Highlights in NC State History Timeline : Historical State

Highlights in NC State History Timeline

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7/2/1862 Morrill Act becomes law The Morrill Act becomes law, providing national funding to establish a land-grant college in each state. In North Carolina, this funding first went to the University of North Carolina, but in 1887, the state legislature established the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (now NC State) as the state's land-grant institution.
1872 Call for an agricultural school Leonidas Polk calls for the establishment of an agricultural school during a speech made at the NC State Fair.
3/20/1875 Land scrip endowment restored An original land scrip endowment to the University of North Carolina as part of the Morrill Act (lost during the Reconstruction period) is restored. On paper, this creates a College of Agriculture and a College of Engineering and Mechanic Arts at the University of North Carolina.
5/1884 Watauga Club meets The Watauga Club met for the first time. The club was formed by progressive-minded young men who were investigating way to strengthen all aspects of North Carolina, including creation of an industrial school.
1885 Colleges still not created at UNC Colleges to provide agricultural education still have not been created at the University of North Carolina (an obligation upon receiving land-grant funding), and exist only in theory in the university's course catalogs.
1/1885 - 2/1885 Watauga Club lobbies state legislature The Watauga Club successfully lobbies the North Carolina state legislature, with the sponsorship of Leazar Dixon, to pass a bill for an industrial school separate from the University of North Carolina's land scrip. The legislation doesn't mandate the school, however, and doesn't provide sufficient funding.
2/10/1886 More calls for agricultural school Leonidas Polk continues to call for an agricultural school in the first published issue of the Progressive Farmer.
4/21/1886 North Carolina Board of Agriculture accepts bid The North Carolina Board of Agriculture accepts a bid to locate an industrial school in Raleigh.
1/1887 - 2/1887 Continued call for agricultural and industrial school Farmers' organizations in the state of North Carolina, along with the Watauga Club and Colonel Leonidas Polk, successfully lobby the North Carolina state legislature to add an agriculture school to the proposed industrial school in Raleigh. This new school would not be affiliated with the University of North Carolina, and would thus be able to acquire and use the land scrip funds being received (but not used by) the University of North Carolina.
3/1/1887 Land scrip funds transferred to new Raleigh school University of North Carolina President Battle unsuccessfully opposes the transfer of the land scrip funds from UNC to the proposed agricultural school in Raleigh; a bill is passed on this date to transfer the funds.
3/3/1887 North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts established The North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts is established using a combination of the scrip funds reallocated from the University of North Carolina and funds from the Hatch Act of 1886, which had established the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station.
3/7/1887 Legislation enacted creating the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts Charles Dabney pens the legislation to create the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. March 7 is still celebrated annually as Founders Day.
4/22/1887 Board of Trustees meets for the first time
8/1888 Cornerstone laid for first building (Holladay Hall) The cornerstone was laid for the first building on campus, originally called Main Building but later named Holladay Hall.
1889 Construction on Main Building (later Holladay Hall) completed This building would later be renamed Holladay Hall, in recognition of the first President of the university, Alexander Holladay. The building was constructed of 1.5 million "penitentiary bricks" made at the State Prison in Raleigh.
1889 First library opens as a single room in Holladay Hall Daniel Harvey Hill, Jr., a professor of English and bookkeeping, is the first college librarian. For the next ten years, Hill ordered all of the books for the library and supervised the student assistants. Due to his scholarly interests, the early collection was dominated by the humanities and history, despite the agricultural and engineering focus of the curriculum.
8/30/1889 Alexander Holladay elected President The Board of Trustees elects Alexander Q. Holladay as the first President of the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. The offer surprised Holladay, because he had applied to be only a professor of English, but he accepted the presidency position anyway.
10/3/1889 First classes held The first classes are held at the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. Fifty-two students, at the minimum age of 14, attend. Tuition was $20 a session. Students could select from two basic curricula: agriculture and mechanics.
12/9/1889 Agricultural Experiment Station transferred The Agricultural Experiment Station is transferred from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture to the North Carolina College of Agricultural and Mechanic Arts.
1890 Second Morrill Act becomes law The Second Morrill Act becomes law, requiring states to provide technical education for African Americans. No federal money would be disbursed to any college that made distinctions between students on the basis of race. States could comply, however, by providing separate colleges for blacks and whites.
1890 First female employed Sue C. Carroll becomes the first female to be employed by the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. She fills the position of matron, supervising the Cadet Hospital (student health center) and the dormitories.
1891 North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College established In order to comply with the Second Morrill Act and yet prevent admission of African Americans to the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, the North Carolina state government creates the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College in Greensboro.
1892 First football game The first official football game is played against Raleigh Academy, a local prep school. The A&M team wins, 12-6.
1892 First foreign student enrolls Cuban Jose Fabio Santo Trigo becomes the first foreign student to enroll at A&M College.
6/20/1893 First commencement Nineteen students receive degrees during the first commencement ceremony held at A&M College.
1894 First baseball game First official baseball game is played, with Guilford College as the opponent.
1895 Sigma Nu becomes first fraternity A chapter of Sigma Nu was created, making it the first fraternity established at NC State.
6/1895 Alumni Association established
11/1895 Red and white chosen A majority of students chose red and white as colors for the sports teams. The colors changed a couple different times during the early years of the college. The faculty agreed to the adoption of red and white and stated that they could not be changed again without a vote of two-thirds of the student body. The colors have remained the same ever since.
1897 North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station moves to the A&M campus
1898 First track team The first track team is organized for intercollegiate competition but is disbanded after the season. Track does not reappear at A&M until 1905.
1898 First textile courses
1898 First Asian graduate Teisaku Sugishita (of Tokyo, Japan) graduates with a degree in Civil Engineering, becoming the first Asian student to receive a degree from NC State. The 1899 alumni directory lists Sugishita as working for the Imperial Railway of Japan; he is last listed in the 1904 alumni directory; subsequent directories list him as "not heard from"; and assume his participation in (and possible death during) the Russo-Japan War of 1904-1905.
1899 George Tayloe Winston becomes the college's second president
1899 New librarian Edwin Bentley Owen becomes the new librarian, and University of Texas librarian Benjamin Wyche visits to implement the Dewey Decimal System of book classification, construct a card catalog, and institute a card loan system.
6/5/1899 A&M opens to women The Board of Trustees votes to open A&M College to women.
8/2/1899 Women designated as "Special Students" The Board of Trustees amend their decision from earlier in the year to admit women to A&M, deciding women will be classified as special students, except in textiles courses, where they can be enrolled as regular students.
1900 (circa) Division of Agronomy created
1901 First female student Margaret Burke becomes the first female student to take a course at A&M (she enrolled in a physics course).
1901 Biological Division created The Biological Division is created, with coursework devoted entirely to plant pathology.
1901 Second female student Eula Louisa Dixon takes a course in dairying, becoming the second female student at A&M.
1902 Easter Monday tradition The first Easter Monday baseball game against Wake Forest is played, a tradition that would last until 1947.
1902 First female faculty member Adeline Stevens, the wife of Frank Lincoln Stevens, becomes the first female faculty member, as an instructor in biology during the 1902-1903 academic year.
1903 First Agromeck issued
1903 Library moves to Pullen Hall The library holdings move from Holladay Hall to the first floor of the old Pullen Hall.
