First minority assistant and associate dean

George Bland became the first African American appointed as an Assistant Dean (Undergraduate Student Services, 1982) and as an Associate Dean (Undergraduate Programs, 1985).

The first 2+2 program was established with the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Students complete their first one or two years in Asheville, then transfer to NC State.

The College established the Minority Engineering Programs when it hired Bobby Pettis as the first minority coordinator in 1982.