MPA Career & Networking Fair on January 13

The Third Annual MPA Career & Networking Fair is coming up on Monday, January 13 at the School of Government. Prior to the fair, a list of employers attending and what they're recruiting for (PWE's, full-time opportunities, and/or networking) will be sent out.

Employer Pitch Session (10AM)

Learn about employers recruiting students. Each organization will have up to 2 minutes to share information about their work, organization, and positions they are hiring for now and in the future.

Career & Networking Fair: (SOG [in-person] 11AM)

The MPA Career and Networking Fair is a great opportunity to network with employers interested in UNC MPA students. Some will have PWEs for which they are looking to hire, some will have Full Time Job opportunities, and/or some are there to network with students for future opportunities. Each organization brings a lot of value, so learn and interact with them as they are attending the Fair to make connections with you!

Register NOW for the 2025 NCCCMA Winter Seminar!

You are invited to register for the 2025 North Carolina City & County Management (NCCCMA) Winter Seminar in Winston Salem, NC. The UNC MPA program has historically had strong participation in this event, and we know you will gain knowledge and great networking opportunities, so we hope you will attend!

On behalf of the MPA faculty, staff, and alumni, you are strongly encouraged to attend as much of the seminar as your schedule permits. It will be at the discretion of faculty to cancel any classes on the days of the conference. If your class is not canceled, it will be your responsibility to communicate with your instructor regarding expectations of missing class and/or assignments.

Registration Information:

• Please click this link to RSVP for the 2025 North Carolina City and County Management Seminar, scheduled for February 5 - February 7, 2025 at MC Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem, NC.
• A draft schedule and more information are available here: https://www.sog.unc.edu/courses/nc-city-and-county-management-association-winter-seminar (please do not register via this link, as we’ll send all student registrations together). 
• The student registration fee for the conference is $0 and the alumni breakfast is $22.  
• The MPA Program will cover the cost of your registration, and the alumni breakfast, so it is very important that you attend should you register for the event. 
• This is an opportunity for you to learn, apply concepts from class, and network with local government leaders in the state take full advantage of this opportunity. 
• Should you choose to stay in a hotel, that will be at your own expense.
• There is a Happy Hour for students, alumni, faculty, and staff being planned for Thursday, February 6 from 5-8pm at Tate's Craft Cocktails. Register here!

We ask that you join us at the MPA Alumni Breakfast, 7:30-8:30 am, on Thursday, February 6^th. This is an excellent networking opportunity.

If you would like to attend the Speed Coaching session later that day, please also indicate that on your registration form. This is a first-come, first-served limited opportunity. 

Speed Networking Event:

You’ll also notice on the draft agenda the opportunity for speed coaching on Thursday afternoon. On the RSVP form you will have the opportunity to indicate your intent in participating in the speed coaching. Please only indicate if you are certain you will participate, as the seminar planning committee will need to make sure there are enough coaches (managers). Students have said year after year that this speed-coaching event has been one of the most helpful aspects of the seminar! 

Considering both the professional development opportunity presented through the NCCCMA Winter Seminar, and financial commitments from MPA Program, we hope you consider attending the seminar. We want to underscore that the seminar offers something for everyone – in terms of both substance and networking opportunities. NCCCMA is committed to recruiting the next generation of local managers and leaders, and this event is a key component of the Association’s strategy. The seminar expects a large number of managers to attend and thus is an excellent opportunity for students seeking government positions to make contacts that could help create a larger network leading to increased opportunities for internships and jobs. For those of who are focusing on non-profit organizations, the meeting provides a way to get acquainted with local government managers with whom you might be working in the future.

The deadline to register for the seminar is 5pm on Wednesday, January 15, 2025. If you do not complete the RSVP before that time, you will be required to register yourself and pay the full amount.

New Publications from your Faculty

Feeling motivated to read in the new year and ahead on your asynch work? Here are some new publications you can check out from your MPA Faculty:

• More than a Wink and a Nudge: Examining the Choice Architecture of Online Government Budget Simulations by Whitney Afonso and Zachary Mohr in Behavioural Public Policy
• University Students Implement a Nutrition and Cooking Education Curriculum with Fidelity by Jessica Soldavani, Lindsey Smith Taillie, Leslie A. Lytle, Maureen Berner, Dianne Stanton Ward, and Alice Ammerman in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior

Map the System Team Mixer

Join Innovate Carolina and The Gillings School of Global Public Health in Map the System (MTS)--a global competition that challenges you to think differently about social or environmental change. Students on our campus are passionate about so many different issues, and this competition allows you to share that! Research a social or environmental problem that matters to you and gain systems thinking skills to understand ways to address it. Finalists will present their work at the MTS @ UNC Finals in April to compete for cash prizes and a chance to represent UNC in the Global Finals organized by Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford in July 2025. A finalist will be chosen amongst teams competing at UNC and receive a travel stipend to attend the Global Finals at the University of Oxford, brought to you by Innovate Carolina.  

