This semester, Jim Pfaendtner became the new dean of the College of Engineering, overseeing more than 300 faculty members and 11,000 students. His goal is to lead a college that offers a cutting edge education to students who are valued by a staff that encourages curiosity. 

Pfaendtner has a degree in chemical engineering from Georgia Tech and a master’s degree from Northwestern. He previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Utah and ETH Zurich, a public research institute in Switzerland. 

Most recently, he worked as a professor of chemical engineering and chemistry and the department chair of chemical engineering at the University of Washington. 

Pfaendtner said because NC State is a land-grant university, it lends itself to public service and the betterment of the world around its students. 

“The people who come to NC State engineering do so because they want to be in a place where you can take technology and engineering and put it to work for people,” Pfaendtner said. “Professors and students approach research problems really differently. You’re not trying to just make the best, sexiest new invention that breaks some record; … you’re trying to make a new solar cell that can work for rural communities.”

Pfaendtner said while stepping into the role has been daunting, he’s enjoying the transition.

“Becoming a dean from being a leader of a department is a big step up, and I love it,” Pfaendtner said. “I’m learning so many new things as an academic and as a curious person. It’s really fun.”

Pfaendtner said he’s primarily focused on amplifying the positive practices already in place in the engineering program. 

“My number one goal is to do no harm and just keep all the good things coming,” Pfaendtner said. “This is a great college of engineering, and I don’t want to break anything.”

Pfaendtner is a strong advocate for mental health, emphasizing its importance for engineers. 

“I know the past 15 to 18 months has been a challenging time for students on the NC State campus,” Pfaendtner said. “As a person who is among the most privileged people that you could imagine, right, just by my identity, the job I have, the resources that are available, I found an increasing ability to talk about my own struggles with mental health.”

Pfaendtner said he has struggled with mental health his whole life and now takes medication for it, visits a therapist and works out regularly to keep healthy. He said he wants students in the College of Engineering to know about his experience and know their dean can identify with people who are struggling.

“I just want people to know that, and maybe feel comforted by that if that’s available for them,” Pfaendtner said. “And if nothing else, to know that this has my full attention, has my team’s full attention, and we are working with everybody at the University as hard as we can to create an environment where students can reach their full potential and feel supported.” 

Pfaendtner’s time as the dean of the College of Engineering follows Louis Martin-Vega, who worked in the position for 17 years. 

“Everybody just says wonderful things about him,” Pfaendtner said. “He’s an incredible person and already a mentor for me. So what I want to do is keep on the trajectory and the vision that he set because it was an excellent one.” 

Pfaendtner conducts his own research in addition to his professional career. His research focuses on developing medical materials, like implants, that don’t cause adverse reactions in the body. 

“A dean is really busy, as you could imagine,” Pfaendtner said. “My research program will sort of shrink to an appropriate scale. … I will still have a team working on some of these cool science projects I’m interested in, but I’ve got to have the right sized team so I can still mentor people.”

The College of Engineering is experiencing rapid growth with a nearly 40% increase in enrollment. Pfaendtner said this is his biggest challenge because he doesn’t want to see the quality of education go down in order to “grow for the sake of growing.” 

Pfaendtner said his goal is to preserve the opportunities already available to students and expand them by utilizing the new buildings, professors and partnerships. 

Mechelle Belvin, the executive assistant to the dean of engineering, said she is hopeful for Pfaendtner’s future at the University. 

“Each dean is different,” Belvin said. “I think that the new dean will do great work here. … He’s younger, so he has a great vision of how he sees how the College of Engineering will look in the future.” 

Pfaendtner said he loves connecting with students and encouraged students to reach out to him personally.

“I am the dean of every student in the college; I am the dean of their parents; I’m the dean of the alumni and the faculty and staff,” Pfaendtner said. “And I love hearing from students.”