The Living and Learning Villages at NC State give students an enrichment opportunity in on-campus housing that provides students with an environment where they can live and connect with others that share their same interests or experiences.
There are 16 different Living and Learning Villages with focuses spanning service, academic, and experiential topics. Chester Miller, director of Living and Learning Initiatives for the Division of Academic and Student Affairs, discussed how the Living and Learning Villages can have important benefits for students.
“Living and Learning Villages are residential communities designed for students who are interested,” Miller said. “If they have shared interests, common values to live together, learn together and grow together while they are attending classes here at NC State.”
The Living and Learning Villages are a way for students to enhance their time here on campus by providing each resident with a community of like-minded individuals. Karan Malhotra, a third-year studying mechanical engineering, has lived in the Impact Leadership Village for the past two years and currently serves as the president.
“Living in a village, you have a second home,” Malhotra said. “You have different experiences that you would have never even hoped of.”
Each village organizes various events and programs for the residents throughout the year to encourage interaction between students and to emphasize the central ideas of that village. According to Miller, the villages offer their residents “high-impact activities, events, and programs that are designed for students to broaden their experiences in the theme of that particular village.”
Jenna Nabors, a first-year studying communication, is an active member of the University Scholars Program and lives in the Scholars Village.
“My favorite experience with the Scholars Village are the VIA events,” Nabors said. “Because then you get to know a closer community and you also get scholars forum credit for the events you go to.”
Village in Action (VIA) groups are small groups organized within the village that encourage interpersonal interaction and allow members to participate in both on- and off-campus trips. The villages are made to appeal to a broad array of students who are seeking out ways to grow and learn beyond their academic classes.
“Some are connected to academic colleges,” Miller said. “Some that are sponsored, if you will, by units on campus that are non-academic, and then we have others that are more thematic, and so we provide a wide variety of options for the students to choose from based on their interests.”
Additionally, the villages are open to all students. The application to apply to a village for the upcoming fall semester, which is due this coming Friday, is available through MyPack Portal. According to Miller, this is a deadline for students who are not currently in a village.
“We have a few of our Living and Learning offerings that accept rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors,” Miller said.
The full list of villages with their descriptions is available on NC State University Housing website.
