SOG Ongoing Response to Hurricane Helene

Many parts of North Carolina are experiencing unprecedented devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. The School of Government and partner organizations are ready to support local governments as they address the storm's aftermath in the coming days and months.

Our Emergency Management microsite provides information for North Carolina emergency managers. It includes a list of school faculty members with relevant expertise, emergency management law basics and blogs, and resources specific to the Hurricane Helene response.

In addition, the Carolina Center for Public Service is coordinating the campus response to Helene's aftermath.

Student Emergency Funds

Student emergency funds assist Carolina students by providing financial support when they need assistance with unexpected, unforeseen, and unavoidable emergency expenses surrounding situations such as accidents, illness, death of a family member, fire damage or need for temporary housing. With so many of our MPA students recently impacted by Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton, and other emergencies, we wanted to ensure that you were aware of resources available.

Currently enrolled students may apply for funds when they have exhausted all other resources (payment plans, additional student aid, assistance from family/friends, other personal resources). This funding is not intended to reimburse for expenses that have already been paid, to serve as a debt diversion program, or to replace or supplement existing financial aid. If funds are granted, they do not have to be repaid.

There are three areas of funds available:

• Dean of Students Funds – all MPA students are eligible to apply
• GPSG Emergency Funds – fee-paying on-campus students are eligible to apply
• MPA Student Emergency Fund – all MPA students are eligible to apply

Students may apply to more than one fund simultaneously to cover needs.

Student Profile: Ushni Gupta

MPA Online student Ushni Gupta is a full-time community engagement manager who uses what she learns in MPA in her work at Metropolitan Strategies and Solutions in New York City. Read more about her here!

SOG Updates With the North Carolina - Moldova Partnership

Last year, MPA faculty member Bill Rivenbark and SOG associate dean Sonja Matanovic traveled to the small eastern European country of Moldova with a delegation led by NC Secretary of State Elaine Marshall. There efforts are part of the North Carolina-Moldova Partnership, which is based upon an agreement to link the two states together to better facilitate cooperation in the areas of civil emergency operations, expansion of markets, cultural, scientific, and academic exchanges, and the coordination of humanitarian efforts of many governmental and non-governmental organizations. On this trip, Rivenbark and Matanovic conducted an assessment review of the Institute of Public Administration at the State University of Moldova. More details on their trip are in this interview. The Moldovan delegation from the Institute of Public Administration also visited the SOG during their 2023 visit.

More recently, a Moldovan delegation met at the School of Government with the Staff of the UNC American Indian Center, where they shared information about AIC programming as well as local and national Native History. Learn more about this partnership, which has been ongoing since 1999, on the Secretary of State's Website.

Photo of the Week

Register for the Deil S. Wright Public Service Forum!

The Promises and Perils of Artificial Intelligence for Public Administration and Government

Can't make the entire MPA Immersion this year? You can still come to the Deil S. Wright Public Service Forum to learn more about this topic! Join us in person or online.

Join David Yokum, JD, PhD, North Carolina’s Chief Scientist in the Office of State Budget & Management and Professor of the Practice and Director of The Policy Lab at UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Data Science & Society, who will lead a panel discussion about AI’s current landscape as it relates to the policies and programs in public service and local government.

The Forum will be followed by a reception hosted by the UNC MPA program and School of Government.

Friday, October 25, 2024

Forum 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM

Reception 5:30 - 7:30 PM

NCSU Ph.D. in Public Administration Virtual Information Session

We currently have two virtual information sessions planned for the Fall 2025 admission cycle: 

• Wednesday, October 16, 2024, 6:00-7:30 p.m. (EST)
• Thursday, January 9, 2025, 12:00-1:30 p.m. (EST)

To register for one of these Zoom-based sessions, prospective students should click on their preferred date above (which will take them to a Zoom registration page).

PhD Application Deadline for Fall 2025

Our priority deadline for Fall 2025 admissions (for ensuring consideration for graduate assistantships) is February 1, 2025. At the deadline, the admissions committee will begin its review of applications and make admissions decisions with the goal of admitting a full cohort (likely 5 or 6 students).