1903 Women's enrollment grows Women's enrollment continued to increase during the 1903-1904 academic year. Evelyn Byrd Lawrence of Raleigh took a course in architecture, Ivey Roberts of Raleigh took a course in drawing, and Frances Claire Stainback took courses in chemistry and English. This was also the first year that women were listed as summer school students, and more than 200 women attended.
1903 First female librarian Caroline Baldwin Sherman becomes the first female librarian.
1907 First football game on campus The first on-campus football game is played at the new athletic field that would later become Riddick Stadium. The game ends for A & M College with a 20-0 victory over Randolph-Macon College, securing the Southern Intercollegiate Association championship for A & M, with six wins and one tie.
1908 Daniel Harvey Hill, Jr., is appointed President of A&M College
1909 Corn Clubs established College officials sign the first memorandum of understanding for cooperative demonstration work with the United States Department of Agriculture. The memorandum provides for the establishment of the Farmers' Boys' Clubs or Corn Clubs. These clubs are the forerunners of the 4-H, the name adopted for the program in 1911.
1910 Winston Hall opens Winston Hall opens, housing civil, chemical, and electrical engineering courses. It was named for second college president George Tayloe Winston.
1911 First African American agricultural extension agent The North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station (located at A&M College) hired Neil Alexander Bailey as its first African American agricultural extension agent.
1911 First female extension agent Jane S. McKimmon becomes the first woman to serve as a state home demonstration agent through the Agricultural Extension program at A&M College.
2/8/1911 First basketball game The A&M College basketball team play their first official game at Wake Forest, losing 33-6. The team eventually became known at the Red Terrors, until 1947, when all NC State sports teams adopted the name Wolfpack.
5/26/1913 Franklin D. Roosevelt gives commencement address Franklin Delano Roosevelt, then assistant Secretary of the Navy, spoke at commencement exercises. He implored young men to "stay East" because the western expansion of the nation meant abandoned farms in the east.
1914 Agricultural Extension Service established The Agricultural Extension Service (now Cooperative Extension Service) is established at A&M College as part of the federal Smith-Lever Act.
3/25/1914 Textile Building fire Fire destroys the Textile Building (now Tompkins Hall) and all the equipment inside. The Textile Building was rebuilt the following year, with the local textile industry contributing new equipment.
1916 1,000th degree awarded The total number of degrees awarded by A&M College reaches 1,000.
1916 Debut of Freshman Caps Freshman are required to wear a red cap with a white "F" while on campus to distinguish their status as underclassmen.
7/1916 Wallace Riddick becomes President Wallace Carl Riddick becomes President of A&M College, serving until 1923.
1917 College renamed The North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts was renamed the North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering
1917 Dean of Agriculture position created The Dean of Agriculture position is created and first held by Charles B. Williams, though the School of Agriculture would not be established until 1923.
1918 Milk pasteurization begins The North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station begins pasteurizing milk at the creamery in Patterson Hall. This marks the first pasteurization of milk in North Carolina.
1918 First All-American athlete Football player John Ripple becomes the first All-American athlete at State College.
1918 New Monogram The monogram showing the letter "S" in block style with the letters "N" and "C" nestled within the spaces first appears in the Agromeck.
2/1/1920 First Technician issue The first issue of the Technician, the student newspaper, is published
3/1920 Technicians in the mail The Technician is mailed by the Registrar's office to 100 high schools across North Carolina to inform students about the activities at NC State
5/14/1920 Athletic monograms The Athletics Council makes a decision to award sweaters to athletes who receive monograms ("letters") for their athletic accomplishments; the first letter sweaters appear on campus shortly thereafter.
1921 Wolfpack nickname The nickname "Wolfpack" was first used for the football team. One story has an alumnus writing to the Technician complaining that the football team was "unruly as a pack of wolves."
1921 Enrollment reaches 1,000 Enrollment at State College reaches 1,000 for an academic year for the first time.
1921 First full-time female student Lucille Thomson of Wilmington becomes the first woman to enroll as a full-time student, majoring in electrical engineering.
1921 - 1922 Averette Gaston Floyd First Student Body President
10/15/1921 Student Government established
11/10/1921 Memorial Bell Tower cornerstone laid The cornerstone is laid for the Memorial Bell Tower, a monument to honor State College alumni who had been killed during World War I.
1922 Tennis is organized as a varsity sport
1922 Freshman Caps required The Student Council requires all first-year students to wear the caps on campus, citing a need to boost school spirit and reduce hazing. The Court of Customs, a branch of Student Council, can punish students who don’t comply. Freshmen start a tradition by burning their caps just before their spring final exams.
1923 School of Engineering established
1923 School of Agriculture established
1923 Graduate School established
1923 School of Science and Business established
1923 Engineering Experiment Station established
1923 Division of College Extension established
1923 Phi Kappa Phi State College is awarded a chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.
5/11/1923 Frank Thompson Gymnasium named The new gymnasium on campus is named after Frank Thompson (Class of 1910), a former athlete at State College who was killed during service in WWI.
6/25/1923 Dr. Eugene Brooks elected President
12/28/1923 Contract awarded for construction of new library Contract for construction of a new library building (now Brooks Hall) is awarded to Joe W. Stout & Company, at a cost of $227,500.
1924 Thompson Gymnasium (now Thompson Hall) opens Thompson Gymnasium opens, becoming the first on-campus home dedicated to basketball. Previously, home basketball games had been played in Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. It was built by architect Hobart Brown Upjohn and named for alumnus Frank Martin Thompson.
9/19/1924 Music Department established
10/24/1924 First telephone installed Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company installs the first telephone exchange at State College.
1925 Wrestling becomes a varsity sport
1925 School of Textiles established
10/15/1925 D. H. Hill Library opens in what is now Brooks Hall The original D.H. Hill Library in what is now Brooks Hall was built by Hobart Brown Upjohn and named for Daniel Harvey Hill, Professor of English when NC State first opened.
1926 First Ph.D. conferred The first Ph.D. is conferred; Jesse Mowry receives the degree in the field of Rural Sociology.
6/7/1926 D.H. Hill Library dedicated The original D.H. Hill Library is dedicated (this building later became Brooks Hall). The contents of the library had been moved into the building the previous autumn, marking the first time there was an entire building designated as the library.
1927 School of Education established
2/5/1927 Academic regulations for athletes The Athletics Committee decides students must maintain a passing grade in 60% of their classes to play in collegiate athletic events.
6/7/1927 First degrees conferred to women The first degrees are conferred to women at NC State. Recipients are Jane McKimmon, B.S. in business administration; Charlotte Nelson, B.S. in education; and Mary Elizabeth Yarbrough, M.S. in chemistry. Yarbrough was the first female graduate to have completed all coursework while at NC State, and she went on to become the first woman to earn a master's degree at NC State.
1928 First female masters degree recipients Lillian P. Wallace becomes the first woman to earn a masters degree in Education. She went on to publish several historical works on politics in Europe. Virginia F. Harris becomes the first woman to earn a masters degree in Rural Sociology.
9/29/1928 Increased female enrollment Twenty-one female students enroll at State College for the 1928-29 academic year, twice as many as the previous year.
1929 First basketball conference champions With a 13-6 season record, the basketball team claim their first Southern Conference championship.
1929 First athletics radio broadcasts Raleigh-area radio station WPTF begins broadcasting State College baseball games.
1930 First telephones in dormitories The first telephones are installed in the dormitories. Previously, telephones were only available for student use in the YMCA building.
1930 First female to enroll as a freshman Ada Curtis Spencer becomes the first female to enroll as a freshman and complete a four-year degree from NC State. She majored in social science.
