2024-2025 Wilson College of Textiles Annual Report

Executive Summary

Despite many changes during the 2024-2025 academic year, the Wilson College of Textiles has remained adaptable and positive, finishing strong and continuing the groundbreaking textile education, research and innovation that has given it its global reputation. In fall 2024, we celebrated 125 years of textile education at NC State University. In collaboration with University Special Events, we hosted more than 150 donors, industry partners and key alumni for a milestone event, which featured an immersive exhibit and published book highlighting the college. We capped off the fiscal year with a remarkable $10 million dollar donation from the Wilson family, $8M of which will go toward the college to complete the funds needed to fully endow all 40 Centennial Scholars. This extraordinary gift toward the college’s most prestigious scholarship program will not only allow us to increase scholarship values in the future, it will allow us to focus other fundraising resources toward even more scholarship opportunities, helping us recruit top students from across the state and globe while minimizing student debt. 

In another unprecedented philanthropic milestone, the NC Textile Foundation team and Dean’s office and college leadership secured a $1.5 million gift from the Milliken Family Foundation to name our world-renowned Textile Protection and Comfort Center for a five-year period. In a year of research challenges, we also made major progress with our nonprofit and community college partners for Phase 1 funding for the NSF Textile Innovation Engine and are strongly positioned for submitting a groundbreaking proposal to the Department of Defense for a multimillion-dollar American manufacturing innovation institute for textiles and fibers in FY26. Our industry connections, highly engaged and committed alumni and friends, award-winning faculty and remarkable philanthropic partners are the bedrock of our reputation as the global leader in textile education, research, innovation and service. We remain committed to catalyzing the transformation of the U.S. textiles industry and strengthening an industry that not only provides more than 500,000 American jobs, but is critical to our homeland security.

Other noteworthy achievements for the Wilson College include:

• Celebrated the 25th anniversary of our Centennial Scholars program and solicited a new $10M investment from the Wilson family, $8M to fully endow 40 Centennial scholarships and $2M toward NC State Athletics.
• Implemented a plan to increase our Ph.D. base stipend to $23,000/year in January 2025. This represents a 44% increase to our base stipend in the past five years.
  
• Continued exceptional career outcomes with a 95% success rate for our undergraduates within six months of graduation.
• Maintained our enrollment growth from FY24, with a 15% increase in enrollment in FY25 compared to the three-year average.
• Maintained a remarkably high retention rate at 96.9% (NC State’s is 94.4%).
• Ensured 73% of our students graduated with an undergraduate internship experience, with 30% of those experiences leading directly to full-time employment offers.
• Continued to have very high staff and faculty retention (92%).
  Our world-class faculty received two NSF Career Awards, two Goodnight Early Career Innovator awards, two University Faculty Scholars, Innovator of the Year and more. Associate Dean of Research Xiangwu Zhang was awarded the Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal of Excellence by the NC State Board of Trustees.
• Faculty published 136 journal articles and disclosed 12 patents. 88% of those publications had a graduate student listed as an author, and 10% had undergraduate students listed as authors. 
• Secured an $80K sponsorship to host the inaugural Pitch to the Pack event, which supported textile entrepreneurs in partnership with Wells Fargo and the Andrews Launch Accelerator.
• Celebrated a $1.5 million investment from the Milliken & Company Charitable Foundation to accelerate protective and comfort research and create critical graduate fellowships in the newly named Milliken Textile Protection and Comfort Center.
• Launched Phase 1 of funding for our NSF Engine grant, which thus far has invested more than $1M in workforce development initiatives at the high school and professional levels, including a major partnership with the North Carolina Department of Public Education to bring textile curriculum to high schools across our state.
• Increased our Ph.D. base stipend to $23,000/year in January 2025. This represents a 44% increase to our base stipend in the past five years.

