For four years, NC State animal science professor Charlotte Farin has had a hand in feeding 1,400 Haitian schoolchildren who live within six miles of the epicenter of the recent earthquake. The farm she works with now serves as a humanitarian aid center for those suffering in the region.
It's a classic example of competing interests. Students want access to the latest interactive software applications and plenty of storage space for big data files. Now, thanks to a partnership with Google, both sides are getting exactly what they want - and saving an estimated $60,000 per year.
Emboldened by a mindset of global service and humanitarian aid, NC State students have rallied the campus community around efforts to assist Haitian residents, helping to provide resources to a country where water and food are scarce and rescue efforts continue at a frantic pace.
This is the first in an occasional series of conversations with Dr. Randy Woodson, who was named NC State chancellor on Friday, Jan. 8. Woodson comes to NC State from Purdue University, where he served as executive vice president for academic affairs and provost.
Friday, Jan. 8, was a whirlwind of a day for NC State chancellor-elect Randy Woodson, one that began with his nomination and acceptance as the 14th chancellor in university history, setting off a sequence of meetings, introductions and celebrations both on and off campus.
Despite having toiled through a year filled with economic turmoil and uncertainty, NC State employees enter 2010 having pledged more than half a million dollars to the State Employees Combined Campaign, which supports charities and non-profit organizations across North Carolina. NC State led the state's large universities in employee participation and saw an increase of more than 100 faculty and staff members contributing to this year's campaign.