Carolina MPA Digest 2/21/20
Carolina MPA Student Digest:
In this Issue:
  • Upcoming Program Dates
  • MPA Happenings
  • Upcoming UNC & Beyond Announcements
Upcoming Program Dates
  • Spring Portfolios Due: March 1
  • MPA Diversity Committee Workshop, March 18, 1300 Knapp-Sanders
  • MPA/Planning Mixer: March 26, 6-8 pm, Back Bar at TOPO
  • Deil Wright Lecture: April 2, TITLE: Preparing People of Color for 21st Century Jobs: Unfulfilled Promises and Lost Opportunities
  • MPA Spring Graduation Events: May 8-10
MPA Happenings
MPA Student Highlights
Forbes.com recently featured MPA student Ashlyn Martin in an article titled, "Black History in the Making: An Interview with Ashlyn Martin." Ashlyn is a United States of Women (USOW) Georgia Ambassador, an attorney and the founder and board president of Chisholm Leadership Academy. CLA provides middle and high school girls with culturally-responsive civic education and exposure to women of color in public service. CLA strives to cultivate a pipeline of young women of color as catalysts for change as future public sector leaders. Please read and support your fellow Carolina MPA student!
Ashlyn Martin pictured center at the official launch of the Chisholm Leadership Academy on International Day of the Girl 2019  ASHLYN MARTIN
Sydney Lawrence Named Finalist
MPA Student Sydney Lawrence has been named a Finalist for the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) in the Class of 2020. Congratulations, Sydney,and best wishes on the next steps!
Carol Abken to Present
MPA Student Carol Abken will be presenting her poster Sea Level Rise Planning in North Carolina Through the Coastal Area Management Act at the 2020 Joint Conference of the North Carolina Political Science Association and the North Carolina Public Administration Alliance. The conference will be held February 21 at NC State. Best wishes on the presentation, Carol!
Have news to share? Be sure to email Elizabeth Langefeld at elangefeld@sog.unc.edu. Don't be shy!
MPA Events
The MPA Diversity Committee is pleased to partner with Deitre Epps of RACE for Equity, LLC to offer a workshop on Results-Based Accountability on Wednesday, March 18, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the School of Government (Knapp-Sanders Room 1300). Results-Based Accountability is a data-driven process to help partners identify their goals and measures of success by first identifying the ends and working backward to the means by which the result will be achieved. Ms. Epps is an expert in guiding communities and organizations through this process, and she has gained local, national, and international recognition for her work. In the spring of 2019, she worked with the Australian Department of Education to help them identify their role in early childhood development and health.

This workshop will be specifically designed to introduce participants to RBA as a tool to promote equity. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with data and consider how RBA can support using public funds to achieve equitable outcomes. Our goal is to equip our public service leaders with a tool that can aid in data-driven decision making in the pursuit of equitable, healthy, and prosperous communities.

Please RSVP ASAP to reserve your space as spots are limited. Lunch will be provided. Due to the interactive nature of this event, participation will need to be in person. Registration is free and may be done via this link.

The MPA Diversity Committee is dedicated to equipping our future public service leaders with perspectives and skills needed to promote equity and inclusion in their personal and professional lives. We achieve this mission by organizing events, creating space for discussion, and connecting our fellow students with resources to expand their understanding of public administrators’ role in creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive communities.
MPA/Planning Mixer Planned!
Ever wonder what the planners do? Join the Carolina MPA Program and the UNC Department of City & Regional Planning for a networking mixer on Thursday, March 26, 6-8 pm . It will be held at Back Bar at TOPO . Food and soft drinks will be provided!
NEW Elective Highlight: Advanced Budgeting
PUBA 736 ADVANCED BUDGETING: CORE ANALYTICS with Dennis Strachota

This online course will examine budgeting and finance issues in the larger context of the political, economic and social environment affecting short and long-range budgetary decisions.

Now more than ever governments operate in a continuous cycle of fiscal uncertainty, where dictated by self-design or world events. Students will exit this course able to effectively perform some essential budget and financial analyses and communicate the results to a variety of decision makers and stakeholders to better navigate through those uncertainties. 

The focus will be on state and local government policies and practices, with a particular emphasis on local government. Topics include:

·        Variance Analysis: Detecting Potential Revenue and Spending Issues
·        Costing and Pricing Services: When and How Much to Charge
·        Long-Range Financial Forecasting: How to Achieve and Sustain Structural Balance
·        Financial Reserves: How Much is Enough

This new 8-week, 1.5 credit course, will utilize a case-study approach in 150 minute live sessions in the May term beginning at the end of April, 2020. A comprehensive syllabus will be available sometime in March. It will be taught by Dennis Strachota.