Our primary goals for the coming academic year include:

• Continue to increase student enrollment and maintain retention to meet the demand for our graduates.
• Continue to strengthen our close-knit college culture and well-being by intentionally living our Culture Charter and core values of compassion, equality, collaboration, sustainability and innovation.
• Continue the trajectory of our private-public business model by increasing non-state revenues via research and innovation grants, philanthropic support, professional education and other services.
• Augment our unique value proposition with the highest return on investment of any college, by intentionally reducing student debt while expanding student access to our portfolio of high impact experiences, including study abroad, entrepreneurship, undergraduate research and Wilson for Life programming.
• Grow doctoral student stipends to recruit the highest quality students. 
• Continue to attract and retain impactful and collaborative staff and faculty.
• Continue our record of leading in innovation by translating our research to commercial success and transforming the U.S. textiles industry into a resilient, competitive, advanced manufacturing supply chain that is critical to our nation’s homeland security.

Below is a summary of our key achievements, challenges and goals for the coming year.

University Goal 1: Empower students for a lifetime of success and impact

Student success remains the center of all that we do, and it shows in our above average retention and career success metrics. Our graduates continue to be in high demand. In total, of the 86% of May 2024 Wilson College of Textiles undergraduate degree recipients who reported an outcome, 95% were working in a related field or continuing their education within 6 months of graduation. Other notable student success achievements from this year include:

• Boasted remarkably high retention rate at 97% (NC State’s is 94%).
• Fully endowed our Centennial Scholarship program for 40 students thanks to generous philanthropic support from the Wilson family.
• Hosted the inaugural Pitch to the Pack event, empowering student, alumni, faculty and staff textile entrepreneurs, with the first-place award going to Reid Barnett, a current doctoral student.
• Ensured 73% of our students had an undergraduate internship experience, with 30% of those experiences leading directly to full-time employment offers.
• Grew the Blend Mentorship Program to include 75 mentors and 86 mentees. This successful program connects talented graduates with outstanding students who can directly benefit from their expertise and knowledge.
• Continued growth of our summer Research Experience for Undergraduates program, providing important learning opportunities for undergraduate students. In 2024 we supported 38 students and in the summer of 2025 we reached our maximum capacity of slightly over 40 students.
• Continued the implementation of the Wilson for Life program. Established in 2022, this new program expands on support for all students and all approximately 11,000 alumni to provide a lifetime of support, initially with four key pillars:
  • Lifetime careers services support
  • Discounted lifetime continuing education, via our Zeis Textiles Extension department
  • Mentoring via our Blend Mentorship Program
  • Professional networking support among our global network of 11,000 alumni
• Boasted the highest average scholarship amount per student receiving a scholarship of any other college at NC State and the highest number of scholarships per student, along with CALS (over 16%). 

Key Goals for FY26:

• Continue progress in establishing a living wage stipend for doctoral graduate students.
• Continue to implement an updated recruitment strategy that communicates our unique value.
• Complete Phase One of the $7M Flex Factory construction project.
• Strengthen our student organizations, particularly the Tompkins Textile Student Council and the Textile Association of Graduate Students, prioritizing engagement, leadership development and transparency. 

University Goal 2: Ensure preeminence in research scholarship, innovation and collaboration

Despite significant disruptions to federal funding, the college remained steadfast in its mission to position the Wilson College of Textiles as a global leader in textile research and innovation. Through strategic collaboration across all departments and units, we continued to drive the creation and dissemination of knowledge, foster stakeholder engagement and promote economic development. Our support fostered a collaborative research environment and visionary leadership. Key efforts included:

• A remarkable record in knowledge transfer from our world-renowned faculty and staff, many in co-authorship with our students, with 136 peer-reviewed publications, 34 media publications, 12 patents disclosed, another 8 patents filed for, and 254 presentations given both locally and globally.
• Our research funding remains resilient for the long-term, rising from $4.4M in FY21 to $11.9M in FY24. The Wilson College of Textiles was not immune to federal funding challenges, with total research awards declining to $6.8M in FY25. While this figure is lower than the previous two fiscal years, it remains higher than the amounts awarded in FY21 and FY22, underscoring the continued strength and resilience of the college’s research programs.
• Supported 104 proposal applications through our research office in FY25 for funding amounts totaling $22.5M.
• Despite termination of funding for our Hilando Oportunidades project with USAID, we were able to complete our workforce development project in Central America with industry support from Parkdale Mills.

