Historical State, 125, NC State University, one hundred twenty-five years of shaping the future

Abstract

Includes reports, reprints, proposals, brochures and correspondence from 1947 to 2004 pertaining to chemical related research projects, courses of study, and programs conducted at the college.

Biography/History

Courses in chemistry have been taught at the North Carolina State University (NCSU) since the school was opened in 1889 as the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts (A&M). During President George Tayloe Winston's tenure (1899-1908) the curriculum in applied science was changed to chemical engineering. In 1899 a program leading to a degree of Chemical Engineer was introduced.

Winston Hall (named for George Tayloe Winston) was completed in 1910 to house chemical, civil and electrical engineering. In September 1924, the Department of Chemical Engineering was formed by Dr. E. E. Randolph, and this reflected the increasing importance of chemical research in North Carolina. In 1925, the department awarded its first Bachelor of Science degrees and, three years later, its first Masters. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, the department continued to grow, and in 1948 the Engineer's Council for Professional Development (ECPD) gave the department a two-year provisional accreditation. Two years later, full accreditation was awarded.

The department began the 1950s by moving from Winston to Riddick Hall. In 1954, James K. Ferrell, who later became the University's Dean of Engineering, received N. C. State's first Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, and growth continued apace throughout the remainder of the twentieth century. On September 16, 2004, the department inaugurated a new era as the officially renamed Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. This was followed by the opening of the Enginnering Building I in January 2005 on N. C. State's Centennial Campus. Today the department includes strong multidisciplinary programs in biotechnology, catalysis, electronic materials, polymers, molecular thermodynamics, colloid and surface science and pollution prevention.

Additional information and resources on the history of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering can be found through the NCSU Historical State website.

List of Department Heads

1924 - 1945	Edgar E. Randolph
1945 - 1959	Edward M. Schoenborn
1959 - 1960	K. O. Beatty, acting head
1960 - 1966	Edward M. Schoenborn
1966 - 1980	James K. Ferrell
1980 - 1987	Harold B. Hopfenberg
1987 - 1988	David F. Ollis
1988 - 1989	James K. Ferrell, interim head
1989 - 1994	George W. Roberts
1994 - 1999	Ruben G. Carbonell
1999 -	Peter K. Kilpatrick

Scope and Content

The records of the department cover the years 1947 - 2004. The collection contains announcements, correspondence, memoranda, news clippings, recruitment brochures, reprints, and seminar flyers pertaining to the department. One folder contains a brochure, correspondence and prospectus for the fellowship program "Foresight, Consolidated" that was established in 1955.

Arrangement

Material is organized alphabetically by topic.

Collection Inventory