NC State community,

Jim Pfaendtner has been named as NC State’s next executive vice chancellor and provost, effective May 11, 2026. Chancellor Kevin Howell announced his appointment today following a competitive national search.

“I’m so pleased to have Jim join our executive leadership team,” said Chancellor Howell. “During his tenure, we have seen the College of Engineering make incredible steps to fulfill the legislatively driven Engineering North Carolina’s Future initiative and to enhance the college’s national and global reputation for excellence in research, education and outreach. His experience in advancing interdisciplinary research and cultivating academic excellence is exactly what NC State needs as we honor our land-grant mission and look to the future of economic development and investment in North Carolina.”

As NC State’s chief academic officer, Pfaendtner will be responsible for helping to shape the institution’s academic mission. He succeeds Warwick Arden, who is returning as faculty to the College of Veterinary Medicine after serving as a senior leader at the university for nearly two decades. 

Most recently, Pfaendtner served as the Louis Martin-Vega Dean of Engineering at NC State, leading one of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive colleges of engineering, comprising more than 12,500 students and 750 faculty and staff.

The university’s selection process was steered by a search committee co-chaired by Kate Meurs, Randall B. Terry Jr. Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, and Lewis Owen, Dean of the College of Sciences.

More information can be found in today’s news release announcing Pfaendtner’s appointment.