Key Goals for FY26: 

• Prioritize industry-funded collaborations (such as Milliken naming of TPACC) to increase graduate stipends to highly competitive levels.
• Successfully execute a winning proposal for the Department of Defense’s recompete funding a multimillion-dollar textile and fiber innovation institute, designed to strengthen American manufacturing and fund groundbreaking innovative research.
• Maintain resilience amidst federal funding challenges.

Service environment updates or changes:

• Impact of elimination of several federal grants, including FEMA and USAID (we maintained all staffing).
• Potential impact of reduction of F&A. 
• Tariffs on North Carolina textile companies could impact the demand for graduates.
• Importance of state support for innovation in textiles and other key industries.

University Goal 3: Expand and advance our engagement with and service to North Carolina and beyond, defining the standard for a 21st-century land-grant university

The Wilson College of Textiles continues to be a model for strong industry-academic partnerships, building new programs to advance the textile industry and drive economic growth in our state and beyond. The achievements listed below are catalyzing our industry toward a more sustainable model of development with a renewed focus on meeting the military’s capacity and technical capability needs and serving first responders. We continue to make an impact on the community by addressing topics such as, but not limited to: fiber innovations, firefighter safety and health, reducing the environmental footprint of textiles and textile production and creating impactful change in sustainable textile manufacturing and recycling. Some key achievements this past year include:

• Partnered with the NC Department of Public Instruction through the NSF Textile Innovation Engine of North Carolina to support textile curriculum for 110 high schools and more than 5,000 students annually.
• Launched a new TextilesNC website for our professional development resources and courses in collaboration with Gaston College.
• Continued strong recruitment across the state via 1,542 high school students interacted with through school visits, and another 697 visiting the college.
• Prepared for construction to begin on the $7M W. Duke Kimbrell Flex Factory, with the Prototype Lab already a hive of activity with entrepreneurs.

Key Goals for FY26:

• Ensure all major grants are successful and lead to next-phase grant funding, including phase 2 funding for the NSF Engine.
• Expand our scholarship strategy to reach need-based students across North Carolina, enabling them to graduate with minimal unmet need.

University Goal 4: Champion a culture of equality, belonging and well-being in all we do

Since revamping our vision, mission and core values in 2019, our college’s reputation of being a family-centered, welcoming place for all students, staff and faculty has only grown. We are committed to realizing our vision of a compassionate world in which textiles enhance sustainability and quality of life for all. This commitment is fully aligned with the university’s Strategic Plan, and we continue to see results. Some key achievements this past year include:

• Launched our fully-furnished Employee Collaboration Space, providing an informal and interdisciplinary hub for employees to connect.
• Hosted many events for our community through the Culture and Well-being Committee:
  • 2 All-College Advance meetings and 1 Staff Advance
  • 2 All-College celebratory events (Holiday Party and Awards Ceremony)
  • 15 free coffee mornings (“Think and Brew”) for staff and faculty, providing an informal and drop-in space for collaboration and connection
  • Offered financial well-being workshop, in-house massage chair event and search committee training

Key Goals for FY26:

• Expand access to scholarships to all students.
• Achieve a Well Wolfpack Gold certification.
• Implement college-wide professional development that more strongly supports living by our Culture Charter.

