Caldwell Fellows Announce Class of 2028

The Caldwell Fellows program at North Carolina State University has named thirty first-year students to its class of 2028 – the 58th class of Caldwell Fellows. The new class can be viewed on the Caldwell Fellows website.

“Each year we embark on the challenge of identifying first-year NC State students committed to developing their capacity for leadership and to serving in North Carolina and beyond,” said Dr. Janice Odom, Director of the Caldwell Fellows. “I am delighted that the members of the Caldwell Fellows Class of 2028 are dedicated to NC State’s land grant mission of empowering themselves and others to build brighter futures for their communities.”

This year the program had a record 350 applications from talented and dedicated students from all backgrounds across NC State. The class of 2028 passed through a rigorous selection process that included submitting a written online application, participating in a semifinalist interview phase, and completing a full day of interviews on February 15, 2025. More than 150 Caldwell Fellows alumni and friends contributed to the three stages of the selection process, with 70 of them present for the in-person interviews at Hunt Library on NC State’s campus.

Caldwell Fellows are selected for demonstrating the character and aptitude for servant-leadership development. The term “servant leadership” was coined by Robert Greenleaf, a former AT&T executive. In his foundational essay, “The Servant as Leader,” Greenleaf explains how the “best test” of a servant leader is whether those they serve grow as people, becoming “healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to serve.”

Students selected for the Caldwell Fellows program undergo intensive leadership development. Foundational work takes place in the three-credit Honors seminar taken by Fellows in the fall semester of their sophomore year, through which students write their philosophy of leadership and engage in weekly service-learning with one of the program’s six community partnerships. Through the seminar and beyond, students undergo a wide range of assessments to deepen their psychosocial development. As upper-class Fellows, they engage in three days of capstone training at the internationally renowned Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, NC. Juniors in the program are each paired with a certified professional coach who helps them ask big questions and align their academic and professional interests. Named in honor of former NC State Chancellor John T. Caldwell, the Caldwell Fellows is NC State’s oldest scholarship and fellowship program dedicated to leadership development.

The Caldwell Fellows program operates fully through the generosity of NC State alumni and supporters. More than one hundred individual endowments provide tuition support and experiential learning grants to each Caldwell Fellow. Donations also support the robust multi-year curriculum. The NC State Alumni Association provides support and stewardship of the program’s funds.