North Carolina State University Totally Explained

Everything about North Carolina State University totally explained

North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State or NCSU, the University is the principal technological institution of the University of North Carolina system.
The North Carolina General Assembly founded NC State on March 7, 1887 as a land-grant college. Today, NC State has an enrollment of more than 31,000 students, making it the largest university in North Carolina. While NC State has historical strengths in agriculture, design, engineering and textiles, it now offers more than 100 bachelor degree areas of study including mathematics, meteorology, economics, political science, forestry, physics and education. The graduate school offers more than 100 areas of study leading to master's and doctoral degrees in fields such as psychology, public administration, statistics, and veterinary medicine.

History

The North Carolina General Assembly founded NC State on March 7, 1887 as a land-grant college under the name "North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts." As a land-grant college, NC State would provide a liberal and practical education while focusing on military tactics, agriculture and the mechanical arts without excluding classical studies. Since its founding, the university has maintained these objectives while building on them. After opening in 1889, NC State saw its enrollment fluctuate and its mandate expand. Due to the Great Depression, the North Carolina government administratively combined the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Women’s College at Greensboro, and NC State. This conglomeration became the University of North Carolina in 1971. After World War II, the university has constantly grown and changed. In the summer of 1956, North Carolina State University enrolled its first African-American undergraduates, Edward Carson and Manuel Crockett.
In 1966, single year enrollment reached 10,000. The 1970s saw enrollment surpass 19,000 and the addition of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. NC State celebrated its centennial in 1987 and reorganized its internal structure renaming all its schools to colleges (for example School of Engineering to the College of Engineering). Also in this year, it gained of land that would later become the Centennial Campus. During the next decade and a half and continuing today, NC State has focused on developing its new Centennial Campus. Over $620 million has been invested in facilities and infrastructure at the new campus with of space being constructed. There are 61 private and government agency partners located here as well.
Currently, NC State has almost 8,000 employees, over 31,000 students, a $1.01 billion annual budget, and a $535 million endowment. It the largest university in the state and one of the anchors of North Carolina's Research Triangle, together with Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Campus

Main

NC State’s Main Campus has three general areas: North Main Campus, Central Main Campus, and South Main Campus. North Main Campus is the oldest part of NC State and is home to most academic departments and a few residence halls. Central Main Campus is mainly residence halls, cafeterias, gymnasiums and student support departments. North and Central Main Campus are separated by a rail road track. Pedestrian and road tunnels are used to cross the tracks. Western Boulevard separates Central and South Main Campuses. Greek Court and a large conference center are found on South Main Campus. Main Campus is also divided into West, Central, and East Campus. West and Central campuses are divided by Dan Allen Drive, while Central and East are divided by Morill Drive and Reynolds Coliseum.
   Architecturally, Main Campus is known for its distinctive red brick buildings. Due to oversupply, odd brick statues dot the landscape, a large section of main campus is paved over with brick (University Plaza, a.k.a. "The Brickyard"), and most sidewalks are also made with brick. These sidewalks are also dotted with white brick mosaics.
   The Memorial Bell Tower, located in the Northeast corner of North Main Campus, serves as the signature of NC State and appears in the NC State Official Seal. It was constructed as a monument to alumni killed in World War I. The granite tower, completed in 1937, is 115 feet (35 meters) tall. As a tradition, the Bell Tower is lit in red at night immediately following athletic victories and certain academic achievements.
   The Court of North Carolina, just West of the Memorial Bell Tower, is surrounded by the 1911 Building; the College of Humanities and Social Sciences in Tompkins, Caldwell, Winston Halls and Poe Hall; Page Hall, home to College of Engineering offices; and Leazar Hall, former location of the Computer Science Teaching Labs. It was once home to 100 trees (one for every county in North Carolina), but damage caused by Hurricane Fran in 1996 reduced the number significantly, including the destruction of a particularly old and large tree which was some in diameter. Some replanting has occurred, but the Court's former appearance is far from being restored.
   Southwest of the Court of North Carolina is another landmark, the Free Expression Tunnel. The Tunnel functions as one of three pedestrian tunnels underneath the railroad tracks separating North Main Campus and Central Main Campus. This particular tunnel is the site of sanctioned graffiti; anyone may paint there, and it's often the place for political statements, personal messages, and art.

Centennial

NC State's main campus is augmented by the mixed-use Centennial Campus. Located south of the Memorial Bell Tower, this campus houses university, corporate, and government research, in addition to classrooms and non-student residences. The College of Textiles is based on this campus and long-term plans have the majority of the College of Engineering relocating to the new campus, which has already begun with the addition of two buildings, Engineering Building I and Engineering Building II. The offices of Red Hat and the Raleigh branch of the National Weather Service are also on the Centennial Campus, as well as Centennial Campus Middle School.