Special honors and awards that enhance our culture and elevate our brand

• Dr. Xiangwu Zhang was awarded the Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal of Excellence. Dr. Zhang was also named an inaugural Highly Ranked Scholar by ScholarGPS (#3 for lifetime impact in the field of Carbon Nanofiber, and #6 in Nanofiber).
• Janie Woodbridge, MFA received the Outstanding Teacher Award.
• Drs. Sonja Salmon and Kavita Mathur received the 2024-2025 Chancellor’s University Faculty Scholar Award.
• Dr. Ahmed El-Shafei won NC State’s Innovator of the Year Award.
• Drs. Jessica Gluck and Rong Yin were awarded Goodnight Early Career Innovator Awards.
• Dr. Jessica Gluck received the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund Award.
• Melissa Sharp received the Outstanding Extension and Engagement Award.
• Drs. Jessica Gluck and Yang Zhang were selected for lab space in the new Woodson Hall as part of the Integrated Sciences Initiative.
• Dr. Rong Yin and Dr. Yang Zhang received NSF CAREER Awards, and Dr. Yang Zhang also received a NIH MIRA ESI award.
• Dr. Lonny Carter received the International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes (IFFTI) Initiative Early Career Researcher Award.
• Dr. Byoungho Jin received the highest award given by the International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) by being recognized as an ITAA Fellow for outstanding contributions to the field of textiles and clothing.
• Kate Nartker, MFA received the Folger Institute Artistic Research Fellowship.
• Dr. Amanda Mills received the Bette E. Barnes Early Career Scientist Award from Graduate Women in Science.
• Dr. Eunkyoung Shim received the Frank Tiller Award For Leadership in Engineering and Education from the American Filtration & Separation Society (AFS).
• Steve and Frosene Zeis received the prestigious Menscer Cup Award for their transformative philanthropy to the Wilson College of Textiles. This top award from the NC State University Foundation celebrates the couple’s dedication to advancing student scholarships, workforce development and faculty leadership. 
• Sherry McCraw, a member of the NCTF Board of Directors, received the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award from the NC State Alumni Association. 

University Goal 5: Improve university effectiveness through transformative technologies, cutting-edge processes and actionable data

In FY25, the Wilson College of Textiles completed a major restructuring of our facilities (TFO) and IT (TCTS) teams to report up through our assistant dean of finance and operations. This streamline has significantly improved efficiency and community culture and put us in a prime position for the Flex Factory demolition and renovation project that will take place across FY26 and FY27. In addition, we:

• Supported Phase 1 upgrade of our security master plan in collaboration with SAT.
• Implemented a new open-source remote desktop support system.
• Contracted higher education consulting firm EAB for a project researching how our industry is utilizing AI in order to better equip our students for the workforces.

Key Goals for FY26:

• Implement a new event management scheduling software (Mazevo) that will create an easy-to-use reservation system for the college and university/industry partners booking spaces such as the Convocation Center.
• Provide training courses or material to empower faculty to leverage cutting-edge technology like AI.
• College business office to restructure shadow sheets and reporting infrastructure to better reconcile with university reporting and better serve colleagues.

University Goal 6: Lead in developing innovative partnerships, entrepreneurial thinking and applied problem-solving

This year, the Wilson College of Textiles particularly excelled in strengthening our partnerships in pursuit of encouraging entrepreneurship and bringing innovative research to market. With the help of the North Carolina Textile Foundation, the college secured an $80,000 sponsorship from the Wells Fargo Foundation to host a ‘Shark Tank’ pitch event highlighting textile entrepreneurs. The three winning businesses were pitched respectively by a Wilson College doctoral student, a Wilson College staff member and a Wilson College faculty member. In addition, much of this year has been spent connecting with partners to strengthen our proposal for a Department of Defense grant supporting an American manufacturing innovation institute for textiles and fibers in FY26. Some key achievements this past year include:

• Submitted $5.6M in inter-college research proposals, awarded over $720K in intercollege collaborative funding.
• Received $1.5M in April 2025 from the Milliken & Company Charitable Foundatio to accelerate protective and comfort research and create critical graduate fellowships in the newly named Milliken Textile Protection and Comfort Center (fixed-term naming of five years).
• Held the first AI in the Textile and Fashion Industries Conference in August 2024 through our TATM department, which is now organizing a second AI conference. The event was attended by faculty and students, as well as textile industry professionals and focused on AI applications throughout the textile supply chain.
• Completed the first year of a 5-year renewal of our Dual Degree Partnership with Zhejiang Sci-Tech University (ZSTU) in China. Four 500-level courses were delivered to ZSTU students in-person at ZSTU in fall 2024 and spring 2025. This agreement provides an opportunity for ZSTU students to obtain a Master of Textiles from NC State University and a Master of Engineering from Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, China.
• Continued TPACC’s participation in the NC Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which aims to enhance the productivity, innovative capacity and technological performance of North Carolina based manufacturing firms.
• The college continued its strong partnership with the NSF Textile Innovation Engine of North Carolina and collaborated with industry academic-partners to form a consortia going after major grant opportunities.

