Born at Yonkers, New York, in 1928, Poulton was a dairy physiologist who had earned three degrees from Rutgers University, including a Ph.D. in endocrinology in 1956. He was vice president of the University of Maine from 1971 to 1975 and chancellor of the consolidated University of New Hampshire from 1975 to 1982.
Poulton served as chancellor of North Carolina State University from 1982 to 1989, and he was the third scientist to lead the institution. He obtained Centennial Campus for the university, and he developed a master plan for it that was implemented for many years afterward. During his tenure there was a major expansion of the university’s research budget and the establishment of a substantial endowment. After stepping down as chancellor, Poulton was director of the NCSU’s Literacy Systems Center.
Portrait
of Bruce Robert Poulton
Poulton at his desk
Poulton's installation ceremony,
23 September 1983