There are nearly 450 buildings on the NC State campus, but only nine hallowed places. Learn about the Wolfpack's most revered sites.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Tom Stafford is an NC State institution. He retires July 1 after nearly 30 years leading student affairs.
The senior class ring is a college rite. At NC State, class rings are also the only overnight tenants at the legendary Memorial Belltower.
No building evokes the feel of NC State like the Memorial Belltower.
Since its completion in 1937, the 115-foot monument to alumni killed in World War I has been the university’s most recognizable symbol and likely the least-explored building on campus. Students, alumni and supporters know it well, but few have been inside the granite belfry.
Lately, though, the club of Belltower insiders has grown, thanks to Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Tom Stafford.
A desire to honor those lost in combat inspired the construction of NC State’s Memorial Belltower in the 1920s.
In that same spirit, the NC State community gathered at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, at the Belltower to honor first responders and soldiers, especially those lost in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the wars they sparked.
Standing like a sentinel at the university's main entrance, the Memorial Belltower symbolizes the defining values of NC State University: courage in the face of adversity, strength of character and an unwavering commitment to service.