October 26, 2010, is the installation of Dr. William R. "Randy" Woodson as NC State University's 14th chancellor.

On January 8, 2010, the Board of Trustees appointed Woodson to the position, which he assumed in April. This exhibit shares some of the highlights of Woodson’s life and career prior to coming to NC State.

The second of four children, Randy Woodson was born in April 1957 in Fordyce, Arkansas (population 4200). His parents Pat Woodson, a teacher, and Herb Woodson, a counselor, sparked his initial interest in education. As a teenager he developed an enthusiasm for music that continues today, and he spent most of his free time in high school playing his guitar.

Woodson's passion for horticulture developed at a part-time job at a plant nursery, where he became interested in both plants and the scientific process.

Quick Facts:

Birth: 1957, Fordyce, Arkansas

Parents: Pat and Herb Woodson

Siblings: Larry, Laura, and Angela

After graduating from Fordyce High, Woodson followed high school sweetheart Susan Wynne to the University of Arkansas. At Arkansas Woodson double majored in horticulture and chemistry. In 1979 he graduated with a B.S. and married Susan, a graphic designer.

Woodson went on to earn masters and doctoral degrees in horticulture/plant physiology at Cornell University.

Quick Facts:

Ph.D., 1983, Cornell University, Horticulture/Plant Physiology

M.S., 1981, Cornell University, Horticulture

B.S., 1979, University of Arkansas, Horticulture

Woodson's first position after Cornell was as an assistant professor of horticulture at Louisiana State University in 1983. Then in 1985 he began a long association with Purdue University. As a professor in the university's Department of Horticulture, his work focused on mechanisms that cause plants to die after pollination. He has published more than 100 scientific journal articles and book chapters, and his research has been featured in BusinessWeek, The Futurist, Discover, and other journals.

1n 1996 he was appointed head of Purdue's Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, where he became well known for his vision and relationship-building skills. After a year as a visiting professor at France's Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique de Toulouse, he returned to Purdue as the associate dean of agriculature and director of the Office of Agricultural Research Programs (1998). His easy classroom style and consensus-building skills served him well as he moved from this position to dean of agriculture (2004) and then executive vice president for academic affairs and provost (2008), Purdues's top academic officer. He had been in that role two years when he was selected as NC State's chancellor.

Quick Facts:

2010-present: Chancellor, North Carolina State University

2008-2010: Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Purdue University

2004-2008: Dean of Agriculture, Purdue University

1998-2004: Associate Dean of Agriculture and Director of the Office of Agricultural Research Program, Purdue University

1998: Visiting Professor, Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique de Toulouse

1996-1998: Head, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University

1995-1997: Director, Plant Biology Program, Purdue University

1985-1996: Faculty, Department of Horticulture, Purdue University

1983-1985: Assistant Professor, Department of Horticulture, Louisiana State University

Woodson is devoted to his family, which includes wife Susan Wynne Woodson and children Samantha, Patrick, and Chloe. Susan is a graphic artist and founder of women's magazine HELEN. Samantha is a research librarian with the American Institute of Economic Research in Massachusetts; Patrick is a graduate student at Purdue pursuing a master's degree in environmental engineering; and Chloe is a junior at Purdue, majoring in photography and visual arts.

Quick Facts:

Marriage: 1979, Susan Wynne Woodson

Children: Samantha, Patrick, and Chloe

Hobbies: Bluegrass, golf, home-brewed beer, and cooking

Woodson has received numerous professional honors, including Purdue University's Agriculture Research Award, the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) Outstanding Researcher Career Award, and the Sagamore of the Wabash Award, the highest service award presented by Indiana's governor. Woodson is a fellow of the ASHS.