TYSONS, VA, UNITED STATES, February 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — NC State University’s College of Engineering and M.C. Dean are excited to announce a transformative new collaboration aimed at accelerating innovation in engineering, infrastructure, and workforce development. The partnership, anchored in a shared commitment to advancing electronic systems, distributed energy, grid modernization, and advanced manufacturing, will create the M.C. Dean Engineering Hub at the College of Engineering at NC State.
The establishment of this hub, made possible by the generosity of M.C. Dean, reflects a vision to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in energy systems, grid resilience, and advanced manufacturing for large-scale infrastructure. This collaboration will combine the technical expertise, resources and industry connections of both M.C. Dean and the College of Engineering to drive cutting-edge research, grow the next-generation workforce and expand what is possible in energy infrastructure and technology.
A Vision for Innovation and Impact
The M.C. Dean Engineering Hub is poised to address challenges in energy by tapping into the expertise and creativity of both industry and academia. The hub is promoting interdisciplinary research and development across several critical areas:
• Grid Innovation: Advancing next-generation microgrid management, hybrid-mode operations and islanding solutions.
• Energy Storage & Demand-side Management: Improving resiliency, emergency response capabilities and long-term sustainability of energy storage systems.
• Advanced Manufacturing for Large Scale Infrastructure: Expanding scalable, reliable infrastructure to meet growing global demands.
• Workforce Development: Supporting students at every academic level through fellowships, research opportunities, and project-based learning experiences.
This strategic partnership will utilize the College of Engineering’s expertise and infrastructure while aligning with M.C. Dean’s strategic priorities to create a high-impact, multidisciplinary research hub.
“The M.C. Dean Engineering Hub will tackle real-world challenges, inspire the next generation of engineers and build solutions that make a positive impact,” said Jim Pfaendtner, the Louis Martin-Vega Dean of Engineering at NC State. “This collaboration is a powerful opportunity to address critical energy and infrastructure issues facing society, and we’re proud to have this partnership.”
“NC State shaped my journey as an engineer, making this partnership especially meaningful,” said Bill Dean, CEO of M.C. Dean. “The establishment of the M.C. Dean Engineering Hub builds on decades of support and reflects our shared vision for advancing energy innovation, grid resilience, and workforce development. Together, we are preparing the next generation of engineers to become innovators of intelligent infrastructure, solving real-world challenges that are reshaping our industry.”
Marion C. “Casey” Dean (Electrical Engineering ‘67) is chairman emeritus and former president and CEO of M.C. Dean. He was a member of the NC State Engineering Foundation Board of Directors from 2016 to 2022 and was inducted into the College of Engineering’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Hall of Fame in 2016. William H. “Bill” Dean (Electrical Engineering ‘88) is the president and CEO of M.C. Dean. He is a past member of the NC State Engineering Foundation Board of Directors. In 2011, he received a Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award, an award that recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of engineering and was inducted into the College of Engineering’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Hall of Fame in 2015.
The Deans are longtime supporters of the College of Engineering and have established two distinguished professorships within the college since 2017, in addition to annual gifts.
For more information about the M.C. Dean Engineering Hub, click here.
M.C. Dean is Building Intelligence®. We design, build, operate, and maintain cyber-physical solutions for the nation’s most recognizable mission critical facilities, secure environments, complex infrastructure, and global enterprises. The company’s capabilities include electrical power systems, electronic security, telecommunications, life safety, automation and controls, audio visual, and IT systems. M.C. Dean is headquartered in Tysons, Virginia, and employs more than 9,000 professionals who engineer and deploy automated, secure, and resilient power and technology systems; and deliver the management platforms essential for long-term system sustainability.
About NC State’s College of Engineering
Since 1887, North Carolina State University has delivered world-class teaching and research as a leading public land-grant institution. Based in Raleigh and ranked in the top 1% of universities globally, NC State excels across disciplines. NC State’s College of Engineering is one of the nation’s top public engineering schools, home to more than 12,500 students, over 400 faculty and a wide array of programs, research centers and industry partnerships. With almost $290 million in research expenditures in the last year, the College of Engineering is a research powerhouse focused on meeting present-day and future global challenges. The College of Engineering offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in person and online across a broad spectrum of engineering disciplines, all designed to prepare our students to lead, innovate and make a difference in our state, nation and world.
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Regine de la Cruz
M.C. Dean
regine.delacruz@mcdean.com
Monica Maggiano
North Carolina State University
MMaggiano@ncsu.edu
Engineering Hub Graphic Animation
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