Ex-Purdue provost set to take helm at NCSU

Purdue University tried everything to keep Provost William "Randy" Woodson from leaving Indiana to become N.C. State University's next chancellor.

The university offered more money than the $420,000 he would make here.

It hinted that he could be the next president of that five-campus, 72,000-student system.

Even Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels called Woodson to beg him not to go, then threatened to have the state police block his escape.

On Friday, though, NCSU officially stole the plant scientist turned fast-rising higher-ed star from one of the nation's top land grant universities. He's expected to take the helm of North Carolina's largest university by May.

After he was formally elected by the UNC System's Board of Governors, Woodson said that despite the enticements from Indiana and offers of jobs elsewhere, he wanted to come to Raleigh. NCSU's potential gives him an opportunity to lift a major university into the ranks of the elite, he said.

"This is an outstanding institution that's poised for even more success in the future," he told the Board of Governors, the system's other chancellors and a host of NCSU officials.

The UNC system's Board of Governors voted Woodson chancellor-elect Friday morning. System President Erskine Bowles nominated him to the board after interviewing three finalists.

"It was clear after all my interviews, and it wasn't even close at the end of the day," Bowles said.

What persuaded Bowles, he said, was Woodson's combination of attributes, including his people skills, vision, experience and passion. Bowles said Woodson had earned a reputation for integrity and sound judgment as he rose to become Purdue's chief academic officer.

Better yet, he said, Woodson was young enough to stay in the post for years and bring stability. NCSU is getting its fourth chancellor since 2004, and last year saw its reputation battered by a scandal over the hiring of former state first lady Mary Easley. That led to the resignation of Chancellor James Oblinger as well as the chairman of the Board of Trustees and the provost.

"Randy's 52, and we need stability at N.C. State, and he said, 'I'd like to end my career here at N.C. State. I'd like to spend 12 to 15 years as head of this university,'" Bowles said during a news conference after Woodson's election. "That's what we need at this university: a great leader who will bring stability, credibility, and a long-term vision, and who can execute, and that's what he can do."

The spring semester doesn't begin until Monday, and with students and many faculty members away from campus, Woodson's welcome was muted. He was honored at a Centennial Campus reception with a couple hundred people - and Wolfpack mascot Mr. Wuf - Friday night, but campus leaders plan a larger official welcome when students are back.

At Purdue, meanwhile, officials were mourning their loss. University President France Córdova told the Lafayette Courier & Journal that Woodson had been an indispensable partner.

"Randy has really helped me in all aspects of running the entire university," she said. "It will be different without Randy. ... He has just brought such internal strength. His leadership is marked by the harmony he brings and all the elements of the university."

Woodson has no major ties to North Carolina, but said he was familiar with the university because Purdue and NCSU often compete for faculty and staff. Indeed, he said that he had even tried to steal professors from the campus he will soon lead.

N.C.'s reputation

He was clearly eager, though, to steep himself in the culture of North Carolina higher education, and not just with his obligatory Wolfpack-red necktie.

He told the Board of Governors that one reason he wanted the job so badly was North Carolina's national reputation for its financial support of the university system, something reflected in recent top-10 rankings for education value for both UNC-Chapel Hill and NCSU.

And during the board's vote Friday morning, he sat with his family on one side and, on the other, former longtime system President Bill Friday, a hero to many in the room and, as Bowles put it, "N.C. State's most famous graduate."

Woodson said he wanted to learn more about NCSU before talking much about changes he might make, but said one thing he wants is for the university to do a better job of telling its story.

"This is a classic example of a land-grant university," he said. "We're good at hiding our light under a basket and not talking enough about the things that we do."

Land-grant institutions, a category that also includes Purdue, were created with the help of 19th century federal acts inspired by the industrial revolution to teach agriculture, engineering and science.

Part of getting NCSU's word out, he said in an interview with The News & Observer later in the day, is excellence in athletics. He described himself as a passionate supporter of college athletics and said that he understood its importance and tradition at NCSU.

"Sports brings a level of visibility to the institution, and it's a big part of the brand when it's done well," he said. "I will want them to pay as much attention to graduation rates as they do to rankings."

Yanked upward

At Purdue, he was often the university's face in the legislature - always a key role for a chancellor here, where much of the university budget comes from the state. That will be more important now, given a state budget crisis that has triggered unprecedented cuts to the universities.

Woodson has been co-chairman of a Purdue committee responsible for devising ways to cut costs, something that has been a big focus for NCSU administrators lately.

Woodson has been Purdue's provost for about two years. Before that, was dean of agriculture, and in that post partnered with the College of Science to start a climate change research center, sharply increased grants and began the college's Office of Multicultural Programs.

Woodson's rise at Purdue was quick, which has prompted some at NCSU and Purdue to wonder whether he was done climbing.

Former Lt. Gov. Bob Jordan, an NCSU trustee who led the search committee that picked the three finalists for the job, said Woodson hadn't so much climbed the career ladder as he had been yanked upward by superiors who recognized his talent.

Woodson said the potential at NCSU was irresistible, and it was enough of a challenge that he didn't feel as though he would need to move up another rung.

"If I'm successful here, I can be here 10 years or more," he said. "I'm young enough that I have enough time before retirement to leave a lasting, positive impact on an institution, and that's what I want to do here."