Your 2024 in Review
At NC State, we’re always looking forward, preparing to shape the future. But as we close out 2024, we’re also looking back (why not both?) on an unforgettable year.
Right now, we’re enrolling — and graduating — more students than ever, even as the caliber of those students continues to rise. In 2024, NC State achieved its strongest finish yet on the U.S. News & World Report annual Best Colleges list: No. 26 among public universities nationwide.
This place is special, and the world is taking notice. So before we dive into 2025, let’s scroll through some of what our community accomplished this year.
Your Year in Favorite Photos
First off? Our camera roll. We asked our staff photographers to share their highlights from 2024, month by month. There’s always something incredible happening at NC State, and these photos remind us to soak up every moment.
Your Year of Final Fours
March was mad, y’all.
Not content with a fairytale ACC victory — winning five games in five days and knocking off Duke, Virginia and our friends from the town of Chapel Hill — men’s basketball went on a Cinderella run in the national tournament.
They were matched round for round by the women’s team, as NC State became the third school ever to reach the Final Four of men’s and women’s basketball and the men’s College World Series in the same season.
More Wolfpack athletics success to come. Keep scrolling.
Your Best Year for Athletics in Half a Century
In 2024, only one Division I school in the nation had its football, baseball, and men’s and women’s basketball programs finish in the top 25 of their respective sports.
NC State.
We won five ACC championships: men’s basketball, women’s cross-country, gymnastics, men’s swimming and wrestling. Women’s cross-country also claimed its third straight national title, and swimmer Katharine Berkoff won an individual national championship — the third of her career.
A record 13 current or former NC State students competed in the 2024 Summer Olympics. Diana Shnaider claimed silver for women’s tennis, while Katharine Berkoff won gold and bronze in women’s swimming.
Your Most-read Stories on NC State News
As the biggest school in North Carolina and one of the nation’s leading Research I universities, we churned out a ton of good news this year — and clocked a million views just on our own website.
Here’s what grabbed eyeballs in 2024:
- Final Fours: Join the Wolfpack for an Unforgettable Weekend: NC State was a national basketball darling. (Almost) everyone liked this.
- Mechanical Computer Relies on Kirigami Cubes, Not Electronics: We built a working computer inspired by Japanese paper-cutting art.
- NC State x Starbucks Collab Brings Branded Mug, Tumbler to Campus and Beyond: Your subtle reminder that official NC State merch helps fund student scholarships.
- NC State Shines in U.S. News Rankings: With the help of everyone in our Pack, we’ve vaulted 53 spots since 2011.
- A Baker’s Dozen Olympians: We sent a record 13 future, current and former student-athletes to Paris.
- AI-Powered Simulation Training Improves Human Performance in Robotic Exoskeletons: This work could ultimately serve older adults and people with amputations or neurological conditions.
- A Rare State Visit to NC State: We’re big in Japan.
- Get to Know Our 2024 Incoming Class: People love to read about the Wolfpack getting bigger. More on that below.
Your Most-loved Posts on Social Media
The biggest thing to happen in social media in 2024 was our arrival on TikTok (OK, the biggest thing for us). Meanwhile, people liked, shared and commented on NC State content in record-breaking numbers across all of our channels.
Here are some of your favorite posts of the year:
We’re NC State Students
Of course we __________.
Follow Us on All Your Favorite Platforms
Your Year of Growing Our Wolfpack
This fall, we welcomed our largest-ever incoming class of students. For the fifth year running. A total of 10,647 students joined our Wolfpack, and first-year applications jumped 12%.
Check out these big facts — and fresh faces:
In addition to welcoming new students to campus, we sent almost 10,000 new graduates out into the world. Our alumni Wolfpack is strong. And it keeps getting stronger.
Your Closer-Than-Ever Community
The Wolfpack is known for being a tight-knit family that looks out for all its members. In 2024, we took more steps to ensure it stays that way.
Following the recommendations of our student mental health task force, we created an Office of Student Life and Advocacy to bring a wealth of resources under one roof.
We launched OnePack Empowered, a college program designed for neurodivergent students, with the support of Dave Doeren, head coach of NC State football, and his wife Sara Doeren.
And when Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina in late September, the Wolfpack stepped up with on-campus support for affected students and coordinated relief and recovery efforts.
Your Generous Donations (And the Good They Do)
In 2023-24, NC State quietly achieved its second-highest fundraising year in history. The university’s endowment has more than quadrupled since 2010, which has helped us triple the number of available students scholarships.
And support keeps growing: we set a new record of nearly 22,000 gifts on Day of Giving and beat UNC-Chapel Hill in the Pantry Bowl for the fourth year in a row.
Our culture of giving back and caring for the next generation starts at the top. Which brings us to …
Your Fond Farewell to the Woodsons
By now, you’ve probably learned that Chancellor Randy Woodson plans to retire after more than 14 years as NC State’s chancellor. His legacy is, in a word, immense.
We won’t hit you with all the highlights here, because there’s a whole website for that, where you can also send the chancellor and his wife, Susan, a message of thanks. Or read the outpouring of love from others. Heck, we named a building after the guy.
To close things out, we’ll leave you with a few words from the man himself, delivered during his final fall address:
This post was originally published in NC State News.