1931 Consolidation Act The Consolidation Act is passed by the North Carolina General Assembly, with the following provisions: 1. State College becomes one of three campuses of the Consolidated University of North Carolina. The other campuses are UNC-Chapel Hill and the Women's College in Greensboro (which later became UNC-Greensboro). 2. State College's name is changed to the North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering of the University of North Carolina 3. The School of Education becomes the Department of Education 4. The School of Science and Business is abolished. No new students will be admitted to this school after 1933. Under consolidation, State College's Board of Trustees is abolished, and a new board of trustees is established at the consolidated level to oversee all three of the campuses. This arrangement continues until the creation of the UNC System in 1972.
5/21/1931 The Order of Thirty and Three The Order of Thirty and Three is founded by members of the sophomore class; there are eleven charter members.
10/25/1932 Franklin Delano Roosevelt visits Presidential candidate Franklin Delano Roosevelt makes a campaign stop in Raleigh; State College suspends classes for the day so that students may attend the speech, with the band performing at the event.
10/14/1933 Riddick Field Concrete Stands State College ties the University of Florida, 0-0, in the first football game held at Riddick Field with its new concrete stands. The field was named for Wallace Carl Riddick.
1934 John William Harrelson becomes Dean of Administration John William Harrelson, class of 1909, is named the Dean of Administration (a title that would later be changed to Chancellor). He serves until 1953.
10/4/1935 Bell Tower grant The Memorial Bell Tower construction project receives a $37,000 Works Progress Administration grant.
10/29/1937 First female Mechanical Engineering student Katharine Stinson, personal friend of Amelia Earhart, is the first woman to enroll in Mechanical Engineering.
1/28/1938 Seniors donate $1,000 toward a clock for the Memorial Bell Tower
1939 Establishement of University Archives As State College celebrates its fiftieth anniversary, materials on the institution's history begin to be collected in the library. This forms the basis of what would later become the University Archives.
10/3/1939 NC State's 50th Anniversary State College celebrates its 50th anniversary; President Franklin Roosevelt sends a message of congratulations to the college; the City of Raleigh declares it to be "State College Day"; Dean of Students E. L. Cloyd leads an academic procession to Pullen Hall for the college’s 50th anniversary celebration.
11/17/1939 First annual High School Day The first annual High School Day brings approximately 6,000 seniors to visit NC State's campus; many stay to attend the State-Duquesne football game, as well.
2/9/1940 New fight song Fred Waring, prominent national band leader, agrees to write a new fight song for NC State, and to air it during his March 8, 1940 radio program.
11/1940 First female full professor and department head Gertrude Cox is hired as Professor of Statistics and head of the Department of Experimental Statistics, becoming the first woman at State College to occupy either rank.
1941 First branch library opens The Architecture Library opens as the first branch library, with Grace Sims Dalton as the first librarian. This library is renamed the Harrye B. Lyons Design Library in 1968.
1941 First female Engineering graduate Katharine Stinson becomes the first woman to graduate from NC State's School of Engineering. Stinson received a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree, Aeronautical Option. Stinson was taking flying lessons at the old Raleigh Airport on US-401 when Amelia Earhart flew in for a visit in the early 1930s. When Stinson told Earhart that she wanted to become a pilot, Earhart advised her to become an engineer, a career Stinson pursued in spite of obstacles that prevented most young women from striving for such a degree. Stinson was told she must enter State College as a junior, so she completed forty-eight semester hours in one year at Meredith (including two summer sessions) to attain her goal. Besides being the first woman engineer to graduate from NC State, Stinson was also the first woman engineer hired by the Civil Aeronautics Administration, now the Federal Aviation Administration. By the time she retired from the FAA, as Technical Assistant Chief of the Engineering and Manufacturing Division, she had served as the third president of the Society of Woman Engineers and on a presidential advisory committee for aviation safety under Lyndon Johnson. "I just wanted to be a good engineer . . . I just did my job and most of the men accepted me," Stinson once said.
1942 North Carolina State College Foundation established The North Carolina State College Foundation is established and becomes the first foundation created for the purpose of attracting private support for the college.
1942 Female faculty increases Three women join the faculty at NC State. Ruth Couch Allen and Louise K. Cell become instructors in English, and Ruth Badger Hall becomes an instructor in Modern Languages.
1/30/1942 Early graduation approved The faculty approves a plan to allow seniors who are taking jobs in essential industries or joining the military to graduate early.
5/8/1942 Campus buildings named All dorms, the cafeteria, and other non-classroom buildings on campus are given official names for the first time.
2/12/1943 Defense classes Plans are announced for up to 2,000 military trainees to enroll at State College to take specialized defense classes through the United States War Department; the college will operate as two separate units: one for the military and one civilians.
3/8/1943 Harrelson reports for military service Col. John Harrelson, Dean of Administration, reports for active Army duty; he becomes the 56th faculty member at State College to enter active service and the first head of a major college in the South to be called for permanent active duty.
4/9/1943 Enrollment decline Enrollment hits the lowest mark in 20 years, due to the number of students leaving to join the military.
1944 Textile Library established The Textiles Library is established, with Rachel Penn Lane as the first librarian. The Textiles Library was originally located in the main library, but relocated to Nelson Hall the following year (1945). The library was renamed the Burlington Textiles Library in 1954, when Burlington Industries funded its expansion.
1945 WNCS broadcast schedule WNCS, the campus radio station, begins broadcasting three nights a week.
1945 Chancellor title implemented The title of Dean of Administration is changed to Chancellor.
1945 Women's enrollment increases Fifty-eight women are enrolled at NC State, many taking advantage of special scholarships to provide engineering training to women so they can work in industry during World War II.
4/1945 John Lampe becomes Engineering dean John Harold Lampe becomes Dean of the School of Engineering. During his time at NC State, Lampe oversaw the expansion of the engineering program as it became one of the largest in the country, while also facilitating the addition of new instructional and research programs, especially nuclear engineering. Lampe retired from NC State in 1962.
1946 Minerals Research Laboratory opens The Minerals Research Laboratory (run by the School of Engineering) opens in Asheville, North Carolina.
1946 Division of Architecture and Landscape Design established
1946 Friends of the Library formed L. C. and M. M. Glenn donate $6,000 to State College for the library's purchase of geological publications, many rare and unique. In acquiring the L. C. Glenn Geological Collection, the Friends of the Library organization is formed.
4/26/1946 Everett Case hired Everett Case is hired as head Men's Basketball coach; with duties beginning on July 1st, 1946. Case coached at NC State until 1965, and remains the winningest basketball coach in the school's history.
8/1946 Trailwood founded More than 75 trailers (forming what was known as the "City of Trailers" or "Trailwood") were constructed so that married WWII veterans and their families could attend NC State on the GI Bill. In 1949, Trailwood was relocated, and Williams Hall was built in its place.
12/6/1946 First bowl game bid NC State receives its first-ever bid to a football bowl game (the Gator Bowl), where the team will take on the University of Oklahoma.
1947 Vetville Vetville opens as another location to house married veterans attending NC State after World War II. Later, Korean War veterans lived there. At the end of the 1950s, Bragaw Dormitory was built on the former Vetville site.
1947 First basketball appearance in a national tournament The basketball team place third in their first appearance in a national tournament, the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).
