Installation Complete

Thursday, Oct. 30, was a day of fanfare on campus unlike any the Wolfpack had experienced in at least 15 years. About 2,000 alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends of the university gathered and waved red pompoms in Reynolds Coliseum. The marching band played the “NC State Fight Song” to hype up the crowd, and ROTC members presented the U.S. flag as the chorale sang the “Star-Spangled Banner.” The main event was punctuated by lots of cheers and many emotional moments. As the festivities concluded, members of the Wolfpack embraced and swayed as they sang the “Alma Mater.” 

Despite the high energy and excitement in the historic venue, this was no sporting event. It was the ceremony for the official installation of Kevin Howell as NC State’s 15th chancellor. Although Howell was announced as chancellor in March and assumed the role on May 5, the event solemnized the transfer of power and served as a formal celebration recognizing the beginning of a new era of leadership for the Wolfpack. 

Ed Stack, chair of the NC State University Board of Trustees, kicked off the installation with a welcome to the NC State community as well as dignitaries from the University of North Carolina System and the state of North Carolina. 

“Today’s ceremony marks the beginning of our future — a future full of vibrant discovery, academic excellence and purposeful growth,” Stack said. “I can think of no one more able and ready to lead us at this time than our new chancellor. Kevin Howell quite literally embodies the spirit of NC State. His reputation as a person of great integrity, unwavering dedication and solid leadership is what led him to this day.”

Ever since Howell left the small town of Shelby, N.C., to enroll at NC State as an undergraduate in 1984, he has built a long track record as a compassionate leader and a dedicated servant to his community. Speakers throughout the ceremony praised Howell for his experience, from serving as student body president during his senior year to his more recent roles as vice chancellor for external affairs at NC State and chief of external affairs for UNC Health and the UNC School of Medicine.

“At every stage, Chancellor Howell has made his gift for relationships into a gift for North Carolina, connecting people and institutions on a scale that’s difficult to imagine,” said Peter Hans, president of the UNC System. “The land-grant spirit of NC State is the reason North Carolina became the kind of place where a youngster from Shelby could rise to lead one of the finest public universities in the nation — a powerhouse of research and discovery that stands poised for a new era of growth and progress. 

“Our society is on the cusp of some extraordinary changes in how we work, how we learn, how we make discoveries and share ideas, how we relate to one another and tackle our shared challenges,” Hans continued. “We need public-spirited institutions like this one to light the way, and we need public-spirited leaders like Kevin Howell to carry the torch.”

After Chancellor Howell swore his oath of office and accepted the NC State Mace and Medallion, he expressed his appreciation for the people who helped guide him to become the leader of North Carolina’s largest university. 

“The path that led me here to this moment is most certainly paved in brick,” Howell said. “We’ve all walked on them, celebrated on them and lived and learned in places built with them. Bricks connect this campus in a way that reminds us that we’re all a part of something bigger. Something interlocking. Something resilient. This place that we love is built to last. Yet, it’s not static, and it cannot be contained.”

During his remarks, Howell shared his vision for NC State’s future as the gold standard of a 21st-century land-grant institution that champions progress and transformation for all. Like bricks, Howell said, NC State is built to stand the test of time with a relentless pursuit of groundbreaking research and innovation. The university will also continue to play an integral role in training the future workforce for North Carolina and the nation.

“We tackle challenges and drive interdisciplinary work in fields like no other university does,” Howell said. “Fields like biomanufacturing, analytics, precision agriculture, textiles, supply chain management, AI and quantum computing — just to name a few. All of this is inspired by our faculty, who remind us that the pursuit of excellence isn’t just a goal. It’s not something we place on a shelf. It’s NC State’s way of life.

“Simply put, the work we do here at NC State — it matters,” Howell continued, drawing applause. “Higher education matters.  Research matters. Because our world needs engineers and designers. It needs farmers, architects and veterinarians. It needs polymer chemists, astronauts and teachers. It needs poets and public servants. At NC State, we educate them all — and more.”

Chancellor Howell acknowledged that there will always be challenges ahead, but he asserted that NC State is poised to overcome obstacles and to grow as a result. He reaffirmed that NC State’s mission is to use the intersection of science, technology and the humanities to tackle the world’s greatest problems and to have a real presence in every corner of every county of North Carolina — and a real impact in the world beyond.

“As your chancellor, I am filled with an unshakable faith in what’s to come for our university,” Howell said. “We will continue to listen to the needs of our world. Public good will remain the driving force behind our discoveries. Our impact will be propelled by service and extension. And our halls will remain a pathway for all North Carolinians. Because with innovation as our compass and collaboration as our engine, NC State will forever be the university for the people.”