According to The Bulletin, the newsletter produced by North Carolina State University's News Services, in May of 2000 N. C. State announced a contest to select the school's first official flag. They received over 100 submissions from students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members. A panel of students, faculty, and alumni chose the top five proposals, and in September of 2000 the Board of Trustees selected the winner. Chosen by a vote of 9-2, the winning design came from Lynn Koonce, a graphic designer in N.C. State's Office of Public Affairs.
From the guide to the North Carolina State University, Committees, University Flag Committee Records, May-September 2000, (Special Collections Research Center)