1947 Wolfpack name becomes official All NC State athletics teams adopt Wolfpack as the official name. Previously only the football team was called the Wolfpack, and other sports teams were called the Red Terrors.
1/1/1947 First football bowl game appearance The NC State football team make their first bowl game appearance, taking on the University of Oklahoma in the Gator Bowl. NC State unfortunately loses the game, 43-13.
8/1947 General Eisenhower visits during Home and Farm Week In his remarks at the event Eisenhower celebrated North Carolina history and agriculture and suggested that the United States could be a global leader in the aftermath of World War II.
1948 School of Education re-established
1/17/1948 Thompson Gymnasium condemned The Raleigh city building inspector condemns Thompson Gymnasium just hours before a Men’s Basketball game against Duke. Only a few reporters and college officials are allowed to attend the next home game, against High Point College. From then until the completion of Reynolds Coliseum in 1949, home games are played in Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium.
4/10/1948 First Swimming national championship Bill Despres captures first place in the National Junior 300 yd. Individual Medley Championship of America, becoming the first swimmer from NC State to capture a national championship. Depres' winning time was 3:41:08, just 4.7 seconds slower than the national record.
5/23/1948 School of Design established The School of Design is established, with the Division of Architecture and Landscape Design incorporated into the curriculum. Henry Kamphoefner from the University of Oklahoma becomes the first dean of the school.
1949 Record graduating class More than 1,000 students graduate from State College for the first time.
4/15/1949 First annual Greek Week A banquet ends the First Annual Greek Week, sponsored by the Inter-Fraternity Council.
11/11/1949 Dedication of the Memorial Bell Tower The Memorial Bell Tower is dedicated, with former Governor R. Gregg Cherry present at the ceremony.
12/1949 Inaugural Dixie Classic The inaugural Dixie Classic tournament is held. Initiated by Coach Everett N. Case so that the Men’s Basketball team wouldn’t have to play out of town during the winter holidays, the Dixie Classic continued every year into the 1960s.
12/2/1949 Reynolds Coliseum opens Reynolds Coliseum opens, with the NC State Men's Basketball team beating Washington and Lee, 67-47. Not all of the seats had been installed yet, so some fans had to sit on the cement tiers.
1950 Division of Biological Sciences established The Division of Biological Sciences is established; the Department of Zoology and Entomology is placed within.
1950 School of Forestry Division of Forestry becomes the School of Forestry.
1950 Nuclear engineering program approved Harold Lampe, Dean of the School of Engineering, approves the building of a nuclear reactor on campus and the establishment of a collegiate nuclear engineering program, both firsts in the nation.
10/10/1950 UNC System presidential inauguration In a ceremony at NC State, Gordon Gray is inaugurated as the second president of the UNC System; the new president vows to not tolerate Communism among faculty members.
10/21/1950 First televised football game A State College football game is televised for the first time; the team takes on the University of Maryland in the contest.
1951 Track team championship The track team win their first Southern Conference championship (and repeat the following year, in 1952). They would also go on to win titles in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1953 and 1954.
1951 Graduate admission for African Americans The Consolidated University of North Carolina decides that African American students are eligible for admission into graduate programs.
3/21/1951 Department of Landscape Architecture accredited The Department of Landscape Architecture receives accreditation from the American Society of Landscape Architects, becoming the second to do so in the South, and one of only ten accredited schools in the U.S.
4/27/1951 Dedication of Riddick Laboratory Over 200 citizens gather for a ceremony at the newly-opened Riddick Laboratory. The lab building, constructed for $1,300,000, is dedicated to Dr. Wallace Carl Riddick, NC State's first Dean of Engineering, and the university's fourth president.
1952 Honors for swimmer Bob Mattson Swimmer Bob Mattson wins the first of four consecutive All-American honors; in 1955 he also becomes State's first NCAA champion, winning the 200-yard breaststroke.
1952 School of General Studies established The non-degree-granting School of General Studies is established (now the degree-granting College of Humanities and Social Sciences). It replaces the Basic Division.
1952 Robert W. Scott graduates Scott later became the 67th Governor of North Carolina, 1969-1973.
12/8/1952 Scott Hall opens State College celebrates the opening of Scott Hall, the new poultry science building, named for Robert Walter Scott. Construction of Scott Hall cost the college $380,110.97.
1953 Atlantic Coast Conference formed NC State athletics teams withdraw from the Southern Conference and join the newly formed Atlantic Coast Conference.
1953 First African-American graduate students admitted State College admits two African-American graduate students into the School of Engineering: Robert Clemons and Hardy Liston. Clemons became the college's first black graduate; Liston later withdrew and didn't complete his degree.
2/27/1953 Semester system implemented The Board of Trustees agrees to transition the academic calendar from a quarter system to a semester system, by a vote of 46-28. NC State will switch over in the fall semester of 1953.
9/1/1953 Carey Bostian becomes Chancellor Dr. Carey Hoyt Bostian becomes the seventh Chancellor of NC State. Bostian was serving as a member of the NC State faculty (since his appointment in 1930), and would step down from his position as Chancellor to return to teaching in 1959.
9/5/1953 Nuclear reactor goes into operation The R-1 reactor was the first non-government-run nuclear reactor in the world and the first designed, built, and operated by an academic institution. Design and construction had begun in 1950. It was the first of four reactors operated at NC State.
12/18/1953 Kilgore Hall dedication The new building housing the School of Forestry and the Department of Horticulture is formally dedicated as Kilgore Hall, named in honor of the late Dr. Benjamin Wesley Kilgore, former Dean of Agriculture, Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station, and the first head of North Carolina's Agricultural Extension Service.
1954 First Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering conferred Hervasio Carvalho of Brazil, a graduate student in the School of Engineering at NC State, becomes the first person in the world to complete a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering.
1954 Peru Project established The Peru Project is established, a cooperative effort between NC State, the Foreign Operations Administration (U.S. Agency for International Development), and the government of Peru to develop programs in agricultural and textile research, extension, and education.
3/1954 Basketball championship The Men's Basketball team wins the Atlantic Coast Conference championship for the inaugural year of competition in the newly-formed conference.
1955 Frazier v. the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina In Frazier v. the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina, the court determines that undergraduate colleges and universities should be open to African Americans.
1955 Industrial Extension Service established The Industrial Extension Service, the first of its kind in the United States, was established in 1955 to help North Carolina industries grow and prosper.
3/12/1955 New D.H. Hill Library dedicated The new D. H. Hill Library (the east wing of the current building) is formally dedicated.
3/12/1955 Death of John Harrelson Former Chancellor John Harrelson dies; a graduate of NC State, Harrelson served in various positions at the college for 46 years, including 19 years as Chancellor.
1956 First female Ph.D. recipient Patricia Anne Sarvella become the first woman to receive a Ph.D. degree at State College (from the Department of Genetics).
1956 Enrollment reaches 5,000 for the first time
1957 First African-American graduate Robert Clemons received a professional degree in Electrical Engineering (PREE), becoming the first African-American to graduate from NC State.
1957 Technician publication schedule increases The Technician begins printing multiple issues each week for the first time.
9/23/1957 Jim Hunt becomes Student Body President The 1957 president-elect for Student Government fails to meet academic requirements to return to campus and take office, thus vice-president elect, Jim Hunt, becomes Student Body President for the year. Hunt would serve as president again the following year, and go on to become governor of North Carolina.
10/7/1957 Matthews Medal established A newly-established scholarship and student award will honor the first student enrolled at State, W.J. Matthews, and be henceforth known as the Matthews Medal.