Professor Strachota has more than 40 years of experience in state and local government as an analyst and budget and finance director. Prior to his retirement from the public sector in 2014, he served as budget director and assistant finance director for the City of Long Beach, CA. Among other positions, he also served as lead budget consultant and trainer for the Government Finance Officers Association. Strachota has edited, authored, and coauthored several publications on public budgeting and finance and has more than 14 years of experience teaching at the graduate level. He received his BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his MPA from Harvard University’s Kennedy School.

NOTE: The entire May term schedule will be sent out shortly!
Highlights from the NCCCMA Winter Conference

Thanks to everyone who came out for the NCCCMA Winter Conference in Winston-Salem despite tough weather! Jacob Newton received a scholarship, Alice Mahood presented a poster, Dr. Rick Morse spoke at the President's Luncheon, and faculty members Dr. Bill Rivenbark, Dr. Leisha DeHart-Davis, and Dr. Kim Nelson presented. Brian Murphy, Alice Mahood, & Valencia Wagner spoke on behalf of the MPA students at the Carolina MPA Alumni Breakfast, and many faculty, staff, students, and alumni connected at the Happy Hour Hub.The group survived tornado warnings and the humiliation of our own Dean Mike Smith losing a bet to the Appalachian State MPA Program. :)
Catesby Denison, Brian Murphy, Richard Carey, Hallee Haygood, Alice Mahood, Brian Farmer, and Thomas Bennett
Professor Morse addresses the luncheon
Director Rivenbark speaks on fiscal responsibility
Brian Murphy, Alice Mahood, & Valencia Wagner spoke at the Alumni Breakfast
Kristin Pawlowski, SOG Dean Mike Smith, Wayne Banks, and Elizabeth Langefeld
Upcoming Events Sponsored by the Carolina MPA Alumni Association ... You're Invited!

We hope everyone had a glorious holiday and fabulous new year's celebration. With the start of the new year, it is now time to mark your calendars with upcoming Carolina MPA Events ! 
Follow the links below to register!
 

Thursday April 2, 2020
UNC School of Government, 2603 Knapp-Sanders
Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Thi s year's Deil S. Wright Lecturer is Norma M. Riccucci, Board of Governors Distinguished Professor at Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration. She will deliver a lecture entitled, Preparing People of Color for 21st Century Jobs: Unfulfilled Promises and Lost Opportunities . We'll also be sending out a web link if you can't make it in person!

Thursday April 2, 2020
Tobacco Road 
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
5:00-7:30 PM

Following the conclusion of the Deil S. Wright Lecture, join us down the hill for some lite bites, a beverage, and networking at the Tobacco Road Sports Cafe. Don't worry if you can't make the lecture, you're still welcome to join us! First drink is on us, but please RSVP here!
Minutes 2 Learn It: Wicked Problems

MPA Professor Margaret Henderson is featured on the latest episode of the School of Government's Minutes 2 Learn It Initiative. See the video below!
Join ELGL for FREE!
As an SOG faculty, staff, or student, you can join our ELGL (Engaging Local Government Leaders) membership at no cost! To join, email  emily@elgl.org  with the subject line UNC SOG Membership and request to be added.   
 Upcoming UNC and Beyond Announcements:
  • Participate in the UNC Campus Food System Sustainability Survey
  • Alternatives to Payday Lending: The Community Loan Center
  • Your Pizza Box Isn't Recyclable: What you Can & Can't Recycle at UNC
  • Upcoming Graduate School Professional Development Opportunities
  • This Week at the Writing & Learning Centers
  • Call for Applications for the Graduate Certificate in Business Fundamentals
  • Apply for the Frank Porter Graham Honor Society
  • UNC Libraries Present Race Deconstructed
  • #NonProfitSTRONG Summit Postponed
You are invited to help a group of undergraduates on a project on the sustainability of the UNC Campus Food System. The project is support by the Office of Undergraduate Research, and we aim to ‘take stock’ of the campus dining sustainability commitments (i.e., the Real Food Challenge) and get a sense of the campus community’s concerns about our food system. To this end, one of our data collection points is a survey for **students** about their knowledge of current commitments and their concerns about campus food sustainability.

