Photo of the Week: MPA Immersion on Emergency Management

SOG Faculty: So You're an Expert in What? Recording Available

Thanks to everyone who attended the SOG Faculty: So You're an Expert in What? event last week. We had a great turnout in person and online. If you missed it, or if you want to relive it, here's the recording!

MPA Brandshop

Making your holiday list? Graduating soon and would like a souvenir from your MPA days? Don't forget we have an MPA Brandshop. You'll find various clothing and accessory items, with a choice of the SOG or MPA logo.

Please note, we offer this as a courtesy to our students, but no pressure! The MPA Program does not financially benefit from having this dropship service.

NC State Agency Networking Event

We are excited to invite you to attend a NC Agency Networking Event on Friday, November 7 from 2-4pm at the Albemarle Building (Room 245 - NC Department of Administration) located at 325 N. Salisbury Street in Raleigh. This event is an opportunity for public administration and public policy students to learn about the relevant work and opportunities at multiple North Carolina State Agencies. Please see the agenda below for more detailed information about what to expect.

Note: The State of NC does not typically sponsor visas for FT jobs but do accept CPT/OPT for internships.

Spots are limited to the first 20 students who register by Friday, October 31. We will also keep a waitlist in case any spaces open the week before.

As space is limited and to respect your fellow students and the employers: If you RSVP, we expect you to attend!

Register here: NC State Agency Networking Event

Event collaborators are the North Carolina Office of State Human Resources and the career centers at Duke Sanford School of Public Policy, NCSU School of Public and International Affairs, UNC Chapel Hill, and UNC MPA.

The event will include the following agenda:

• Introductions (2:00-2:30PM) Agencies will give a short pitch about their organization and relevant opportunities.
• Speed Networking (2:30-3:30PM) This is your opportunity to engage with several agencies in rotation. At each table you rotate to, you will learn more about the agency at the table and will have the opportunity to ask questions.
• Open Networking (3:30-3:55PM) In an open setting, re-engage with employers for further conversations and meet others who you haven’t had the opportunity to meet.
•  Closing and Thanks (3:55-4:00PM)

Event Notes: 

• Refreshments will be offered throughout the event.
• We expect students to organize their own transportation to the event and pay for their own parking.
• Carpooling is recommended!
• Drive time from the School of Government will be around 35 minutes with additional time needed to park.
• Closer to the event, we will confirm your registration as well as share the list of participating agencies.



Please reach out to Shauna Hines-Farmer with questions about the event.

Explore the 7th Annual GFOA MiniMuni Conference Sessions

This year’s virtual event, beginning October 21, brings together leading experts, advanced practitioners, and regulators for three days of valuable insights on key issues affecting municipal issuers. Sessions will cover the most popular tools for achieving savings, best practices for enhancing issuer disclosure practices, the role of AI and cybersecurity, and more! Don't miss this opportunity to obtain a deeper understanding of the most pressing issues in debt management.

Must-attend Sessions Include:

• Deal Team Selection
• Market Dynamics
• Tax Arbitrage
• The Impact of Federal Funding on Financing
• Disclosure
• Refundings
• Technology (Disclosure including the Role of AI and Cybersecurity)
• Issuer Colloquy

CrafTea Time: Boba & Beads

Feeling the mid-semester slump? Need a little pick-me-up? Join the LGBTQ Center for our monthly crafternoon on Wednesday, October 22 from 2–4 PM! This month’s theme is Boba & Beads: Pop in for boba, bead a masterpiece to take home. All supplies and tea are provided, and everyone is welcome to join for a relaxed afternoon of sips and strings! New crafts + new teas each month—always a reason to get CrafTea! 🧋 

Find out the details and RSVP on HeelLife below!

From Here to Career: A Conversation with Dan Taber

Join our CareerWell team on Wednesday, October 22^nd from 2:30-3:30 pm for an enlightening conversation with Dr. Dan Taber, a Carolina alum and tech executive who has shaped his degrees in religious studies, public health and epidemiology into a career at the forefront of responsible AI development.

Dr. Taber has more than 15 years of experience spanning technology, research, education and public policy. Currently Head of Research & Responsible Programming at Spotify, he oversees strategy and governance efforts to reduce online harms and ensure fairness in content distribution.

In this interactive session, he will address frequently asked questions about career exploration and advancement and will also take questions from the audience. This session is relevant for anyone in the Carolina community who is involved in graduate education. Registration is required.

Understanding the Complexities of Today's World with Dr. Yasuhiro "Hiro" Ueki

Join us on Thursday, October 23^rd from 5:00-6:00 pm to explore how can we make sense of today’s complicated world. In this keynote address as part of the Royster Global Conference, Dr. Yasuhiro “Hiro” Ueki draws on his unique career, including service at the United Nations and teaching and research at Sophia University in Tokyo, to explore how history, ideas and real-world policy come together.

This talk is open to the public, and registration highly is recommended. 

Apply for a Graduate School Impact Award

The Impact Award recognizes graduate students and recent graduate alumni whose research contributes to the educational, economic, physical, social or cultural well-being of North Carolina communities and citizens.

The Graduate School publicly recognizes Impact awardees at the Annual Graduate Student Recognition Celebration.

Departmental nomination required, so please don't delay!

Scholarship Opportunities to attend NCGLBA Winter Conference

The NGLBA Board is pleased to open the application period for the two scholarships, the Judy Ikerd Endowed Scholarship program and the NCLGBA Conference Scholarship.