11/25/1957 First ACC football title The State College football team defeats the University of South Carolina to win their first Atlantic Coast Conference title.
1958 First integrated athletic team African-American student Irwin Holmes joins the tennis team, making it the first integrated athletic team at State College.
1958 First African-American academic staff member The first African-American female academic staff member, Mrs. Justina Williams, is hired to work in the Department of Genetics' Drosophila research lab. Many African-Americans had worked at State prior to Williams’s appointment, however they primarily worked in custodial or food service positions.
1958 WVWP becomes WKNC The campus radio station changes its call letters from WVWP to WKNC.
1958 Research Triangle Institute established The Research Triangle Institute at Research Triangle Park is established by NC State, Duke University, and UNC-Chapel Hill.
1959 John Tyler Caldwell becomes Chancellor John Tyler Caldwell is named Chancellor. He serves until 1975.
1960 Agricultural Policy Institute established The Agricultural Policy Institute is established, and is one of only two such organizations in the United States.
3/14/1960 First sorority Gamma Phi chapter members of the Sigma Kappa Sorority hold their first pledge dance at the Carolina Hotel. Formed in 1959, this was the first active chapter of a national sorority at NC State.
5/1960 First African-American undergraduate degree conferred Irwin Holmes earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, making him the first African-American undergraduate to receive a degree at NC State.
5/1960 First African-American female masters' degree recipient Hazel Virginia Clark receives a master's degree in Occupational Information and Guidance, becoming the first African-American woman to receive a master's degree from NC State.
7/1/1960 School of Physical Science and Applied Mathematics established
9/17/1960 John F. Kennedy visits Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy appears in Reynolds Coliseum before a crowd estimated at 8,000 persons. Kennedy sharply criticizes Vice President Nixon in his dealings with Khrushchev.
1962 Computing Center established
1962 First African-American faculty member Vivian Henderson becomes the first African-American faculty member, taking a position as a visiting professor in the Department of Economics. Henderson was a friend of Martin Luther King, Jr., and he later became president of the historically black Clark College in Atlanta.
3/7/1962 Adlai Stevenson visits Adlai Stevenson, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, delivers the first annual Harrelson Lecture at Reynolds Coliseum.
10/17/1962 First analog computer installed The School of Engineering installs the first half of an analog computer system on campus - a PACE computer, manufactured by Electronics Associates.
12/10/1962 Unpopularity of potential name change Governor Sanford gets booed after an NC State-Wake Forest basketball game in Reynolds Coliseum by students protesting the possible name change of the University from North Carolina State College to the University of North Carolina at Raleigh.
1963 School of Liberal Arts The formerly non-degree granting School of General Studies is renamed the School of Liberal Arts, and receives authorization to award degrees.
1963 Name change North Carolina State College is renamed the University of North Carolina at Raleigh.
1963 Eloise Cofer becomes the second female full professor Twenty-three years after Gertrude Cox's appointment, Eloise Cofer, Extension Professor of Food Science and Assistant Director of the Agricultural Extension Service becomes the second woman to be appointed as a full professor. In 1980, Cofer was named Home Economist of the Year by the N.C. Home Economics Association.
1963 Cora Kemp beomes the first female Technician editor
10/9/1963 New computer arrives on campus A computer created by professors from NC State and built at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at a cost of $50,000 has arrived on campus. The computer, named Lincy, greeted professors with the message, "I want to be here," and will be used in experiments to measure the distance between heart beats, blood pressure, and brain waves.
1964 State College awards its 25,000th degree
3/3/1964 Status of Women Students report The university produces, for the first time, a "Report on the Status of Women Students."
11/10/1964 Compulsory ROTC service abolished The Faculty Senate votes to abolish compulsory ROTC. Prior to this date, all male students were required to take military training.
12/7/1964 Everett Case resigns Due to declining health, Men's Basketball coach Everett Case resigns. Case compiled a 379-134 record at NC State.
12/14/1964 Groundbreaking ceremony for Carter Stadium A groundbreaking ceremony takes place for the construction of Carter Stadium (later Carter-Finley). It was named for Nick and Harry Carter.
1965 First Summer Institute for International Students offered
1965 Committee on Computer Science formed Ad hoc Committee on Computer Science formed to include a faculty member each from the departments of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Economics, Industrial Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Statistics, and the director of the Computer Center, Paul E. Lewis
1965 First African-American instructor with faculty ranking Dorothy Williams becomes the first African-American instructor with faculty ranking, teaching in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.
1965 Extension programs integrate Extension programs, including 4-H and Home Economics, began to integrate.
1965 Name change The University of North Carolina at Raleigh is renamed the North Carolina State University at Raleigh.
1965 Water Resources Research Institute established The Water Resources Research Institute, a joint federal-state program for the UNC System, is established at NC State.
1965 Triangle Universities Computation Center established The Triangle Universities Computation Center is established by NC State, Duke University, and UNC-Chapel Hill in Research Triangle Park. It is one of the world's largest university computing centers.
2/22/1965 Pullen Hall destroyed by fire The original Pullen Hall is destroyed by a fire, which a former student later admitted to setting. Pullen Hall was built in 1902, and was the center of campus activities in the early twentieth century. It was located on the site of the present-day Peele Hall parking lot. A few years later, another building on campus was built and named Pullen Hall.
11/13/1965 Final game at Riddick Stadium The final football game is played in Riddick Stadium. Members of the football team mob Harold Deters after he kicks the winning field goal against Florida State, resulting in a final score of 3-0.
1966 Doak Field opens Doak Field opens as the new facility for the baseball team.
1966 First female African-American undergraduate degree recipient Norma Wright Garcia becomes the first African-American female to receive an undergraduate degree, earning a BA in history.
1966 Enrollment reaches 10,000 for the first time
1966 National Science Foundation grant NC State received its first NSF grant to create a science development plan in order to strengthen faculties in the biosciences; support materials, mechanics and electrotechnics in engineering; and support the social sciences.
5/10/1966 Norm Sloan hired Norman Sloan is hired as the new head basketball coach at NC State. Sloan, who was a player on Everett Case's first basketball team at State (1946-1947), leaves the head coach position at the University of Florida to accept a 3-year contract at State that pays $12,000 annually.
10/8/1966 First game in Carter Stadium Carter Stadium opens as the football team takes on South Carolina; the stadium is dedicated during a halftime ceremony.
1967 First football bowl game victory The football team win their first bowl game, a 14-7 victory over Georgia in the Liberty Bowl. During the season, the team became known for its "White Shoes Defense," holding opponents to less than nine points per game.
1967 First African-American PhD recipient Stephen Benton Latimer receives a PhD in Animal Science, becoming the first African-American to earn a doctoral degree from NC State.
1967 First African-American football player Marcus Martin becomes the first African-American player to join the football team.
1967 - 1968 First African-American Freshman Basketball players Alfred "Al" Heartley and William Cooper become the first African-American members of the freshman basketball team. Heartley later went on to play on the varsity team.
1967 Cooperating Raleigh Colleges established The Cooperating Raleigh Colleges program is established by the libraries of NC State, Meredith College, Shaw University, Peace College, St. Mary's College, and St. Augustine College. The program allows direct borrowing of library resources among the six campuses.
1967 First black Miss North Carolina State University Mary Evelyn Porterfield becomes the first black Miss North Carolina State University.
