In front of an overwhelmingly nonstudent crowd Tuesday, Chancellor James Oblinger made his yearly State of N.C. State speech.

Oblinger spoke mostly about the achievements of the previous year, touching on research breakthroughs, awards and recognitions before spending time recognizing alumni and faculty who have made achievements in the past year. Oblinger even gave a shout-out to President Barack Obama, but spoke little of the University’s present economic state or how the administration plans to proceed.

Instead, Oblinger asked — but didn’t answer — eight questions about whether the University would be able to maintain its history of innovation and leadership.

Michael Nguyen, a freshman in political science, did not attend the event, but read the Chancellor’s speech afterward.

He said the questions Oblinger raised are questions people wanted answers to.

“That’s why you would go see him talk, is to get answers to those questions,” Nguyen said.

Aaron Vander Bee, a sophomore in German, was another of the students who didn’t go but read the speech later. He disagreed with Nguyen and said the Chancellor was trying to open people’s eyes with his list of questions.

“He’s trying to raise concerns about the budget,” Bee said.

Oblinger did mention the loss that the University has experienced through the budget cuts that have already cycled through and said the University is, “planning budget reductions strategically.”

Throughout the speech, Oblinger stated and restated N.C. State’s importance despite economic hardship.

“People are counting on N.C. State,” Oblinger said. “… We owe a debt of thanks to those who came before us and we pay that debt with our contributions to the future.”

The final state and University budgets have not yet been announced.

The Chancellor’s many rhetorical questions

-Just another year at NC State, right?

-Can we still be the university that licensed our faculty’s research to local farmers, allowing them to open a plant and create 63 jobs in Snow Hill?

-Can we still be the university that spins off successful organizations like SAS, Biolex and LipoScience?

-Can we still be the university that worked together with the Department of Commerce last year to bring Spirit AeroSystems to Kinston?

-Can we still be the university that creates cutting-edge programs like the world’s first master of science in analytics? 

-So, how will the current budget situation change us? 

-How will we view ourselves with the benefit of hindsight 10 years from now?

-Will we not be as good at helping the state create new jobs and attract new businesses?

-Would an entrepreneurial education initiative ever have been created under these budgetary constraints? 

-If this budget crisis had happened 10 years ago, would we have given up and shut down Textiles or Nuclear Engineering?

-Can we continue to develop innovative programs like our proposed forensic science center that will help train the next generation of forensic detectives?

-In a world that increasingly relies on technology, can we continue to be a leader in helping society think about and act on policies pertaining to the use of technology?

-Can we continue to be the kind of institution that supports such widely divergent programs as agricultural leadership, open-source innovation and a world class College of Design?

-Will we be able to help lead North Carolina and the nation out of the current economic crisis?

-How effective are we? 

-How good are we? 

-How strong are we?