Congratulations to on-campus format student Chase Loudermelt and online format students Jeana Taylor, Meredith Marlier, Jane Kaufmann, and Tiffany Oliva, who were all recently selected to represent the Carolina MPA Program at the 2021 NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation. The NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition is a day-long event that allows graduate students in public policy and related fields to test their skills on real-world data.

Each year, the Center for Leadership Simulation and Gaming develops an original participatory simulation specifically tailored for students of public policy and administration. The simulations give participants a chance to employ their knowledge in a realistic situation, as well as an opportunity hone skills in leadership, negotiation, and critical thinking.

Each student was placed on a team with MPA students from around the country to compete virtually on February 27. This year's topic was Pandemic 2.0. Tiffany Oliva's team won her competition site and will be moving on to the upcoming global competition! Says Oliva, "The NASPAA-Batten simulation competition was an opportunity for me to apply some of the skills I have learned in UNC’s MPA program to make quick, team decisions about economic, health, and equity policy to contain a pandemic outbreak. It was a fun learning experience, and I am excited to have moved on to compete in the global round of the competition with our team of students from NYU, VCU, and the University of Missouri.”

Join program director Branda Nowell for an information session about NC State's Ph.D. in public administration. The doctoral program will prepare you to teach and conduct research in public management and related fields or to serve as a research specialist within government agencies and public affairs institutes. NC State offers the only Ph.D. in public administration in the state. All full-time Ph.D. students receive a competitive financial support package, including a stipend, health insurance and tuition. Our students are active in research, presenting at major regional and national conferences, and they receive department travel support. Send an email to tracy_appling@ncsu.edu for more information.

 Wednesday, March 10 at 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Michael Welker, C/O 2019, is serving as the Governance Chair for Young Non Profit Professionals of the Triangle. The group's mission is to is to cultivate and support young nonprofit professionals in the Triangle by fostering networking, skill-building, and resource-sharing. They have many events open to graduate students, and their website currently has a number of COVID and anti-racism resources. Join Michael and connect with other nonprofit professionals!

This year, ICMA is opening up ALL of the regional conferences to students! If you sign up for one, you have access to all six. Conferences will include student programming, student chapter happy hours, and speed coaching. Registration is free for students HERE. If you have any questions, please see our Student ICMA Chapter President, Molly Gaskin.

Being part of the Carolina MPA Program means you have the resources of the entire School of Government faculty! In addition to our MPA faculty, the School employs a number of faculty focused on research and teaching our continuing education clients. All are open to questions and collaborations. You may want to reach out to them while setting up your Analysis & Evaluation survey, or to do a n independent study project with them. The contact information for all faculty and staff can be found here and the faculty are listed by area of expertise here.

The Graduate School's Diversity and Student Success Program has a wide variety of resources available for all graduate students. Current offerings include virtual gatherings, anti-racism materials, and Writing Workshops. They have resources available for first-generation graduate students, military-affiliated students, students who identify as LGBTQIA+ and more. Please check out all they have to offer!

Virginia Policy Review is proud to announce its eighth annual National Journal Conference. This year's conference will take place Friday, March 26th, 2021. The conference will feature multiple panels with an array of policy experts from around the nation speaking on confronting a variety of issues that young professionals will face as they enter and grow in the American workforce. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we will be holding this year's national journal conference on Zoom. Registration will open the first week of March.

Virginia Policy Review at the University of Virginia's Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy is a nonpartisan, student-led, annual journal that strives to publish meaningful insights on policymaking and politics.

We continue to live through unprecedented times: the crisis of COVID-19, economic uncertainty, social and racial unrest, and weather catastrophes.  How do we lead during these turbulent times? How do we lead beyond them? Join GFOA for our 2021 Virtual Conference, July 12‒23, to hear from leading practitioners, recognized industry experts, researchers, and your peers how to effectively prioritize the current needs of your community and prepare for any future challenges.