1968 First basketball scholarship awarded to an African-American Al Heartley becomes the first African-American to be awarded a basketball scholarship at NC State. He later became the first African-American captain of the team (1970-1971), and the first African-American to win the Alumni Athletics trophy (1971).
1968 First African-American recruited for basketball Ed Leftwich becomes the first African-American to be recruited to the basketball team, and the first to receive a scholarship as a freshman.
4/19/1968 Riddick Stadium demolished A majority of Riddick Stadium is demolished to make room for more parking on campus. SAS Hall now stands on the site Riddick Stadium once occupied.
12/21/1968 Apollo VIII participation The Apollo VIII spacecraft launches, becoming the first human spaceflight mission to escape Earth's gravitational field; many NC State alumni and faculty play a role in both the development and launch of the spacecraft.
1969 First African-American football scholarship recipient Clyde Chesney becomes the first African-American to receive a football scholarship.
1969 First African-American Student Senate President Eric Moore became the first African American Student Senate President.
1969 Making aeronautical history Twenty-six NC State alumni, all employees of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), play a key role in the voyage of the Apollo 11 space mission, which is successful in placing the first men on the moon.
10/14/1969 Vietnam Symposium NC State responds to a call for campus protests nationwide, as a "moratorium" against the Vietnam War. A faculty-student committee organizes a Vietnam Symposium, with Chancellor John Caldwell as keynote speaker and several faculty members talking on the impact of the war.
1970 - 1971 Cathy Sterling First female Student Body President
1970 First African-American recipients of full football scholarships Willie Burden and Charley Young become the first African-Americans to receive football scholarships as incoming freshmen.
1970 African American Cultural Center formed Students form NC State's first African American Cultural Center, which was located in the YMCA building.
1970 Goodnight joins Department of Statistics James H. Goodnight receives an appointment as an assistant statistician in the new Department of Statistics. Over the next several years, Goodnight, a statistics student named John Sall, and others would lay the groundwork for what would become SAS. Today, SAS is one of the largest software providers in the world.
5/5/1970 First female Student Body President Cathy Sterling is elected Student Body President, becoming the first woman to hold a major campus student elective post. During her presidency, Sterling led the student body in a retreat to protest the invasion of Cambodia. Her report, "Due to Circumstances Beyond Our Control," resulted in a greater student role in the spending of student fees. Sterling says of her decision to run for student body president, "A few weeks before the election, a few friends asked me to run for president, and I just did it. I don't know why I did it, but I just did." -- Raleigh Times, Friday, February 1, 1985, p. 1B.
5/7/1970 Vietnam and Kent State protest NC State students hold a convocation on the Brickyard in the aftermath of U.S. expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia, and the death of four Kent State University students in Ohio. The following day, nearly 6,000 students from NC State and other colleges protest by marching on the State Capitol.
8/1970 Lee Hall becomes NC State's first co-ed dorm
1971 Second African-American earns Ph.D. Augustus M. Witherspoon becomes the second African American to earn a Ph.D. from NC State, and the first African American to receive a doctoral degree and go on to join the faculty (see 1979).
1971 First African-American fraternity Seven students found a local chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, making it NC State's first African-American fraternity.
1971 Increased equality The Division of Student Affairs hires a black counselor, makes financial aid available to black students, and encourages black cultural programs.
1971 International Potato Center established The International Potato Center is established in Peru by NC State and the Peruvian government, in an effort to increase the world's supply of white potatoes.
1971 First female valedictorian Jane Carol Pickard becomes the first female valedictorian.
1/17/1971 Color Wall activated The light mural (later known as the Color Wall) in D. H. Hill Library is activated for the first time, but not yet fully completed.
1972 First African-American All-American winner David Thompson is named NC State's first African-American All-American winner in basketball.
1972 First African-American academic administrator William Maxwell becomes an assistant dean, making him NC State's first African-American academic administrator.
1972 "In a Black Perspective" published NC State publishes "In a Black Perspective." This pamphlet tallies the university's black community at nine professors and 222 students (out of a total 13,809), and lists courses focusing on black history and culture: two in Political Science and one on race relations in Sociology.
1972 UNC System created The UNC System is created, with NC State as one of the constituent campuses. A Board of Governors is established at the system level, but a new Board of Trustees is instituted at NC State to oversee matters specific to the university.
4/4/1972 Pan-Afrikan Festival The second annual Pan-Afrikan Festival begins.
9/16/1972 Record enrollment NC State enrollment for the fall term hits a new record of 13,800.
12/29/1972 Peach Bowl victory The NC State Football team beats West Virginia in the Peach Bowl, 49-13.
1973 First female African-American Ph.D. recipient Nannette Smith Henderson becomes the first African-American woman to be awarded a Ph.D. at NC State, with a degree in Plant Pathology.
9/27/1973 Equal Opportunity Employment NC State becomes an equal opportunity employer and enacts the Affirmative Action Plan.
1974 Affirmative Action plan accepted The university's affirmative action plan is informally accepted by HEW.
1974 First Women's Basketball team A Women's Basketball team is established for the first time. The team included two African American women, Gwen Jenkins and Cynthia Steele.
3/25/1974 NCAA Men's Basketball championship NC State defeats Marquette, 76-64, in the finals of the NCAA Basketball Tournament in Greensboro, NC, to win the 1974 National Championship. Junior forward David Thompson is named the Tournament MVP. The Wolfpack also receive key contributions from Tom Burleson, Monte Towe, Tim Stoddard, and Mo Rivers during the championship run.
1975 New varsity sports Men's Gymnastics and Women's Softball and Volleyball begin varsity play.
1975 Total number of degrees awarded reaches 50,000
1/1975 Second female department head Barbara Parramore becomes the second female department head, leading the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at its founding.
1975 First African-American sorority A chapter of Delta Sigma Theta is established, becoming the first African-American sorority chapter on campus.
1975 Gertrude Cox elected to National Academy of Sciences Statistics professor Gertrude Cox is elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
6/30/1975 Chancellor Caldwell retires Dr. John T. Caldwell retires after 15 years as NC State's chancellor. Caldwell oversaw a period of unprecedented growth for the university: of the nearly 47,000 degrees awarded in the first 85 years of the university, two-thirds were earned during Caldwell's tenure.
7/1975 Jackson Ashcroft Rigney becomes Interim Chancellor
7/1/1975 - 6/30/1976 Library expenditures Book, periodical, and binding expenditures exceed $1,000,000 in a fiscal year for the first time.
1976 Swimmers win medals in Summer Olympics Swimmers Steve Gregg and Dan Harrigan win medals for the United States at the Summer Olympics in Montreal.
1/1/1976 Joab Thomas becomes Chancellor Joab L. Thomas becomes the ninth chancellor of NC State, serving through 1981. During his administration, enrollment at the university surpassed 20,000 students for the first time, and the College of Veterinary Medicine was established.
1976 First female All-American Susan Yow becomes the first NC State female to be named an All-American athlete.
1977 Third female department head Mary E. (Betty) Wheeler becomes head of the Department of History, and only the third female to hold a position of department head at NC State.
1978 Brotherhood Dinner Chancellor Joab Thomas holds the first Brotherhood Dinner, honoring Samual Nesbritt.
1978 First African-American football All-American Ted Brown becomes the first African-American named an All-American in football.
1978 Humanities Extension Program established
2/11/1978 First ACC Women's Basketball tournament The NC State Women's Basketball team participates in the first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Basketball tournament as the top seed. NC State lost in the championship game to Maryland.