Key Goals for FY26:

• Continue our strong partnerships.

University Goal 7: Elevate the national and global reputation and visibility of NC State

NC State University celebrated 125 years of textile innovation, education and research in 2024, and the reputation of Wilson College is indebted to its legacy. This past year, our brand was consistently recognized both locally and globally. Key achievements include:

• Hosted a college-wide 125th Anniversary Celebration on Sept. 26, 2024, in collaboration with the University Special Events team, the North Carolina Textile Foundation and the college’s communications team. More than 150 donors, industry partners and key alumni attended the milestone event, which featured an immersive video and exhibit highlighting the college’s past, present and future.
• Published a book (Becoming the Wilson College of Textiles) on the history of textile education at NC State. In addition to appearing at the celebration, the book was sent to major alumni, partners and donors and has already received an overwhelmingly positive response.
• Tabled at SciWri, a national science writers conference, and hosted two tours and a media drop to raise awareness of our research and innovation.
• The Textile Protection and Comfort Center was featured on PBS Nova, highlighting Cassandra Kwon’s female firefighter fit research and the research of Roger Barker, Shawn Deaton and John Morton-Aslanis. Episode aired on Nov. 20, 2024.
• External media stories about our staff, faculty and students totaled 56, including features in WUNC, Axios Raleigh, Nature and mentions or quotes in the NY Times, Raleigh Magazine, Slate and Consumer Reports.
• Our social media metrics continue to skyrocket. Our YouTube channel had more than twice as many views this year (nearly 24,000), while our Instagram and LinkedIn grew in engagements by 362% and 62% respectively. 
• We once again worked with the NC State Trademark Office to send one student to U of NYFW programming in fall 2024 and in spring 2025 completely free of charge. We will continue the partnership in FY26.
• Dr. Sonja Salmon organized and hosted a significant conference (the BIG conference) this year, which attracted many participants from out of state to discuss research and innovation around sustainability and CO2 capture.
• Our programs’ 2024 national ranks by Fashion-Schools.org are a testament to our reputation and visibility. NC State was ranked #27 in the Top 50 Fashion Design Schools and Colleges in the U.S. and #4 in the Top 10 Fashion Design Schools in the South.

Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement

In FY25, the Wilson College of Textiles, empowered by the North Carolina Textile Foundation, continued its strong relationship with more than 11,000 alumni through our Wilson for Life initiative. The NCTF raised over $1 million for the sixth consecutive year on Day of Giving. On March 26, 566 generous donors, including 84 first-time NC State donors, gave 546 gifts to 31 funds, providing critical support for scholarships, academic programs, research and sustaining the college’s most valuable asset: our students. Thanks to a generous $8M gift from the Wilson family to fully endow all 40 Centennial scholarships, the NCTF raised more than $10.8M total in FY25. Despite being one of the university’s smallest colleges, this amount exceeds what was raised by the College of Design, the College of Education, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the College of Natural Resources, the Poole College of Management and the College of Sciences. 

Key Goals for FY26:

• Grow the NCTF endowment beyond $100 million.
• Increase scholarship value.
• Expand our need-based financial aid through the Pioneer Scholars program and other, new forms of assistance to empower all our students to receive aid and to graduate with little to no unmet need.

Summary

Despite a turbulent year, our college is poised to enter FY26 more resilient and motivated than ever to serve our students, our state and our industry. We support entrepreneurs, form interdisciplinary partnerships and ensure that all members of our community have the opportunity to transform their own lives. We remain thankful to the university for its support and vision to produce next-level leaders who Think and Do.