In 1969, Dr. Charles Lyons Jr. became president and in that year the college was formally renamed Fayetteville State University and designated a regional university by an act of the state legislature. Later, in 1972, Dr. Lyons became the first chancellor of FSU when it was made a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina by legislative act. It was also under the chancellorship of Dr. Lyon's that the school became a Comprehensive Level I institution offering a variety of baccalaureate and master's degree programs.