OFDS Event Recap: Highlights from Storytelling, Caregiving Leadership Training, and the New Faculty Mixer
March and April Events
As the academic year wrapped up, the College of Engineering’s Office of Faculty Development and Success (OFDS) hosted a series of spring programs to foster connection, growth, and leadership among faculty. These events brought faculty together across career stages and departments to reflect, share ideas, and build skills that support their evolving roles as educators, researchers, and leaders. From sharpening storytelling strategies to strengthening support for caregivers and reconnecting new faculty, these gatherings emphasized the value of community-driven development in engineering.
NC State Story Lab
As part of the Wolfpack Engineering Unleashed initiative, the NC State Story Lab hosted 27 faculty members on March 21st at the Monteith Research Center for an interactive workshop designed to enhance storytelling skills. Led by award-winning playwright and StoryReady founder Janece Shaffer, the workshop invited participants to explore how to use storytelling intentionally in teaching, research, mentoring, and leadership. Attendees learned practical storytelling techniques and had the opportunity to reflect on their professional journeys. Key takeaways included increased confidence in storytelling, a deeper understanding of how to use narrative for engagement, and a renewed sense of ownership over both personal and professional identity.
Faculty especially valued learning new storytelling strategies and hearing from colleagues across departments. Many plan to apply what they learned in the classroom when writing proposals and in mentoring conversations. This workshop highlighted the power of storytelling to foster connections and have a lasting impact across campus. Future sessions will build on this foundation with additional opportunities for one-on-one coaching and more advanced training.
CARE Coalition Part II – Visionary Initiatives
The second session of the CARE (Cultivating Action, Resilience, and Empowerment for Academic Caregivers) Coalition workshop series, held virtually on March 28, 2025, focused on advancing small, faculty-led changes that support academic caregivers. Participants explored how personal experiences can fuel leadership, how institutional transformation can begin with micro-initiatives, and how a shared vision for change can shape more inclusive policies and practices in higher education.
The session began with a leadership reflection from Laura Bottomley, Ph.D., Director of the Engineering Education Program and founder of The Engineering Place, who shared how her early efforts in K–12 outreach led to broader institutional impact. Meredith McDevitt, Ph.D, then invited participants to imagine an NC State that fully supports caregivers through personal storytelling, which laid the foundation for the shared group vision activity.
The session continued with Shaun Bennett, Research Librarian for Business, Education, and Immersive Pedagogy, who shared an example of a micro-initiative from NC State Libraries: activity backpacks that make library spaces more welcoming for caregivers. Building on that, Megan Morin, Ph.D., and McDevitt then facilitated an activity that guided participants in identifying a small-scale problem and translating it into an actionable micro-initiative using a virtual planning workbook tool. The workshop concluded with reflections from Vice Chancellor Doneka Scott, Ph.D., and Associate Dean Joel Ducoste, Ph.D., who discussed the role of academic leadership in shaping culture and fostering sustainable change.
Looking ahead, the CARE Coalition will continue to grow as a hub for leadership development, storytelling, and grassroots action, supporting academic caregivers. Through curated resources, an evolving inventory of micro-initiatives, and a vibrant peer community, CARE empowers faculty and staff to drive meaningful, lasting change in higher education.
New Faculty Ice Cream Social
On April 2, new faculty members joined the OFDS team, along with partners from the Office of Faculty Excellence, the Engineering Office of Equity, Wellbeing, and Engagement, University Libraries, The Engineering Place, and Engineering Communications, for the New Faculty Ice Cream Social in the courtyard outside our newly relocated office in Research Building I. Guests enjoyed Howling Cow ice cream, cookies from local favorite The Cookie People, and a fully stocked ice cream bar.
This event marked the final gathering of the academic year for the New Faculty Community—a network of faculty in their first three years at NC State, which originated from the August New Faculty Orientation. The Ice Cream Social provided space for faculty to reconnect, meet campus partners, and strengthen ties within the College.
These spring events concluded our academic year programming and offered faculty opportunities to connect, reflect, and explore new ideas. As we prepare to welcome new faculty in August, we will continue to build on this foundation by supporting faculty in their first three years and throughout their careers through practical, community-focused programming.
Looking Ahead
As the academic year winds down, OFDS will conclude its spring programming with the Wolfpack Engineering Unleashed Incubator on May 8–9. This semester’s events have supported faculty across ranks and roles, with opportunities focused on storytelling, leadership, teaching, and building community. Looking ahead to 2025–26, OFDS will expand its efforts with new mentorship programming, continued support for faculty communities, and a series of workshops and events designed to strengthen connections, foster growth, and advance innovation in research, teaching, and faculty leadership.
