Professional Development
Resources for faculty and staff who do community engagement work
Resources for community engagement
NC State is a member of several networks of community-engaged colleges and universities. As members, all NC State employees and students have access to a variety of professional development, funding, networking and other opportunities.
Campus Compact
- The Research University Civic Engagement Network (TRUCEN) convenes R1 Compact members to share knowledge and strategize together.
- Annual conference: Campus Compact national conferences are the largest and most inclusive national conferences focused on the role of higher education in building healthy communities and fostering a just and equal democracy.
- Typically held in March
- Discounted conference registration options
- Extensive online resources for faculty, staff and students, including webinars
- Community Engagement Professional Credentialing program
- Learning cohorts
- Engaged Scholars Initiative (ESI): The ESI is a one-year, cohort-based leadership & professional development program for early-career faculty and staff meant to strengthen their community-engaged scholarship and effectiveness as civic engagement practitioners.
- Mid-Career Learning Community. A cohort-based professional development opportunity for mid-career community engagement professionals
Engagement Scholarship Consortium
- Annual conference: The Engagement Scholarship Consortium International Conference is typically held in October.
- Engaged Scholarship Research/Creative Activities Grants Program for Faculty
- up to $5,000 to fund a one-year project
- Typically due in August for January project start
- Campus discounts on trainings:
- Preparing and Evaluating Engagement Dossiers
- Integrating Community-Based Learning into Course Curricula: Design and Implementation
- Extensive resources including lists of peer-reviewed journals about CE
- Outreach and Engagement Practitioners Network (OEPN)
North Carolina Campus Engagement
- Grants and resources, usually community service and student-oriented
- Pathways to Achieving Civic Engagement Conference: The 2026 conference theme is “Deepening Civic Learning and Fortifying Civic Culture: What can campuses do now to build beyond 250?”
- Awards:
- Engaged Faculty Award recognizes one faculty member in North Carolina for exemplary engaged teaching and scholarship
- Community Partner Award recognizes one community partner in the state that has engaged in the development of a sustained, reciprocal partnership with an NC Campus Engagement member institution
Association of Public & Land Grant Universities (APLU)
- Annual conference: The 2026 conference will be held November 15-17, 2026 in San Antonio, TX.
- The Commission on Economic & Community Engagement (CECE) was established to lead and coordinate APLU’s mission pillar of “expanding engagement.”
- Member benefits:
NC State Resources
Professional Development | Faculty Central provides a repository of tools and resources, including opportunities for professional development.
University Human Resources provides a curated selection of courses to prepare you for working with community partners, including collaboration, communication and team dynamics.
NC State Continuing and Lifelong Education customized training and development.