West

West Campus is located west of the Memorial Bell Tower. The campus’s is bordered by the stadiums and the North Carolina State Fairgrounds to the west and Meredith College to the east. Situated on this campus is the University Club and North Carolina’s only Veterinary School. Since most of the Veterinary School campus is rolling pastoral land, part of it's converted to parking space during the North Carolina State Fair and NC State football games. J. C. Raulston Arboretum is an arboretum and botanical garden operated by NC State, and located just south of West Campus. It is open daily without charge.

Stadiums

The stadium property is northwest of the Memorial Bell Tower. Both Carter-Finley Stadium and the RBC Center are located there. Aside from the two stadiums, the property is mainly open space used for event parking. The property borders the North Carolina State Fair to the North and hosts tailgating parties before NC State football games.

Academics

Academic Units Table>

College	Enrollment (Fall 2006)		Degrees include¹
College	Undergrad	Graduate	Degrees include¹
Agriculture and Life Sciences	3,920²	828	Biological Sciences Animal Science Biochemistry
Design	483	202	Art and Design Graphic Design Architecture
Education	633	919	Higher Education Admin Mathematics Education School Admin
Engineering	5,627	1,840	Aerospace Engineering Mechanical Engineering Computer Science
Humanities and Social Sciences	4,057	755	Psychology Public Administration Communications
Management	2,308	497	Accounting Business Management Economics
Natural Resources	978	205	Parks, Recreation and Tourism Forest Management Professional Golf Management
Physical and Mathematical Sciences	906	702	Mathematics Physics Chemistry
Textiles	733	131	Textile and Apparel Management Textile Engineering Textile Technology
Veterinary Medicine	0	381	Biomedical Sciences Veterinary Medicine Immunology
First Year College	1,417	0	(Non-degree granting)
Graduate School	-	-	(See colleges above)³
This list isn't exclusive; full lists are available of bachelor degrees and graduate degrees An additional 364 students are pursuing associate's degrees. Graduate programs are run by the respective colleges, but all graduate degrees are awarded by the Graduate School.

Structure

NC State is one of 16 campuses that constitute the University of North Carolina system. Each campus has a high degree of independence, but each submits to the policies of the UNC system Board of Governors. The 32 voting members of the Board of Governors are elected by the North Carolina General Assembly for four-year terms. President Erskine Bowles heads the system. The Board of Trustees of NC State has thirteen members and set all policies for the University. The UNC system Board of Governors elects eight of the trustees and the Governor of North Carolina appoints four. The student body president serves on the Board of Trustees as a non-voting member. The UNC system also elects the Chancellor of NC State, currently James L. Oblinger.
The Board of Trustees administers NC State's eleven academic colleges. Each college grants its own degrees with the exception of the First Year College which provides incoming freshmen the opportunity to experience several disciplines before selecting a major. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is the only college to offer associate's degrees and the College of Veterinary Medicine doesn't grant undergraduate degrees. Each college is composed of numerous departments that focus on a particular discipline or degree program, for example English, Computer Science, or Accounting. There are a total of 66 departments administered by all eleven NC State colleges.
In total, NC State offers bachelor's degrees in 102 areas of study, master's degrees in 108 areas and doctorate degrees in 60 areas. NC State is known for its programs in agriculture, engineering and science. The textile and paper science programs are notable, given the uniqueness of the subject area.

Admission

Considered a more selective university, NC State accepts fewer than 61% of those who apply for undergraduate admissions. Out of the 3,717 students in the 2005 freshmen class, 36% were ranked in the top 10% of their high school class and 45% scored greater than 1200 on the SAT. Twenty-one percent were in both categories. The average weighted GPA for incoming freshman is 4.11. State law limits the admission of students from outside North Carolina, so there's strong competition among non-residents for admissions.
NC State requires undergraduate admission candidates to choose a preferred college of study. After determining that an applicant meets the overall university requirements, the individual college must also agree to accept the student. Due to this process, some colleges have significantly higher admission requirements than others. For example, the College of Engineering has higher admission standards than the College of Natural Resources. In addition, students might have a difficult time transferring between colleges. Transferring to the College of Design from another college could be difficult due to lack of design experience.
The Graduate School reviews all postgraduate education applications. For fall 2005, 7,206 prospective students applied to the Graduate School; 2836 (39.4%) were admitted. Of these, 1,755 (61.9%) enrolled. Total fall 2005 graduate enrollment 6,128.

Library

The library system at NC State, ranked 27th out of 113 North American research libraries, includes 3.4 million volumes and 54 thousand journal subscriptions (as of 2005). The library system has an annual budget of over $20 million and consists of five libraries. The largest library, D. H. Hill Library, located on Main Campus is over eleven stories tall and covers over 119 thousand square feet (11 thousand square meters). NC State, as a member of the Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN), has interlibrary loan services with Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina Central University.

Reputation and rankings

US News and World Report places NC State 85th out of 248 national universities in the US (34th out of public colleges). The Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Academic Ranking of World Universities positions NC State 101st among 500 world universities in terms of scientific research leading towards a Nobel Prize in 2005. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education designated the university as a “Doctoral/Research Universities-Extensive,” a category given to only 96 research universities in the US.
NC State is rated twelfth among the nation’s colleges and universities in terms of value, according to Kiplinger's Personal Finance. In 2006, NC State was ranked second by Princeton Review and fifth by U.S. News & World Report on their lists of best values among the nation’s public colleges and universities.

