is a globally engaged university. So it is very unusual to have a university that plays on both of those stages to the extent that N.C. State does. So that’s what that means.

T:What spurred you to want to develop the University’s Strategic Plan?

W:I want this institution to have a clear, shared vision for our future. I want everyone to understand where we are and where we’re going and the steps that it will take to get there and how to measure our progress towards those goals. A transparent open planning process that culminates into a clear document that everyone has had a chance to submit their input to and have a clear sense of where we are heading. Plans are often used in environments where the budgets are growing and that is clearly not the case at N.C. state and frankly not the case for higher education in general, but a clear plan that identifies priorities is important when you are in a shrinking budget because you have to be critical about where you put your money and without a plan it is hard to make those decisions.

T:Why should students, faculty and staff give feedback?

W:This will become N.C. State’s plan. They can provide input, and we hope they will, and have a voice in the plan. But absent that input, we’ll have a plan.