This survey 
should take only 5-10 minutes to complete. Participation is voluntary, and all responses are anonymous. 
 
Matt Hull, Executive Director
Texas Association of Community Development Corporations
Reading Room, New East 211, UNC-Chapel Hill
Friday, February 21, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Free. Beverages and light dessert provided.
 
Payday lending, with its high fees and interest rates, often traps borrowers in a cycle of debt. Matt Hull, executive director of the Texas Association of Community Development Corporations, will talk about the Community Loan Center, an alternative to payday lending created to provide affordable small dollar loans through a network of local lenders who engage employers to offer loans to their employees at no cost to the employer.
Check out this Daily Tar Heel article on what you can and can't recycle on campus at UNC! It discusses initiatives and limitations from Orange County as well as the UNC Office of Waste Reduction. They're working to reduce contamination and make recycling more cost effective for the local government and university.
Paula Seligson
UNC Ash Wednesday Offerings
Upcoming Ash Wednesday Offerings around Campus on Wednesday, February 26, 2020:
  • Newman Catholic Center, 218 Pittsboro St. - 7 am, 5 pm, & 7 pm
  • Chapel of the Cross, 304 E. Franklin St.- 7:30 am, 12 pm, 4 pm (children's service), & 7 pm
  • Mass at the Great Hall, University Union - 12:15 pm
  • University UMC, 150 E. Franklin St., Chapel - 2 pm
  • UNC Hospitals, John M. Reeves All Faiths Chapel - 2:30 pm
Financial Literacy: Taxes - February 25 @ 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
We will discuss a few taxes and the entities that collect your money (hint: it is not just the federal government). And walk through a basic tax return so you can see how the various types of income impact what you will owe Uncle Sam. BONUS: info about how you might be able to file your taxes for free! REGISTER

Effective Mentoring
March 23 @ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Mentoring principles are universal and apply to a variety of professional settings in and out of academia. This mentoring workshop series ( CIMER: Entering Mentoring ) will provide graduate students training in competencies and skills with effective mentoring (being mentors themselves). Graduate students in all disciplines are welcome to participate. Students who will be or are currently mentoring undergraduate students are particularly encouraged to participate. Sessions will be based on case scenarios, evidence-based practices, and participants are expected to actively engage in discussions. Participants are expected to commit to attending all four sessions. Those who complete all 4 sessions will receive a placard acknowledging their participation. Lunch provided.

March 23 – Session 1 – What is Mentoring? Maintaining Effective Communication
March 30 – Session 2 – Aligning Expectations, Assessing Understanding
April 6 – Session 3 – Addressing Equity and Inclusion, Fostering Independence
April 13 – Session 4 – Cultivating Ethical Behavior, Articulating a Mentoring Philosophy

This Week at the Writing and Learning Centers…

Long Night Against Procrastination 
Wednesday, February 26, 8:00 - 11:00 pm, 0127 SASB N
Come join us to jump start your academic assignments with snacks and prizes. Librarians and coaches will be on hand to help! Register here.
What Really Happens at the Writing Center?
Learn what to expect from your Writing Center visit in this brief video description of how we work with students. Notice how comfy it looks!
 
Allow Me to Introduce… 
A handout on Introductions that explains the functions of introductions, offers strategies for creating effective introductions, and provides examples of less effective introductions to avoid.
 
Like us on Instagram ( @uncwritingandlearning ), Facebook ( @uncwritingandlearning ), Twitter ( @uncwritelearn )
Library presents a view of ‘Race Deconstructed’

Fill out a government form and you’ll be asked to choose one of these race categories: white, black, Native American/Alaska Native or Asian. But who came up with these terms and what do they really mean?
A new University Libraries exhibition traces the scientific view of race through the ages, from Hippocrates to 1988’s Mitochondrial Eve on the cover of Newsweek. Two years in the making, “Race Deconstructed: Science and the Making of Difference” opened yesterday at the Wilson Special Collections Library. It will continue through April 19.
“We wanted to present an exhibition that would highlight the research value of Wilson Library’s superb history of medicine collections. Scientific concepts of race abound across the centuries and across many disciplines,” said Elizabeth Ott, curator of rare books.

The Young NonProfit Professionals Network regrets to announce that they will be postponing the 2020 #NonprofitSTRONG Summit until 2021. The Summit was previously announced in this newsletter.
Carolina MPA | UNC School of Government | carolinampa.sog.unc.edu | Website
The Carolina MPA Intranet houses information and resources for students during the program.