NCLGBA Conference Scholarship Opportunities!

NLCGBA Conference Scholarship

The Conference Scholarship provides registration and accommodations for the upcoming Winter Conference to be held in Charlotte, December 4-6, 2024. Eligible applicants include first-time professional attendees or student attendees. Interested individuals should submit their application via e-mail to scholarship@nclgba.org with the subject line “#NCLGBA Scholarship Program”. Applications for the conference scholarship are due no later than Friday, October 18, 2024, at 11:59pm EST. Scholarship recipient(s) will receive registration and lodging accommodations for the 2024 Winter Conference. The scholarship application can be found here.

Judy Ikerd Endowed Scholarship

The second opportunity is through the North Carolina Local Government Budget Association, in partnership with Civic Federal Credit Union. This partnership has opened applications for the second annual Ikerd Scholarship. The Scholarship is available to full-time Master of Public Administration students. The scholarship provides $1,000 for tuition assistance and covers attendance and lodging at the Winter 2024 NCLGBA Conference in Charlotte, NC. Interested individuals should submit their application via e-mail to ikerdscholar@nclgba.org with the subject line “Ikerd Scholar 2024”. Applications for the Ikerd Scholarship are due no later than Sunday, October 20, 2023, at 11:59pm EST. The scholarship application can be found here.

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.

Poseidon and FABRIC

Join us on October 21, from 3 - 4 PM ET, for an insightful webinar on “Poseidon and FABRIC” featuring Cong Wang, Imtiaz Mahud, and Mariam Kiran as they introduce and demonstrate Poseidon, a tool designed to optimize big data flows across various facilities by leveraging the FABRIC platform. This session will begin with a concise overview of Poseidon’s capabilities, highlighting its role in connecting large-scale data networks and enhancing their efficiency. The presenters will discuss the importance of FABRIC and the exclusive features that support Poseidon’s network optimization efforts. The tutorial will include a demo showcasing what Poseidon is accomplishing and how FABRIC users can benefit from it, featuring a video by Imtiaz Mahud. Those interested can register here.

Using the Data Within FABRIC

Join us on October 22, from 2 - 3 PM ET, for “Using the Data Within FABRIC,” a deep dive into utilizing a wealth of data measured on the FABRIC platform. In this session, Jim Griffioen will guide participants through the essential features that make FABRIC a unique and powerful tool for data-driven research and innovation. The webinar will cover the importance of FABRIC in advancing network experimentation, highlight its exclusive capabilities, and provide a hands-on demo on how to use the data within FABRIC effectively. The session will also offer valuable resources for further exploration. Those interested can register here.

Paving the Way: Women's Careers in Affordable Housing

Next Wednesday, October 23rd, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., the Women's Affordable Housing Network (WAHN) at UNC-Chapel Hill will be hosting a panel discussion titled "Paving the Way: Women's Careers in Affordable Housing." 

The event will take place in New East Room 211. Panelists include Jess Brandes, Alice Jacoby, and Sadie Nott. Light refreshments will be provided! 

If you have any questions, please reach out to Nicki Harris (harrisn2@unc.edu) or Izzy Norman (izzyn@live.unc.edu). 

Self-Government Beyond Democracy?

I’d love to invite students in the MPA program as well as any interested School of Government staff and faculty to an event with City and Regional Planning. I hope some of you can make the hike up through campus for a lunch and conversation with an indigenous K’iche’ Mayan about his community’s form of government in Guatemala.  

Pascual Tahay will join remotely to discuss his experience participating in and struggling with neighborhood management of water, public safety, and other common goods.

Wednesday, 10/23

12:15-1:30pm

Reading Room of New East (2nd floor)

Lunch will be provided

This will be an informal conversation, not a scholarly lecture, so please come prepared to ask questions of Pascual and reflect with colleagues from other departments. 

Please email me if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Grant Holub-Moorman

hmgrant@email.unc.edu