1979 First Football ACC championship
1979 Women's Cross Country championships The Women's Cross Country team wins the first of back-to-back national championships (1979 and 1980).
1/12/1979 Security Chief retires Worth T. Blackwood retires after twenty years as Security Chief at NC State. During Blackwood's tenure, the security force grew from seven to twenty-two officers.
1980 Broderick Cup recipient Women's Cross Country runner Julie Shea is awarded the Broderick Cup by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), as the most outstanding athlete of the year.
1980 North Carolina Japan Center established
1980 First Women's Week Evelyn Reiman, assistant director of student development, sponsors the first NC State Women's Week-- a series of afternoon and evening programs for campus women.
1980 ACC Athlete of the Year Julie Shea wins the first of two consecutive ACC Athlete of the Year awards, and becomes the first woman to receive the Alumni Athletics trophy at NC State.
1980 State Climate Office of North Carolina relocates The State Climate Office of North Carolina finds a permanent home in PAMS. The office had been established as part of the UNC System in 1976, and was primarily housed at UNC-Chapel Hill. Since moving to NC State, the office has grown into the primary source for North Carolina weather and climate information and for climate-related research, education and extension services.
8/20/1980 Wolfline buses go into service A ceremony marks the beginning of the new Wolfline bus service on campus. The service initially has only one route, intended to serve students who live off-campus.
11/29/1980 Jim Valvano's debut NC State beats UNC-Wilmington, 83-59, in Jim Valvano's debut as head Men's Basketball coach.
1981 Women's Gymnastics becomes a varsity sport
1981 D.H. Hill Library holdings reach one million volumes
1981 Microelectronics Center for North Carolina established
1981 Nash Nicks Winstead named Interim Chancellor
1981 First female president of the Faculty Club Ada B. Dalla Pozza becomes the first woman to serve as president of the Faculty Club (now the University Club).
2/28/1981 Wolf mascots get married Mr. Wuf and Ms. Wuf were married in a mock wedding ceremony by the Wake Forest Demon Deacon mascot during halftime of a Men's Basketball game at Reynolds Coliseum. The two were joined in "canis matrimonium," and Chancellor Joab Thomas gave the bride away.
8/27/1981 First Veterinary Medicine classes NC State's new School of Veterinary Medicine holds classes for the first time; initial enrollment is 40 students, selected from 126 applicants.
1982 Weisiger-Brown Athletics Facility opens
1982 Bruce Robert Poulton is named Chancellor
1983 First female Alumni Distinguished Professor Katherine W. Klein, Associate Professor of Psychology, becomes the first female faculty member to be named an Alumni Distinguished Professor.
1983 Increasing female enrollment Approximately 8,000 women students are enrolled in a student body of 22,632. More than one third of the undergraduates are women, the highest percentage of women to be enrolled at NC State to that date.
1983 Women's Golf becomes a varsity sport
1983 Biotechnology Program established
1983 Total number of degrees awarded reaches 75,000
1983 Integrated Manufacturing Systems Engineering Institute established
1983 PAMS Foundation established The North Carolina State University Physical and Mathematical Science Foundation, more commonly known as the PAMS Foundation, is established. The mission of the foundation, which has grown its endowment from $245,000 to more than $10 million, is to “promote the educational, research and service programs of the College … through personal advocacy … and by securing private funding for priority programs.”
3/1983 Men's Basketball wins ACC championship The Men's Basketball team wins the 1983 ACC Championship.
4/1983 Men's Basketball wins NCAA championship Lead by Head Coach Jim Valvano, the Men’s Basketball team wins the 1983 NCAA championship.
5/4/1983 NCSU Libraries join the ARL The NCSU Libraries become a member of the prestigious Association of Research Libraries (ARL).
6/28/1983 NBA draft selections All three seniors from NC State's 1983 national championship Men's Basketball team are selected in the NBA draft. Thurl Bailey is chosen 7th overall by the Utah Jazz, Sidney Lowe is chosen by the Chicago Bulls with the first pick of the second round, and Dereck Whittenburg is picked in the third round by the Phoenix Suns.
1984 First female faculty recipient of North Carolina Award Lee Smith, Assistant Professor of English, becomes the first female faculty member to receive a North Carolina Award, receiving an award in literature.
1984 Center for Materials Research established
12/19/1984 Centennial Campus established North Carolina Governor (and NC State alumnus) James B. Hunt, Jr., allots the initial 355-acre parcel of land for the university’s Centennial Campus.
1985 First female Faculty Senate chair Sondra L. Kirsch, Associate Professor of Recreation Resources Administration becomes the first woman to chair the NC State Faculty Senate.
1985 Relay championship The Men's 4x100 Meter relay team win the NCAA championship.
9/5/1985 President Ronald Reagan visits President Reagan promoted tax reform during a speech in Reynolds Coliseum. Afterwards the president met with students, and Student Body President Jay Everette gained notoriety when he asked reporters to respect the students' time with the president.
1986 First female Dean of the Graduate School Debra W. Stewart is appointed interim dean of the Graduate School, the first female dean and the first woman to serve as dean of the Graduate School. Her appointment became permanent in 1988.
1986 First Ph.D. degrees awarded by the School of Veterinary Medicine The degrees are earned by Melinda Hollingshead in August and Cathy Carlson in December.
1987 Kay Yow is inducted into the Women's Sports Hall of Fame
1987 The NCSU Libraries becomes official system name "The NCSU Libraries" becomes the official name of the library system, encompassing the D. H. Hill Library and the four branch libraries (Design, Natural Resources, Textiles, and Veterinary Medicine).
1987 NC State University celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding
1987 Schools become Colleges Eight of the university's academic schools are redesignated as colleges.
1988 Kay Yow coaches in the Olympics Kay Yow, Women's Basketball coach, coaches the winning Women's Basketball team in the 1988 Olympics.
1988 Kaye Gibbons becomes the first author-in-residence Kaye Gibbons, former NC State student, becomes the NCSU Libraries' first author-in-residence.
1988 First female to hold a named professorship Elizabeth C. Theil becomes the first woman at NC State to hold a named professorship, and is honored with the University of North Carolina's O. Max Gardner Award.
1988 The Friends of the Library hold their first booksale
1988 Mars Mission Research Center established The Mars Mission Research Center is established. This is a cooperative effort between NC State and NC A&T State University.
1988 African American Studies minor introduced In fall 1988, NC State implemented an African-American Studies minor, the first of its kind at the university. The interdisciplinary minor required students to take courses in both history and English literature.
2/1988 First Permanent Building on Centennial Campus The building that later was named Research I was first occupied.
1989 Nora Lynn Finch inducted into the Women's Sports Hall of Fame Nora Lynn Finch, associate athletics director, is inducted into the Women's Sports Hall of Fame.
1989 Women's Studies Program established The Women's Studies Program is established, with Barbara Risman as its first director.
1/1989 Women's Resource Coalition established The Women's Resource Coalition is formed as an outgrowth of the Women Students Advisory Board, organized in the fall of 1988.
1989 Harassment Policy Adopted The Board of Trustees adopts a racial harassment policy.
1989 Position created for African-American Affairs NC State creates the Associate Provost position in African-American Affairs.
1989 Libraries adopt current logo
1989 Larry K. Monteith is named Chancellor
1989 First College of Engineering female African-American faculty member Christine Grant (Chemical Engineering) becomes the first African-American female faculty member appointed in the College of Engineering.
