Chancellor Woodson Receives District Chief Executive Leadership Award

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) has recognized Chancellor Randy Woodson with its Chief Executive Leadership Award for District III, which comprises educational institutions from the southeastern United States.

The award honors exemplary leaders for CASE member colleges and universities who actively support institutional fundraising efforts; create a vision and inspire others; establish a positive image for their institution while leading it to achieve greater success; increase the institution’s stature in the community; and encourage innovation among employees. 

Woodson’s nomination was supported by Brian Sischo, NC State’s vice chancellor for university advancement; UNC System president Peter Hans; and Jere W. Morehead, president of the University of Georgia.

“When Randy Woodson took the helm of NC State University in 2010, the institution’s future held promise but faced challenges,” Sischo noted. Since that time, NC State has seen “significant advancements in student success, innovative research and collaborative partnerships.”

Under Woodson’s visionary leadership, the university has generated consistent increased momentum. Key accomplishments include: 

• Building a robust culture of philanthropy that encouraged more than 133,000 donors to support NC State during the Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign, which was publicly launched in October 2016 and concluded Dec. 31, 2021 after raising more than $2 billion in support of students, faculty, research, facilities and programs.
• Quadrupling the endowment to $2.03 billion, establishing a strong foundation for the future.
• Growing research expenditures by 47%, which enhances NC State’s reputation as a comprehensive research powerhouse.
• Attracting more than 70 industry and government partners to Centennial Campus, strengthening collaboration and raising NC State’s profile.
• Physically transforming campus with additions that include the award-winning James B. Hunt Jr. Library, Fitts-Woolard Hall and the Plant Sciences Building. The Memorial Belltower at Henry Square, Reynolds Coliseum and the Gregg Museum of Art & Design have all undergone vital renovations.
• Advancing more than 50 spots in the U.S. News and World Report national rankings, to #60.
• Producing more than 100 national scholars and fellows who highlight NC State’s impact across the country and beyond.
• Inspiring record-setting numbers of undergraduate applicants, increasingly becoming the school of choice for promising scholars from every corner of North Carolina and beyond.
• Emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration by creating the Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Program, which brought outstanding scholars at a variety of career points to NC State to represent 20 interdisciplinary clusters. 

“The best campus leaders don’t just talk about institutional advancement; they lead by example. In 2021, when North Carolina State University Chancellor Randy Woodson was awarded a contract extension and well-earned performance pay, he turned around and donated nearly the full amount right back to the university,” Hans shared in his nomination letter. 

Hans noted that Woodson’s personal giving is not just part of his public service but a way to spotlight campus priorities. One key initiative Woodson and his wife Susan have spearheaded is the Employee Dependent’s Tuition Scholarship, which has awarded more than $2 million in financial support to dependents of NC State’s faculty and staff. While NC State is North Carolina’s top producer of STEM graduates, the Woodsons have also been dedicated champions for the arts. 

In addition to Woodson’s transformational leadership at NC State, he invests in the greater Raleigh community through service with the Centennial Authority, Dix Park Conservancy Board of Directors and Master Plan Executive Committee, Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, Cooperating Raleigh Colleges, the Research Triangle Foundation and the Institute for Emerging Issues Advisory Board.

Nationally, he has advanced higher education through roles with Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, the Business Higher Education Forum, the Council on Competitiveness, the National Institute of Statistical Sciences and the US Manufacturing Competitiveness Initiative Steering Committee. At the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Division 1, he serves on the Transformation Committee and the Subcommittee on Congressional Engagement and Action. Previous NCAA roles include the Board of Directors, Board of Governors and co-chair of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Sport Organizational Structure. He also serves on the Atlantic Coast Conference Board of Directors.

“In my conversations with NC State’s donors, from those who are joining us for the first time with a gift to those who have established a long record of philanthropy, what I hear again and again is how many of them are inspired to give because of Chancellor Woodson’s leadership,” Sischo said. 

“NC State, North Carolina and the entire higher education landscape have all been enriched by his vision and commitment, and we are so pleased to see CASE recognize all that he has accomplished.”