NCSU also has a competent faculty, adequate library, and appropriate computer resources, instructional materials and equipment, and the physical facilities to support its educational program [4.0.5]. NCSU's approximately 6,600 employees include more than 1,900 faculty members. Of these, 98 percent hold Ph.D.'s or other appropriate terminal degrees in their disciplines. Among the faculty are seven members of the National Academy of Sciences and seven members of the National Academy of Engineering.
The NCSU Libraries participate actively in the Association of Research Libraries and are leaders nationally in the development of electronic systems for access to collections. NCSU has excellent computing facilities for institutional and administrative purposes and provides computer laboratories for all students. Each of the University's schools and colleges provides faculty with access to audiovisual and other instructional support materials and facilities.
NCSU's central campus in Raleigh consists of 166 major buildings on 524 acres. Adjacent to the central campus are the new 940-acre Centennial Campus, housing the College of Textiles and several research facilities, and the 165-acre College of Veterinary Medicine campus. Nearby are research farms; biology and ecology sites; genetics, horticulture, and floriculture nurseries; research forests; and Carter-Finley Stadium. University landholdings in the Raleigh/Wake County area total nearly 5,000 acres. Elsewhere across the state are research farms, an equine research center, and a research forest, with landholdings in excess of 92,000 acres.
Chapters of this self-study devoted to faculty and to educational support services will review each of these aspects of the University, assessing their strengths and making recommendations to enhance their effectiveness, and also assessing the University's efficiency and effectiveness in use of its resources.