Athletics

As an Atlantic Coast Conference founding member, North Carolina State University competes in 24 intercollegiate varsity sports. Also known as the Wolfpack, NC State has won eight national championships: two NCAA championships, two AIAW championships, and four titles under other sanctioning bodies. NC State was a founding member of the Southern Conference and is also one of the four teams on Tobacco Road.

Student life

Thirty-three percent of all students live on campus in one of twenty different residence halls. Most residence halls provide academic and social events as well as host programs that acclimate incoming students to the college experience. Each residence hall or residence hall area has an elected council to provide for local event programming and an outlet for student concerns. Collectively, representatives from each hall make up the Inter-Residence Council which represents the on-campus residence-life community as a whole.
While Greeks do offer some social events, many residence halls host their own events, though alcohol policies are strictly enforced. One significant party is the "Design School Halloween Bash" hosted by the College of Design every October. By far the largest party and social events are those associated with sporting events.
The student center of the University includes an African American Cultural Center which has an art gallery and a library. There is also a multicultural student affairs office.
Student life at North Carolina State University includes opportunities in a diverse range of activities and organizations. Besides fraternities and sororities, there are multicultural groups, arts groups, political and social action groups, service and professional groups, religious groups, sports and recreation groups, academic and professional groups, and special interest groups such as the Clogging Team, the Film Society, the Judo Club, the Equestrian Club, and the Black Finesse Modeling Troupe.

Student Government

Founded in 1921, NC State Student Government is a student-run organization that serves as the official voice of the student body and attempts to better the student experience at the University. Both a governing body and an advocacy group, Student Government is involved in policy-making, adjudication, programming, advocating, community service, and countless other activities. The organization is a clearinghouse for concerns from students and answers from administrators. The organization also is responsible for distributing a portion of the fees it receives to student organizations in a process known as appropriations.
The Student Government at NC State is composed of three branches. The Student Senate is a 64-member body that legislative policy and Student Government budgets. The Student Body President heads the executive branch. The president executes policy passed by the senate and is a member of the NC State Board of Trustees. The Student Chief Justice heads the judicial branch and is the only student body elected member of the branch.

Student traditions

Homecoming Week

Homecoming week, usually at the end of October, starts with a Kickoff event and ends with the Pack Howl pep rally and concert. Featured performers have included Lonestar, Ludacris, Chris Daughtry, and most recently Guster and The Avett Brothers.
During the week, events such as Wear Red-Get Fed, a parade down Hillsborough Street, and a campus-wide Spirit Competition take place. The week also includes a Leader of the Pack competition honoring NC State's brightest and most passionate female and male student leaders. This year's recipients were Anna Patton, a junior in Psychology, and Nick Schultz, a junior in Civil Engineering.

Shack-A-Thon

Shack-A-Thon was started with one shack in 1991 and has occurred every year since. Shack-a-Thon is NC State's Habitat for Humanity’s annual fall fundraiser. Habitat for Humanity and many other student organizations take over the Brickyard by building shacks that the students live, sleep, and study in for an entire week. Each group raises money by collecting from people walking through the brickyard.

Krispy Kreme Challenge

A more recent tradition of NC State is the Krispy Kreme Challenge. In this race, students meet at the University's Memorial Bell Tower, then run to a Krispy Kreme shop away. Each student must eat twelve glazed doughnuts, then run back to the Bell Tower within one hour. The Challenge was listed as one of the "102 Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate" by Sports Illustrated.

Hillsborough Hike

Occurring on the last day of classes (before finals), it's a bar crawl that starts at one end of Hillsborough Street and ends at the other. The goal is to get a drink from every bar.

Student media

The Technician has been NC State’s student-run newspaper since 1920. It employs more than 100 students throughout the year and reports on campus news, sports, entertainment, and state and national news. The Technician is published Monday through Friday when school is in session with a circulation of about 15,000. The paper is funded by advertisement and a student media fee; it's distributed for free at numerous locations on campus and at area merchants.
NC State’s oldest student publication, the Agromeck yearbook, celebrated its 100th birthday with the 2002 edition. It acts as a compendium of student life on campus including sporting events, social activities, and day-to-day living. The yearbook serves as a historian of campus and is a reminder of the way things used to be. Each year, nearly 1,000 copies are printed and sold.
The University has its own student-run radio station, WKNC. WKNC is a non-commercial station and can't run traditional advertisements. It does seek sponsors, who can be acknowledged on the air, but 90% of the station's funding is from the university. The radio station broadcasts at 25,000 watts and reaches around 200,000 people. The station host several formats run by student disc jockeys.

People

NC State has 156,297 living alumni. In addition, the university employs 2,040 faculty and 5,843 staff.Further Information

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