History of NC State and the Watauga Medal

The Watauga Medals name derives from the Watauga Club, a progressive group founded in 1884 to promote North Carolinas educational, agricultural and industrial development. "Watauga" is a Native-American word meaning "the land beyond.

In 1885, the club encouraged the North Carolina General Assembly to establish an industrial school. Walter Hines Page recommended that agriculture be included in the school's curriculum, thus joining the Wataugans' efforts with the land-grant movement led by Colonel Leonidas Polk, founder and editor of the Progressive Farmer.

The resulting legislation founded the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts on March 7, 1887.

With the creation of our Centennial Campus, our university has become a world leader in research into so many things that affect our daily living, said Richard Vaughn, a 1961 graduate of the NC State College of Engineering for whom Carter-Finley Stadiums C. Richard Vaughn Towers are named. There are many universities envious of our accomplishments in research and the overall success of our Centennial Campus.

NC State administrators work hard to offer a complete education in academics and whatever one needs to make the big step into the workplace and society.

The selection process is a rigorous one conducted by the Watauga Medal Selection Committee, with recommendations going to the Chancellor who reviews them and, finally, to the Board of Trustees.

• For more information on the 2009 Watauga Awards, please visit: http://www.ncsu.edu/featured-stories/outside-the-classroom/mar-2009/mathews-w...

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