WISE Village
The WISE Village is a living and learning community designed especially for first and second-year women in the Colleges of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Engineering, Natural Resources, Physical & Mathematical Sciences, and Textiles. WISE Village is located in Lee Residence Hall.
WISE provides women scientists and engineers the opportunity to network with each other in the classroom and beyond. The experience begins with a summer bridge program where participants meet their mentors, get to know each other, start to get acclimated to NC State, and have fun!
Other unique WISE Village features include block scheduling in core courses, tutoring, study groups, a speaker series, social and cultural events, professional development opportunities, faculty dinners, community service and K-12 outreach opportunities, and more!
Residential Experience
WISE brings first and second-year female students and upper-class resident mentors together in Lee Hall, with the goal of enhancing their academic success and providing them with positive experiences as they live and study with others who share common interests. WISE currently occupies three floors in Lee Hall, and the 8th and 9th floor lounges are equipped with computers for WISE women to use.
Academic Experience
The WISE Village is a supportive environment in which future engineers and scientists engage in focused inquiry within their disciplines and begin to develop the skills and talents necessary to become successful professionals. One of the special things the WISE Village provides is a speaker series that highlights dynamic women with interesting and successful careers in science and engineering fields. There are many other opportunities for WISE women to enhance their academic success and build lasting relationships with fellow students, mentors, faculty and staff.
Programming Efforts
The WISE Village plans social, educational, and cultural activities to help residents interact with each other and develop a sense of community while exploring opportunities for interacting in a global society. For example, "WISE Wednesdays", an evening social hour, gives residents an opportunity to develop interpersonal relationships while enjoying food and good company. Throughout the year, seminars, cultural trips and industry visits are planned to give the participants an idea of what life beyond college is all about. In addition, village residents can receive free tickets to local events, spend quality time with their assigned mentor group, and participate in community service opportunities at local schools, foodbanks and other agencies. During their community service time in local schools, they mentor aspiring science, math and engineering students. The Speaker Series offers residents an intimate look at the lives of successful female professional engineers, scientists, and mathematicians.
Academic Benefits
The WISE Village offers first-semester class clustering as well as academic support for basic science and math classes required for all engineering, math and science majors. What does this mean? It means that it's easy to form study groups within WISE, since many of the women are taking the same or similar courses. And WISE provides academic support in the form of tutoring and mentoring. Also, there are floor lounges and office space equipped with computers and resource materials, for studying in groups and individually.
What is Summer Bridge?
At the beginning of the school year, the WISE Village participants are able to move in early to allow time for Summer Bridge. During the program, the women begin to get a taste of what it’s like to be a woman in math, science and engineering - it's about discovery, innovation and teamwork. At the Summer Bridge program, the residents have an opportunity to not only meet each other and their upper-class mentor for the first time, but also spend quality interaction time laying the foundation upon which future relationships can form. In addition, the women discuss academics, college life, and explore ways to balance it all. There are also hands-on activities to stimulate the use of problem-solving skills and creativity. Summer Bridge ultimately provides WISE women with the essential knowledge and resources to navigate the first several weeks of their freshmen year.
Unique Community Features
- Resident mentors
- Block scheduling in core courses
- Academic support
- Women's speaker series
- Social and cultural events
- Professional development opportunities
- Leadership opportunities
- Field experiences
- Interaction with faculty and staff outside the classroom
- Community service and K-12 outreach opportunities, and more!
Contact Information
Kathy Titus-Becker
Wise Director
(919) 513-7608
Clyde Wilson
Assistant Director, Lee Hall
(919) 515-7215
