Chancellor's Corner
We are about being good stewards of our resources, driving economic development, and creating unique partnerships. We are collaborative, interdisciplinary, and entrepreneurial.
Chancellor James L. Oblinger
Welcome Back - Opportunities Abound on Campus
Jessica Dejak came to NC State to study communications and has already found the same kind of community spirit that embodies her hometown of Southern Pines.
Her first impression is that, despite the size and scope of our campus, NC State is a community where returning students pitch in to carry moving boxes and new students down the hall offer to join you for an exploration of campus. Immediately struck by the ease with which her neighbors and peers have offered their help, she’s looking forward to the friendships she’ll forge over the next four years.
The next few weeks will be a time of first impressions for Jessica and more than 4,700 new freshmen on campus. In sheer numbers, they constitute the largest freshman class in the state and the largest in university history. They include 71 high school valedictorians and 67 salutatorians. More than half graduated in the top 20 percent of their class; about 35 percent graduated in the top 10 percent.
We’re well aware that most first impressions start before our students ever set foot in the Brickyard. Research shows that most people nowadays have their first contact with NC State over the Web. As you may have discovered, we’ve logged countless hours to revamp our digital front door over the summer, giving www.ncsu.edu a significant facelift.
The Web site is just one way that we’re taking a fresh look at how we make the most of first impressions and our ability to communicate about NC State. We’ve made progress toward renovating and revitalizing Hillsborough Street, the university’s physical front door. We engaged in literally hundreds of construction projects to improve existing campus buildings and build new ones – including Joyner Visitor Center, where many campus tours begin. And we’ll continue to refine the campus tour process.
Faculty, students and staff do great work at NC State every day, pushing our university to greater heights while striking the balance between educating our students and engaging in the communities we serve. We are about being good stewards of our resources, driving economic development, and creating unique partnerships. We are collaborative, interdisciplinary, and entrepreneurial. Everything we do should be a reflection of this great work, from the myriad of first impressions to every last story of great accomplishment -- and we have many stories of accomplishment.
On Sept. 27, I will share these stories and outline our agenda for continued success in my inaugural “State of NC State” address. I hope you can join us as we come together to celebrate the past, present and future of NC State.
Until then, welcome back,
James L. Oblinger