Connecting in North Carolina (CINC) Tour

NC State has a rich history of providing and delivering unique opportunities and educational programs to the 100 counties and tribal lands in our state. The Connecting in North Carolina (CINC) Tour is an annual opportunity for recently hired faculty and staff to gain a better understanding of the University’s outreach and community engagement endeavors across North Carolina.

The June 2026 tour, which will visit community partners in the coastal plains region, will mark the 20th time this Wolfpack tradition hits the road. In 2025, the tour traveled to western North Carolina’s mountainous region to explore community engagement opportunities in counties impacted by the devastation of Hurricane Helene. 

Program Goals

The CINC Tour serves as a catalyst for participants to:

  • Build networks with interdisciplinary colleagues and engaged citizens across the state
  • Identify opportunities for engaged scholarship that will contribute to the common good
  • Understand NC State’s community impact and visit communities that our students call home

What to Expect


Each stop on the two- or three-day route features site visits, tours, presentations and authentic conversations with partners, colleagues and citizens from outside Wake County. The tour rotates each year between North Carolina’s geographic regions: the Piedmont, the mountains and the coastal plains. 

Participants meet with leaders in local and regional government and industry, founders and workers in nonprofits, small business owners, cooperative extension agents and many others. Every stop has a connection to the Wolfpack, guided by the expertise of our Engagement Operations Council members.

“For new faculty especially, it can be difficult to understand what “the land-grant mission” is. The CINC Tour is where the rubber hits the road: we take a bus full of new faculty and staff to meet some of the partners we have in a geographic region of the state.”

— David Monks, vice provost for Outreach and Engagement and associate dean and director of NC State Extension in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Participants’ Experiences

The CINC tour is designed for new faculty and staff nominated by a dean or unit director who are within their first seven years of employment. Each college or department may send up to two representatives per year. Not sure if the tour is right for you? See what past participants had to say:

“My expectations were already quite high, but the CINC experience was really phenomenal. I did not realize we have so many opportunities for synergy across the state.”
Pieter Verhallen, 2025 cohort
Assistant Teaching Professor, Poole College of Management

“The CINC tour was a wonderful experience and very inspiring. It should be required for all new faculty at NC State.”
Andrés Tellez, 2025 cohort
Assistant Professor of Design, College of Design

“This experience was truly unique. It was well-organized, high-energy and transformative. Feeling like a larger part of the NC State family on this tour has been fantastic.”
Valeria López Torres, 2025 cohort
Assistant Professor, Graphic & Experience Design, College of Design

“The CINC tour gives you a real feel for how we at NC State are working with the entire state population. Join the tour – you’ll enjoy it and get a lot out of it.”
Bryan Clift, 2025 cohort
Assistant Professor, Parks, Recreation and Tourism, College of Natural Resources

“The CINC tour was an incredible view into the many different approaches we can take to address today’s challenging issues. It’s worth your time.”
Bess Williamson, 2025 cohort
Associate Professor, Design Studies, College of Design

2025 CINC Tour Gallery

Participants pose for a group tour on the last day.
Tom Kon, Associate Professor and Southeastern Apple Research Specialist in Horticultural Science, speaks to the CINC Tour in the apple orchard of the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research & Extension Center
Madison County Extension Director Elizabeth Ayers stands in the Fairgrounds that became a supply distribution center after Hurricane Helene.
Tour participants pose for a photo in historic Marshall, NC, with NC Cooperative Extension agents from Madison County.
Douglas Rao, Research Scientist with the NC Institute for Climate Studies, drives a GeoGlobe in the Our Changing World exhibit of the Asheville Museum of Science. The GeoGlobe allows exploration of real-time climate data from NOAA and NASA.
A group of people listening to a talk in a restaurant
2025 tour participants listen to a panel discussion with the NC State’s Economic Development Partnership in Asheville, NC.