After serving as chancellor of UNC-Charlotte for 16 years, Jim Woodward said he had not intended to come out of retirement, let alone to become interim chancellor of N.C. State and fill the spot James Oblinger left vacant after he submitted his resignation Sunday.

“I had no aspirations to have a full-time job again,” Woodward said in a phone interview before he left Charlotte Monday afternoon. “It was nice to have the freedom and flexibility of retirement. These are jobs that require full attention.”

UNC System President Erskine Bowles said he was “extremely grateful” that Woodward accepted the appointment on short notice in a memo announcing the news Monday. At a press conference later in the day, he said Woodward would be given full control during the transition.

“I have asked Jim Woodward to become chancellor on an interim basis. Not interim chancellor but chancellor, and be fully in charge on an interim basis,” Bowles said at the press conference.

Woodward said Oblinger did a “superb” job while leading the University, and that his performance was why he felt comfortable stepping in for the time being.

“N.C. State is an extraordinarily important University,” Woodward said Monday. “It is not a troubled University.”

After arriving in Raleigh Tuesday morning, Woodward immediately began meeting with administrators and faculty leaders. Wednesday, he met with Student Body President Jim Ceresnak and Student Senate President Kelli Rogers.

Between those meetings, he kept his promise of being “open and honest” with the media and stayed busy with a whirlwind of interviews.

“I have enjoyed meeting with people throughout the University. I have actually enjoyed meeting with the media because I think there is such a great story to tell,” he said.

Early in his career, Woodward taught engineering classes at NCSU. He said the return to the University has been “heartwarming.”

“I’ve seen and confirmed what I believed before I got here and that is that this is a great University that will get past this current trouble,” he said. “I would not have accepted this appointment unless I felt that I could do this job and unless I felt as if I would commit the time and energy necessary to do the job well. This is a worthwhile thing to do, and it’s important.”

Although he was willing to accept the interim position, Woodward said the hardest part of being here is “personal.”

“It’s being separated from my wife and my dogs, and in that order,” he said.

Woodward married his high-school sweetheart and the two have been together for 53 years.

He said a sense of responsibility to the students and the University is what will motivate him to come to work each day.

The interim role

“My role is to be the chief executive officer of North Carolina State University,” Woodward said when asked what his main job is as the fourth interim chancellor in the history of the University.

He said he knows the UNC system, the North Carolina government and many of the supporters of the University. What he said he doesn’t know is the campus itself.

“The learning is mainly on the inside of the campus,” he said. “One of my first tasks is to get to know the campus.”

Dean Emeritus Robert Barnhardt, who served as interim chancellor in 2004 after the departure of former Chancellor Marye Anne Fox, said the normal role of an interim chancellor is to keep any positive momentum going that the University has.

“You need somebody who can keep driving the University in a positive direction,” Barnhardt said. “You don’t want to lose any grounds. You want to make sure you leave the place better than what you found it.”

Barnhardt called Woodward “a quick learner” and said other issues like the budget — which has been a topic discussed at most of Woodward’s initial meetings — are more important than the negative publicity the University received the past month.

“He knows exactly what has to be done,” Barnhardt said. “That has to receive a tremendous amount of attention.”

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Tom Stafford said the appointment of Woodward brought a positive and optimistic outlook to the campus because “he conveys a high sense of confidence and he conveys a very positive tone.”

Woodward said the internal public relations efforts are important, especially in the message he conveys to students.

“What I want the students to know is the reasons you came to North Carolina State are still the reasons you should be a student here, and that is the faculty and staff,” he said.

On the other hand, Woodward said he would focus on external public relations in an attempt to make the inner workings of the University more transparent. He said the lack of transparency is what so often gets elected and appointed officials in trouble.

“I can promise you that during the time I am here, I will do something stupid,” he said. “But I won’t try to cover it up.”