© NCSU Student Media 2010
Chancellor Randy Woodson, with Interim Provost, Warwick Arden, behind him, familiarizes faculty, administrators, and students with the Strategic Planning layout, in Titmus Theatre, on Monday, September 13, 2010. Strategic Planning is an effort to create an ideal atmosphere at NC State, over the course of the next 5-7 years, by implementing four main goals.
In Titmus Theatre Monday afternoon, Chancellor Randy Woodson commented on his first months in office, and addressed the University’s recent rankings in national media polls. Woodson then gave the lectern to the Interim Provost Warwick Arden, who rolled out a working model for N.C. State’s 2010-11 strategic plan.
With standing-room only capacity in the theater, Woodson started by saying the weather had “been a little hot these last five months,” but he was pleased with the strides the N.C. State has made since he took the reins in April.
Fresh off helping another wave of freshman get moved in, Woodson said that Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Tom Stafford and his dedicated staff deserve much credit for making things go smoothly.
“Dr. Stafford and his crew, wearing red T-shirts, were great helping students get into residence halls and squared away,” he said. Often, Woodson said, the parents just stood around wondering what they could do while Stafford’s staff handled new students’ heavy lifting and logistics.
Woodson said the summer hiring of Athletic Director Debbie Yow was a tremendous achievement, and it’s already paying dividends.
“Debbie Yow is doing a fantastic job; she’s making sure student athletes are engaged in athletics, but also concerned with what happens off the field. Debbie wants to see all of our athletes excel as students,” he said.
The search for a permanent provost is still moving ahead, and Woodson said that hopefully, “that position will be filled in the coming weeks or months.”
Woodson also addressed the recent U.S. News and World Report college rankings, in which N.C. State fell from 83 to 111.
Woodson said “I’m not a guy that manages toward rankings,” but he was not completely dismissive of the drop.
“I don’t think any of us were excited to see N.C. State drop out of top 100. [The ranking] does not reflect the quality of the institution, faculty or students,” Woodson said.
The report showed that as enrollment has increased, so has class size. “The faculty is not big enough for the size of the enrollment; classes are too large,” Woodson said.
And with budget belts tightening statewide, Woodson said that raising the endowment is the elixir that will help cure future budget ills.
“We have to grow the endowment; it’s one of the smallest in our peer group. Our endowment is around $450 million, and it should be above $1 billion. It’s important to this institution to invest in the future so these budgetary waves we have to ride are a little easier,” Woodson said.
There was a silver lining to recent college rankings, however. The Wall Street Journal ranked N.C. State as 19 on its list of the 25 top universities for recruiters.
“The recruiters love our graduates,” Woodson said.
In an effort to make contact with concerned citizens in all areas of the state, Woodson met with leaders of the seven North Carolina economic development regions. Combined, these regions represent all 100 counties in the state.
“Meeting with the boards of those seven regions helped me learn just how important N.C. State is to the economy of this state,” Woodson said.
Arden also provided a description of the plans for the 2010-2011 strategic planning committee, which is tasked with “articulating where NCSU is headed,” Woodson said.
The goal is to have the plan in place by June 2011. “It’s important to get this done and locked down this academic year so we can know what we’re going to do for the next three to five years,” Arden said.
The committee contains nine task forces, each in charge of different areas of the strategic plan. Woodson said he admitted he was not always a strategic planning fan.
“I am a convert, however, and I believe if you articulate measurable goals and keep track of those goals, people will respond,” he said. “I’m interested in having a process that involves the entire community, and I encourage attendees to get involved with task forces,” he said.
About 20 students are members of the various task forces. Student Body President Kelly Hook is on the Strategic Planning Committee.
“It will be up to the students on the task forces to report back to peers [students] about what’s going on,” Hook said. “But I hope some members of the general student population also feel compelled to get involved in the strategic planning process.”
Students will have a chance to provide input and comments on the strategic plan on Oct. 26, when Woodson will hold another “town hall” meeting.
“We have a lot of work to do on the plan in the coming months,” Arden said.
In December, each task force is scheduled to report to the strategic planning committee. Early next year, the committee will collate the task force data and submit a draft of the strategic plan.
Woodson will hold a Chancellor’s forum on the strategic plan Jan. 27, and he will receive a draft of the plan for review in March.
After an April meeting with the Board of Trustees, Arden said the final plan is set to be in place by June.
Arden said the plan was equal parts ambitious and vital.
“I personally consider it to be an extremely important part of what the University accomplishes this year,” Arden said. “If we can develop a really good strategic plan, then we’ll have accomplished something very significant for this University.”