William “Randy” Woodson is a fast mover. In a world of academia where dinosaurs rule, Woodson only took 25 years to climb the ladder and reach the ultimate in scholastic power. At only 52 years old, it’s relatively logical to assume the man will bring some life and enthusiasm to a University in desperate need of levity.
Since his beginning at Purdue in 1985 as an instructor in horticulture, Randy Woodson, the executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at Purdue University, has had an eye for the top. He climbed his way through the layer cake at Purdue — becoming the associate dean and dean of the agriculture school along the way — until he took the position of provost a few years ago.
Mikel Livingston, editor-in-chief emeritus of The Exponent, Purdue’s student daily, said Woodson knew his career was bright and wasn’t afraid to let people know about it. According to Livingston, many faculty members and administrators at Purdue saw promise in Woodson and were confident he would become president when Purdue’s current president’s term expired in a few years.
This theory is validated rather nicely by the reports that the Board of Trustees at Purdue made a substantial monetary offer to keep him at the university despite its freeze on administrative and faculty salaries. Those salary freezes sound rather familiar, don’t they?
In fact, Purdue is similar to N.C. State in myriad ways. Both schools are land-grant colleges under the Morrill Act of 1862 and have a strong foundation in agriculture and engineering. Woodson seems like a logical fit then. The disciplines and atmosphere will remain the same, but Woodson is walking into a different animal.
Purdue experienced budget cuts of 2 to 3 percent for this academic year. Not that those cuts aren’t substantive, but NCSU’s budget reduction target for this year was 10 percent. Woodson and Purdue’s President France Cordova were able to trim along the edges and prevent cuts from the university’s academic units.
Zoe Hayes, editor-in-chief of The Exponent, said “Randy” had been a very effective administrator and had insured the brunt force of Purdue’s budget cuts were felt by the administrative units.
This isn’t meant to criticize NCSU; Chancellor James Woodward had a nearly impossible job this semester in making our own cuts. He had to make cuts to the academic units, including a 3 percent reduction in instructional capacity. But it is nice to see Woodson seems to have a grasp for the importance of the academia at a university.
Livingston said faculty members at NCSU should be excited by this news. Woodson’s research background is very strong and he is known as a “very personable” guy who has an elephant’s memory for names.
Nonetheless, Woodson and Cordova were embroiled in their own controversy at Purdue this past semester when the university attempted to increase freshman tuition by 11.5 percent and became very reserved after an inquiry into administrative salary discussions among an Indiana state senator, Woodson and Cordova.
The chancellor’s job at NCSU is a difficult one. If Woodson wants to be effective he needs to heed to an air of openness and honesty while reining in adminexpansionitis and steering the University through these difficult times.
Welcome to the melee, Mr. Woodson. Tread carefully.
