Full-time students are now able to apply to have lunch with Chancellor Randy Woodson. 

Students will be able to learn more about the chancellor’s role at the University and share their own story.

The lunches will be held Wednesday, Nov. 13, Wednesday, Jan. 22, Thursday, Feb. 6, Monday, March 17 and Wednesday, April 9. Groups of 10-12 students will be selected, and they will meet at Holladay Hall in the chancellor’s conference room. The conversation lasts from noon to 1 p.m., and during the 2013-2014 academic year, about 55 students will be able to attend the lunches.

Any full-time student currently attending the University can sign up for both the lunches and the one-on-one meetings.  In order to apply for either the lunch with the chancellor event or the individual meetings, visit www.ncsu.edu and click on the “about ncsu” tab and then on the “chancellor” link.  A representative from the chancellor’s office will contact you with information about your meeting.

According to the N.C. State webpage, this is a good setting for a student to get to know other student’s stories as well as discuss whatever topic they would like with the head of the University. Students usually discuss topics such as the University’s budget, what it is like to be chancellor and anything they would like to know about the University. However, as mentioned on the N.C. State website, this is not the proper channel to address personal problems directly to the chancellor.

According to Woodson, he enjoys the diversity of people that attend and likes meeting students from colleges around the world. Woodson said the atmosphere is very relaxed and informal so everyone feels comfortable enough to participate. Woodson has been hosting these lunches since he arrived at the University in the spring of 2010.

“[These lunches] are one of my favorite things to do,” Woodson said.

In addition to these lunches, Woodson sets aside time every month to meet with students.  These time slots are for students who would rather meet one-on-one than in a group setting.  The meetings are usually blocked off in 15-minute segments and are designed for students to discuss concerns that would not be appropriate to bring up in a larger group.  Woodson describes these brief meetings as “office hours with the chancellor”.

Woodson became the 14th chancellor of N.C. State after arriving from Perdue University, where he was executive vice president for academic affairs as well as provost.