RALEIGH, N.C. — Officials of North Carolina State University said Monday that they will ask the North Carolina Council of State to defer until a later meeting the council's action on a proposed land lease for the Centennial Campus Executive Conference Center, Hotel and Golf Course.

NCSU Chancellor Marye Anne Fox said the request to defer consideration of the land lease would allow the university to continue its all-out effort to identify a private-sector partner to construct and operate the conference center complex.

Fox said she anticipates completing these negotiations on a fast track and bringing the resulting contract back to the Council of State as soon as feasible.

The university has promised Centennial Campus partners and the N.C. State community a state-of-the-art facility for educational conferences and executive training.

"The Executive Conference Center continues to be a top priority for the university and our Board of Trustees," Fox said Monday. "We want everyone to fully understand the importance of this project to our university community, the region and the state of North Carolina."

Fox said The Executive Conference Center and Hotel will be a resource for Centennial Campus constituents and the entire community. It is considered a cornerstone of the Centennial Campus master plan, a critical resource for many N.C. State academic programs and an essential component of the university's teaching, research and engagement land-grant mission.