NC State, NC A&T Officials Announce Historic $3 Million Endowment

Raleigh – (December 8th, 2008) University of North Carolina President Erskine Bowles, North Carolina State University Chancellor James L. Oblinger and North Carolina A&T State University Chancellor Stanley F. Battle announced a $3.15 million endowment from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in support of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) efforts to a build a sustainable, community-based food economy statewide.

The first of its kind, the W.K. Kellogg Endowed Chair in Community Based Food Systems awards NC State and NC A&T State $1.575 million each. The funds will support CEFS’ efforts to increase production, processing, distribution and consumption of local, sustainably raised foods in North Carolina, as well as enable the creation of an endowed chair at each university.

CEFS – recognized today as a national center for excellence in sustainable agriculture – was established in 1994 as a partnership of NC State, NC A&T State and the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to serve as a center dedicated to sustainable agriculture research, extension and education.

A sampling of local foods prepared by CEFS board member Andrea Reusing, chef and owner of Lantern restaurant, will follow the announcement. Gourmet magazine lists Lantern as one of the nation’s top 50 restaurants.