Backgrounder

Over 25 years ago, NC State realized that the answers to many problems facing the world
including education, energy and sustainability, and the environment and health, would not be
able to be solved using a traditional approach or with the facilities and resources already
provided by the University. After coming to the realization that technology and innovation
would be the best approach at solving these complex issues, the idea for Centennial Campus was
born.
Centennial campus is an extension of the original NC State campus. The first parts of the
land, about 385 acres, were donated by North Carolina Governor James B. Hunt Jr. in 1984.
Governor James G. Martin turned over more land in 1985. Soon after, a master plan was
developed by Claude McKinney, the dean of the School of Design. Groundbreaking on the land
started in 1987, with the first buildings opening in 1989. The college of textiles moved over to
the new campus in 1991, followed by the addition of the first corporate partner, ABB, in 1993.
The first government partner, National Weather Service, joined the same year. In 1999, startup
companies were accepted into the Technology Incubator. The following year, the Centennial
Magnet Middle School opened as well the Centennial Biomedical Campus. In 2004, the College
of Engineering made Centennial its permanent home. In 2005, the first residential units on this
new campus opened. 2010 brought the opening of the Keystone Science center. Finally, in 2013
the James B. Hunt, Jr. Library opened. Even after all this, Centennial is still in the process of
expanding and updating. Upon completion, the campus is estimated to have 9,000,000-square
feet of constructed space.

The master plan of Centennial has 12 guiding footsteps for development. These include
Sustainability, Integration of Academic, Programmatic and Physical Planning, Human-Scaled
Campus Neighborhoods and Paths, Design Harmony, Mixed-Use Activities, Visible
Neighborhood Activities, Universal Design, Effective Movement for a Pedestrian-Oriented
Campus, City Context, Campus Safety, and Hallowed Places.
Currently, Centennial is the home to over 60 companies, government agencies, and nonprofits. There are also 75 NC State research and academic units housed on the campus. Over
2,300 government and corporate employees, 1,350 faculty and staff, and 3,400 students
collaborate on the campus during the academic year.
There are many partners located on Centennial Campus. Some of these include Red
Hat, ABB, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Talecris Biotherapeutics, NOAA National
Weather Service and GlaxoSmithKline. The housing of the companies allows students to have
hands-on experience within their chosen field of study. It also provides students with internships,
shadowing, and cooperative education assignments.
Centennial Campus is also home to the Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and
Education Center as well as the Friday Institute for Innovative Education. BTFC provided
training in and teaches about biomanufacturing and bioprocessing. The Friday Institute conducts
educational research. It also develops educational resources and provides programs to create
opportunities for educators to develop into better professionals.
One of the two parts of Centennial Campus, the Centennial Biomedical Campus, focuses
on biomedical applications to animals and humans. The major part of this campus is the College
of Veterinary Medicine. While there is already a 100,000-sqaure foot research building on this
campus, there is a projection of the addition of another 24 buildings in the next 20 years. This

campus also provides a large amount of jobs. The expansion will only provide more.
The technology incubator is another major part of Centennial Campus. Through this,
entrepreneurs can access many services and resources that help to convert ideas into products or
processes.
With the addition of the magnet middle school, housing, a golf-course, walking trails,
Lake Raleigh, and the new library, the 1,334-acre campus is becoming a tight kit community.
Buildings on Centennial campus are funded by state-appropriated funds, university
revenue bonds, private development, and private fundraising.
Centennial Campus is a integral part of the NC State community as well as the
technological community of the world. Advances that are achieved at this campus will have
major effects in almost every aspect of the technological field.