Come learn more about Map the System and meet students interested in researching Wicked Problems at our January 14^th team mixer from 4-5:30PM at the Innovate Carolina Junction (136 E. Rosemary St. Chapel Hill). Register here.

For more information on the competition, check out this site: https://www.skollcentre.org/map-system. Feel free to email mapthesystem@unc.edu with any questions you have. Teams have until January 31, to register!  

Carolina Changemaker Masterclass Series

Are you a graduate student or postdoc interested in taking your ideas from early stages to tangible outcomes? Innovate Carolina and The Graduate School are partnering to host a masterclass series on how to make your ideas a reality!

Our goal is to bring grad students and postdocs from all disciplines together to learn about changemaking using Ashoka’s Changemaking competencies as a guide for the sessions.

All events will occur at the Graduate Student Center, 211A W. Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill, NC.

Session 1 – January 15th from 2-4pm

I want to be a changemaker! How do I start?

The first session in the masterclass series will start by covering the 4 key Ashoka Changemaking Competencies. Then representatives from The Graduate School will walk students through building a career plan for academic and non-academic careers. This session will focus on the importance of empathy and collaborative problem solving regardless of your intended career path.

Session 2 – January 22nd from 2-4pm

I have an idea: How do I know if it’s a good one? How do I protect it?

The second session in the masterclass series will discuss how to know if your idea is a good one using empathy and collaborative problem solving. Then attendees will learn methods for effectively protecting their ideas, which is an important step for making them a reality!

Session 3 – January 29th from 2-4pm

I have an idea: How do I talk about it and get support? What do I do next?

The final session in the masterclass series will cover leadership, effective communication, and teamwork. We will wrap up with a quick overview of resources available to students and postdocs who would like to continue on their Carolina Changemaker journey.

REGISTER

I hope this email finds you well. The Society for Transportation Policy and Administration (STPA) is pleased to invite undergraduate and graduate students to participate in the Best Student Paper Award competition.

If you have authored a research paper related to transportation policy and administration, we encourage you to submit it for consideration. The STPA Best Student Paper Award aims to recognize outstanding contributions to the field and promote excellence in research.

The best paper will receive a $250 cash award and a commemorative plaque, which will be presented at the 2025 American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Conference. The conference is March 28^th – April 1, 2025 and will be held at the Mayflower Hotel Autograph Collection located in Washington, D.C. If selected, please plan to attend in-person for the award reception.

Below are the submission details:

Submission Criteria:

• Papers should be between 20 and 35 pages in length.
• Follow a standard style (e.g., APA 7^th edition).
• Include citations and references.
• Submit copies of conference papers or unpublished manuscripts.
• Literature reviews and review essays are not eligible.
• Papers co-authored with faculty members are not eligible.
• Maximum of three student collaborators/co-authors.
• Attach the title page as a separate document in the email.
• Only include author(s) name and affiliation on the title page.

Submission Process:

• Submit papers as e-mail attachments in Word (.doc) or PDF Format (.pdf).
• Subject of the email: "STPA Student Paper Competition."

Review Process:

• Papers will be evaluated through a blind review process.
• Evaluation criteria include relevance, research design, methodology, writing clarity, and overall research quality and contribution to the field.

Awards:

• The best paper will receive a $250 cash award and a commemorative plaque.
• STPA will cover the conference registration fee for the awardee to attend the 2024 American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) conference.
• If the selected paper is co-authored, STPA will cover the registration fees for up to two co-authors. An honorable mention paper may be selected at the discretion of the Committee.

Submission Deadline: January 31^st, 2025

Please send your submissions to Theodore W. Johnson, Ph.D., at theodorejohnson@unomaha.edu by the deadline.

We look forward to receiving your research contributions and wish you the best of luck in the competition.

Sincerely,

Theodore W. Johnson, Ph.D.

Chair, Best Student Paper Awards Committee

Executive Board Member

Society for Transportation Policy and Administration (STPA)

theodorejohnson@unomaha.edu