Judy Ikerd Endowed Scholarship

The Judy Ikerd Endowed Scholarship opportunity is a partnership between the North Carolina Local Government Budget Association and the Civic Federal Credit Union. The Scholarship is available to full-time Master of Public Administration students and provides $1,000 for tuition assistance and covers attendance and lodging at the Winter 2025 NCLGBA Conference in Wrightsville Beach, NC. 

Submission Details

• The Judy Ikerd Endowed Scholarship application can be found here.
• Interested individuals must submit their application via e-mail to ikerdscholar@nclgba.org with the subject line “Ikerd Scholar 2025”. 
• Applications for the Ikerd Scholarship are due no later than Sunday, October 26th, 2025, at 11:59pm EST.

This scholarship is named for Judy Ikerd, (retired) Budget Manager of Catawba County and our third Jack Vogt award winner in 2008. She is one of the first members of the Association, joining in 1989, and has served on the Board of Directors from 1992 through 1997, when she was President. Speaking with those who knew her, Judy was an early adopter of new ideas and was one to innovate. She started the outcome-based budgeting (reinventing government) program in Catawba County which still has some facets in place today. She went on to teach this method to other governments in North Carolina. Ikerd has taught classes at the UNC School of Government, and she has mentored many NC local government professionals. This scholarship reflects her efforts to advance good local government in North Carolina, and we are excited to continue sharing this opportunity with students. 

NLCGBA Conference Scholarship

The Conference Scholarship provides registration and accommodations for the upcoming Winter Conference to be held in Wrightsville Beach, December 10-12, 2025. Eligible applicants include first-time professional attendees or student attendees. Scholarship recipient(s) will receive registration and lodging accommodations for the 2025 Winter Conference.

Submission Details

• The NCLGBA Conference Scholarship application can be found here.
• Interested individuals must submit their application via e-mail to scholarship@nclgba.org with the subject line “NCLGBA Conference Scholarship Winter 2025”. 
• Applications for the Conference Scholarship are due no later than Sunday, October 26th, 2025, at 11:59pm EST.

If you would like to be considered for both scholarships, you must complete both applications.

You will not be considered for both scholarships after completing one application. 

Additional information on the conference can be found here: Winter Conference.

Please direct any questions, comments, or concerns to ikerdscholar@nclgba.org or scholarship@nclgba.org.

NC Neurodiversity College Career Summit 2025

Friday, November 7, 2025

11am-3pm Eastern

Event Description: The virtual 2025 NC Neurodiversity College Career Summit connects NC college students pursuing degree-related (paid) internships and full-time opportunities with employers who are seeking to establish or maintain work environments supporting neurodiversity. 

Schedule:

11:00am-3:00pm Eastern: Individual and Group Meetings with Employers

Hosts: Duke University Career Center and Duke Neurodiversity Connections

. Register in Handshake.

NC Center for Nonprofits Conference

Every fall, nonprofit leaders from across the state gather for the annual Conference for North Carolina's Nonprofits to connect with nonprofit colleagues, learn from experts and practitioners, and share resources and insights that fortify our work and our sector. 

For the first time (at least in a long time) the NC Center for Nonprofits has a discount code for students to register for their conference at a reduced rate. A huge thank you to Dr. Teshanee Williams for all her work to advocate for this! More information is below, but you can register for the conference here: https://ncnonprofits.org/events/signature-series/conference-north-carolinas-nonprofits

North Carolina Center for Nonprofits Conference Information: 

Every fall, nonprofit leaders from across the state gather for the annual Conference for North Carolina's Nonprofits to connect with nonprofit colleagues, learn from experts and practitioners, and share resources and insights that fortify our work and our sector. 

Registration is open for our 2025 Conference!

November 19-20, 2025

Sheraton Imperial Hotel, RTP

Check out the two-day agenda, speakers, registration rates, and more event features.

To register using the student rate: 

You will need to use one of the two conference discounts for Students: one for full conference (CONFSTUDFULL ) and the other for one day registration (CONFSTUD1DAY ). The first reduces the fee to $150 and the second to $100. 

**The rates above referenced are Early Bird and are valid through October 23rd. 

***Please click “APPLY” or refresh browser after entering the Discount Code to have reduced rate reflected for checkout. 

Student Professional Development Grant: 

As a reminder, students can apply for the Student Professional Development Grant for opportunities such as this one. More information and the process is here: https://carolinampa.web.unc.edu/home/career-services/professional-development-co-curricular-experience/student-professional-development-grant/

Leaders for Good will also be at the Conference, connect with them if you plan on going!

Last Grad Cafe of the Semester!

Grad Café is held three times per semester and is an opportunity for graduate students to connect with one another as well as Graduate School leadership plus campus resources while refueling with free food.

• Grad Café – Monday, November 10, 11:00am-1:00pm, Bynum Hall fountain

We’ll be at the fountain in front of Bynum Hall with free snacks such as bagels, cookies, coffee or cocoa from places like Insomnia Cookies, Brandwein’s Bagels and Gray Squirrel Coffee Company.

Grad Café is an opportunity for you to connect with other graduate and professional students and staff of The Graduate School. Additionally, representatives from CAPS and the Dean of Students will also be present for anyone in need of support. As always, you are welcome to just stop by and grab a treat to go.

Questions? Contact Laura Thorp at lethorp@unc.edu.