This year, the Women’s Center celebrates its 30th anniversary at NC State. At the heart of this rich and storied history is a group of tenacious students who sought to establish a space dedicated to advancing gender equity and social justice on campus. With the support of Student Affairs staff and the provost, their dream became a reality in October 1991.

That student-led vision has continued to shape the campus climate and culture at NC State to this day, ensuring that every program and event offered by the Women’s Center forefronts the experiences and needs of students. That is why, over the course of the 2021-2022 academic year, the Women’s Center invites students, as well as the entire campus community, to help honor the past, celebrate the present, and envision the future of the NC State Women’s Center through a variety of events and opportunities. 

Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Present, Envisioning the Future

The first event in the year-long celebration is the 30th Anniversary Birthday Party on Oct. 14, 2021 from 1–4 p.m. on Stafford Commons. Join us in an afternoon of fun as we celebrate the Women’s Center through music, dance, arts and crafts, education and refreshments. During this festive event, interactive stations will encourage participants to help create a life-size paint-by-numbers mural, screen print your very own limited-edition 30th Anniversary Women’s Center t-shirt (while supplies last), write affirmations to yourself and the Women’s Center, practice self-care through coloring and movement, and learn about programs and services offered by the Women’s Center and its affiliated student organizations. Members of the Wolfpack and the greater Triangle community will also have the opportunity to contribute their own reflections on the past, present and future of the NC State Women’s Center through special activities at the event, including the opening of a time capsule sealed over a decade ago.

Reflection and introspection will continue throughout the rest of the year as well. With the support of NC State Libraries, the Women’s Center is diving into the archives to learn more about the history of gender equity at NC State. As part of this effort, we will feature interviews, photos and stories on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to honor and recognize the trailblazers who brought us where we are today. Be sure to check out our features by using the hashtags #WCPast, #WCPresent, and #WCFuture. In the Spring, we will highlight the archival project through an exhibit and interactive panel discussion examining history’s role in centering the voices and stories of some while being directly and indirectly complicit in the erasure of others. 

We will close out our celebration during Women’s HERstory Month in March by highlighting storytelling as a powerful tool for crafting the narratives we seek to foreground for the next 30 years of the Women’s Center. We invite you to engage with us all year long as we chart a new course for the NC State Women’s Center.

• Check out our 30th Anniversary landing page throughout the year as we continue to add more announcements and events.

Janine Kossen is interim director and associate director of the Women’s Center.