12/5/1989 Libraries' 100th anniversary The NCSU Libraries celebrates its 100th anniversary in a ceremony that includes planting three yoshino cherry trees in front of the East Wing of the building.
1990 The Newsstand is first published The first campus-wide newsletter on women's issues, The Newsstand, is published.
1990 Soccer championship The Men's Soccer team wins their first ACC championship. Henry Gutierrez scored the game-winning goal.
1990 Information Technologies Teaching Center (ITTC) established The Information Technologies Teaching Center (ITTC) is established in the D. H. Hill Library, initially funded through a gift from the Class of 1990.
2/2/1990 President George Bush visits President Bush toured two labs used in microelectronics research and joined a roundtable discussion on the international competitiveness in high-tech industries.
1991 Women's Center opens The Women's Center opens with Jan Rogers as its coordinator. Rogers began the Women's Leadership Education and Action Program (LEAP), which aimed to enhance the experience of women in nontraditional fields such as math, science, and engineering.
1991 Burlington Textiles Library moves In conjunction with the move of the College of Textiles, the Burlington Textiles Library moves to Centennial Campus, making it the first library unit on the new campus.
1991 African-American Cultural Center opens Witherspoon Student Center; (formerly the Student Center Annex) following its completion, this building housed the African American Cultural Center, which included meeting space, a library, and a multipurpose room. In 1992, following months of student and faculty protests, NCSU administrators granted the African American Cultural Center an operating budget.
1991 PAMS establishes The Science House PAMS establishes The Science House to provide hands-on science opportunities to K-12 students. Today, The Science House is a national model for the interaction of university science departments and K-12 students and teachers. Through its main office on Centennial Campus, five satellite offices throughout the state, and its online presence, The Science House annually impacts 5,000 teachers and 35,000 students across North Carolina and beyond.
1991 New College of Textiles Building The College of Textiles opens its new building on Centennial Campus.
2/1991 President Jimmy Carter attends Emerging Issues Forum Before a crowd of 1,300 people, the former president raised questions about the United States handling of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, and he called for the U.S. and Soviet Union to organize an international peace conference to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
7/1991 Centennial Campus Corporate Partner Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) moves into Centennial Campus, becoming the first corporate tenant there.
7/22/1991 Bicycle patrol debuts The Public Safety office unveils a new bicycle patrol. Officers feel that the bicycles have advantages over patrol cars, including "mobility, stealth, and speed."
1992 Sista 2 Sistuh Network established The Sista 2 Sistuh Network is established to support African-American women at NC State.
1992 First African American Dean James Anderson becomes the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, making him the first African-American dean.
1992 The Nubian Message begins publication The Nubian Message begins publication in response to student protests alleging racial bias by the Technician. Tony Williamson served as the paper’s first editor-in-chief. In the inaugural issue, Williamson stated his intention to "totally, truthfully, and faithfully…cover every aspect of African American life at NCSU" and his hope that the Nubian Message would become "the media voice for African Americans at NC State…a publication where people can learn about different aspects of [African American] culture, as well as find useful information about State’s campus." Because the Nubian Message received no University funding and Nubian staff were prohibited from using NCSU media equipment, the first issue was published with help from North Carolina Central University. Recalling the paper’s initial struggles Williamson stated, "It was a real pain to have to go all the way to Durham to work, but the people at Central were very helpful and understanding. We owe them a lot. If it wasn’t for their newspaper staff, we probably would never have had a first issue." Following publication of the first issue, the University allowed the Nubian staff to utilize campus media equipment.
1992 College of Management established The College of Management was formed out of what had previously been the Division of Economics and Business in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
1992 ABB becomes the University's first industrial partner on Centennial Campus
4/24/1992 Holladay Medal established The Board of Trustees established the Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal for Excellence to honor NC State faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to the university through achievements in research, teaching, or extension and engagement.
10/5/1992 President Bill Clinton visits Presidential candidate Bill Clinton addressed 600 people in Stewart Theatre. He announced his support for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
1994 Student Center named The Augustus McIver Witherspoon Student Center is named, becoming the first building on campus named after an African-American.
1994 NC State is awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa
1996 Park Scholars Program founded
1996 Twenty-four hour Library The NCSU Libraries begins twenty-four hour service (Sunday through Thursday).
1997 A campus street is named after Katharine Stinson Katharine Stinson, the first woman to graduate from NC State's School of Engineering, has a street named after her. Katharine Stinson Drive, formerly North Yarbrough Drive, is one of the longest streets on campus.
7/22/1997 Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena groundbreaking A groundbreaking ceremony is held for the new Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena, located next to Carter-Finley Stadium, which will be the home of NC State Men's Basketball and the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes.
1998 Marye Anne Fox becomes the first female chancellor at NC State
3/1998 Final Four appearance The Women's Basketball team reaches the Final Four in the NCAA tournament.
11/19/1999 First game at the RBC Center The NC State Men's Basketball team beats Georgia, 67-63, in their first game at the RBC Center.
2000 First female Board of Trustees chair Peaches Simpkins is named the first female chair of the university's Board of Trustees.
2000 School of Design renamed the College of Design
2000 Vice Provost for Diversity and African-American Affairs University administration creates the position of Vice Provost for Diversity and African-American Affairs. One stated goal of this position is to improve the experience of black students and other minorities.
4/22/2000 Passing of Carey Bostian Former NC State Chancellor Carey Hoyt Bostian dies at the age of 93.
8/2000 Expanded Technician publication The Technician becomes a daily publication during the academic semesters for the first time.
2002 Atlantic Coast Conference's 50th Anniversary 134 NC State athletes are named to the ACC's 50th Anniversary Teams in twenty-one sports.
2002 African-American Student Advisory Council Report Cards The African-American Student Advisory Council begins issuing report cards grading the university on enrollment, retention, and graduation of African-American students. The report card gave NCSU an F for recruiting black students.
9/27/2002 Kay Yow honored NC State Women's Basketball coach Kay Yow is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Springfield, MA.
2003 Friday Institute for Educational Innovation established
2003 First faculty member in the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies Jim Riviere becomes the first faculty member elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
2003 Women in Science and Engineering program established The Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program is established with 56 freshman women with majors in PAMS and the College of Engineering. As of 2009, this “living and learning village” has a full complement of 256 women majoring in five colleges across campus, and a high school chapter has been established at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.
12/1/2003 Department of Biomedical Engineering established The Department of Biomedical Engineering is established, co-located at UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Medicine and NC State's College of Engineering.
2004 Robert A. Barnhardt is named Interim Chancellor
2005 Swimming gold medal Swimmer Cullen Jones wins a gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle at the World University Games.
2005 James L. Oblinger is named Chancellor
2007 Kay Yow celebrates 700th Win NC State Women's Basketball coach Kay Yow celebrated her 700th win. The Wolfpack beat Florida State, 68-51. Yow eventually racked up 737 wins, making her the fifth winningest active NCAA Division I basketball coach.
5/6/2008 President Barak Obama visit Presidential candidate Barak Obama appeared before a crowd at Reynolds Coliseum shortly after defeating rivals in the Democratic presidential primaries.
1/26/2009 President Bill Clinton at Millennium Seminar Series Former President Bill Clinton addressed 6,000 people, stating that the world would best find its way to peace and prosperity through “communitarianism.”
9/11/2011 President Obama at rally President Barak Obama spoke before an audience in Reynolds Coliseum. During the speech he promoted the American Jobs Act.