75th Anniversary

early representations of the school of design curriculum.

Jun 6, 2023

Trees of Design

As the College of Design faces the social, environmental and economic challenges of the 21st century in its 75th anniversary, the Tree of Design stares out from the pages of this early bulletin to capture our imagination on what interdisciplinary thinking might look like in the 21st century.

Brooks Hall at NC State's College of Design, with an old postcard depicting the building during the 1920s.

May 30, 2023

Celebrating Our 75th Birthday Through Community and Collaboration

The online 75th birthday celebration for the NC State College of Design was filled with nostalgia, joy and connection with the institution's rich legacy. Throughout the day, alumni and community partners took to social media to share their recollections of the college.

Interior pages from the first volume of The Student Publication.

May 26, 2023

From Tragedy, a New School Found Its Voice

The first issue of The Student Publication of the School of Design paid tribute to the school’s first head of architecture, Matthew Nowicki, after his untimely death. Uplifted by his pioneering spirit, his students chose to carry it forward.

Photos showcasing Art2Wear's 20+ year history

May 25, 2023

Art2Wear: A Tradition of Showcasing Wearable Art

Art2Wear — one of the largest student-run productions of its kind in the Southeast — has become a highly anticipated annual wearable art showcase. But the first one was a small, grassroots production. It started in a fibers and surface design studio in 2002, where Vita Plume — then an assistant professor of art + design, who retired as an associate professor in 2012 — taught textile techniques such as weaving, knitting and dyeing cloth.

Art Clement sits in the back row of the NC State Men's Track and Field team in 1967. He went on to become the first African American student to graduate from the School of Design in 1971.

May 24, 2023

College of Design’s First African American Graduate Offers Perspective, Wisdom

Art Clement decided he would be an architect in the sixth grade, after learning about Frank Lloyd Wright and his Guggenheim Museum. Seven years later, he enrolled in NC State in 1966, part of the first wave of African American students attending the university. He began studying architecture in what was then called the School of Design. No one in the school looked like him, but he was committed to completing the five-year program.

Elizabeth Lee article in the Fayetteville Observer from December 30, 1985

May 22, 2023

Shattering Glass Ceilings To Shape a Modern World

Under a new dean and a new curriculum, Elizabeth Bobbit Lee thrived as the sole female graduate in a class full of men, even as she set the mold for a life well lived.

Students working at drafting tables in the College of Design, circa 1955

May 20, 2023

The Class That Started It All

The students who graduated from the School of Design in the spring of 1953 were the first to complete the new school’s five-year course load. Their commitment set the pace for everything that came after.