Welcome to the Department of Entomology at North Carolina State University. We are happy to have you on board or considering becoming a member of our department. This portion of our departmental website is designed to answer many of the questions you will have as you enter your graduate program. It will also provide a valuable reference as you continue through your program over the next several years. Please read it carefully and refer to it often. Your fellow students will provide additional information as needed, as will our faculty and staff.

As a department, we enjoy an excellent reputation locally, nationally and internationally. This stems from our quality faculty, staff, current and former graduate students, and an academic setting which promotes individual and collective excellence. Our faculty, staff, and student body number well over 120 and represent many diverse interests. These are your colleagues. Get to know as many of them as possible. Our physical separation into many different locations on campus makes day-to-day contact difficult for some, so extra effort is required. However, once made, these contacts will serve you well throughout your life in many tangible and intangible ways. Take advantage of departmental activities -- games, picnics, seminars, retreats, parties and others. These will provide additional opportunities to interact with your colleagues.

Your opportunities at NCSU are many. I encourage you to take maximum advantage of them during the years you spend at NC State. You will have many challenges in your graduate programs, but you will look back on these years as some of the best in your life. Finally, my door is always open, and I welcome the opportunity to interact with you during your tenure at NC State.

Sincerely,

James D. Harper,
Head, Department of Entomology