Carolina MPA Calendar

• March 13-17: Spring Break for on-campus courses
• March 23: Registration opens for May term courses
• March 24: Fall registration begins for on-campus courses
• April 6-7: Wellbeing Day & Spring Holiday for on-campus courses
• April 9: End of January online courses
• May 1: beginning of May online courses
• May 9: End of Spring on-campus courses
• May 12-14: Spring Graduation Weekend
• July 30: end of May online classes

Participants at the UNC MPA Alumni Breakfast in Winston-Salem, NC

Dr. Willow Jacobson speaks at the UNC MPA Alumni Breakfast

UNC MPA Happy Hour at Tate's Craft Cocktails

Reilly Stahl receives the NCCCMA Scholarship

Cherishing Family & Creating Memories

by Tonja Dean

If I’ve learned anything from the pandemic, it has been to spend time with the ones you love, take plenty of pictures and to cherish every moment. A few years ago, I embarked on my genealogy search and discovered my diverse ethnicity connected me with distant relatives all over the globe. I was amazed at how our lifestyles shared so many similarities, yet our backgrounds were varied and diverse.

I wasn’t sure where or how to start, so I did my fair share of research and quickly realized I needed to pick one side of the family and work backwards from there. I decided to start with my paternal grandparents. I googled and searched their names in old census records and phone books. The more information I found, the more I wanted to find, and thus began my love of researching my history and I’ve been hooked ever since.

In 2009, my father came to me with a request to get the family together and plan a reunion. I jumped at the idea, as it was long overdue. I was eager to reconnect with family and cousins that had fallen seemingly off the face of the earth. And so, the seed was planted, and the plan was set in motion. I began locating and reaching out to those family members I found on Facebook. Most of them were cousins around my age who provided direct connections to other family members, and that was the easy part.

Now, my father was one of seven children and of those seven four were deceased which left two brothers to focus on locating. I had all the information I needed, names and dates of birth and last known residences. I began to search old census records, google, and the white page of the phonebooks, in search of any clues that would lead to the location and whereabouts of these two brothers. All I really knew was when they left Virginia, they did not look back. I also knew that one uncle had resided in Pittsburgh, PA and so I started there, searching his name in every database I could find. I came across one that seemed like a good match and ran with it. The age was about right, so I took a chance and called the number associated with the name. When I called, I found it to be a senior citizen residential building. The lady on the other end of the phone was very polite but reluctant to give me any information due to HIPPA laws.

Of course, I understood that, so I explained who I was and the reason for my call. She listened attentively and then repeated everything I had told her. She explained that she could not confirm or deny whether someone by that name lived there, but that she would relay the information. I understood that after all this time, such information could come as a shock, so I waited anxiously for a call back. It seemed to take forever, and when I didn’t hear back, I called again. This call proved a little more promising, as the person whom I thought was my uncle had some questions. So, she asked me again who I was, where was our family from and his mother’s name? I answered all her questions and then some. About a day or two later, I received the call I had been waiting for. It was indeed my uncle Dennis. We talked what seemed like forever. He was under the impression that he was the only one of his siblings left and was extremely happy to find out this was not the case. I explained to him that I was planning a family reunion and hoped that he would be able to attend. One down and one to go.

As I began searching for the second brother Melvin, a strange and unexpected turn of events changed our lives forever. As I was searching for him, he was in search of us and boarded a train in Houston Texas and returned to our hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia. Now as fate would have it, as Melvin was sharing his story with the taxi driver, she listened attentively. The city had changed so much from the 1950’s, Melvin did not know where to start looking or who to contact, but the taxi driver knew our family and knew exactly what to do. It took one phone call, and the family was reconnected. In the end, we hosted our family reunion and we had so much fun. I will forever cherish all the smiles on everyone face as they shared their life stories. I hope that the next generations of cousins will continue these reunion traditions.

• Through February: Art Gallery celebrating Black History Month Open on UNC Campus
• February 18: American Association of University Women Celebration
• Starting March 1: LMA Grant Consulting's Free Grant Writing Webinar Sessions
• Due March 7: Join the Data Matters Short Course Series
• Due March 10: Nomination for the 2023 Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Education and Academic Program Support are being accepted
• April 14:The 25th Annual Graduate Student Recognition Celebration
• Applicants Needed for the Orange County Parks and Recreation Council

Above is a flyer about a free program by zoom featuring young scholars and their research and or community action projects. They all won American association of University Women fellowships this year and they live in the Triangle.

Please join us for a scintillating morning of research findings and community project results.

Registration is required, but it is free. All are welcome. Please join us.

Zoom Registration:

AAUW is a nonprofit, non partisan group which raises money for fellowships and advocates for women. For more information contact Michele Hoyman. hoyman@unc.edu

Hello nonprofit leaders!

Have you been looking for tools to freshen up your grant writing skills, but don’t want to break the bank? Join the 300+ others who have already registered for one or more of LMA Grant Consulting’s FREE 2023 Grant Writing Webinar Sessions!

Register today and make 2023 YOUR year for success with grant writing!

Prospect Research: Finding the Right Funder

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

12:00pm - 1:15pm EST

Guest Speaker: GrantStation

Finding the right funder is just as important as writing a great proposal. We'll kick off this session with some tactics on how to identify mission-aligned funders, investigate past giving patterns, and map out your grant applications in a year-long calendar. Then, a special guest from GrantStation will provide a comprehensive training on how to use their platform for finding grants.

How to Write a Proposal Narrative

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

This session will cover everything you need to know about writing a proposal narrative! We'll cover the most frequently requested information by funders, explore which details funders REALLY look for, and examine some writing samples. Attendees will leave with a template to help craft their boilerplate language.

Trauma-Informed Messaging for Your Grant Proposal

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

Guest Speaker: Maria Bryan of Maria Bryan Creative

Storytelling is a crucial component of a winning grant proposal. In this session, we’ll unpack how to gather your client and beneficiaries' stories in a way that protects, respects, and dignifies them. You’ll gain practical and actionable insights as well as tools needed to implement trauma-informed storytelling practices. 

Crafting Your Project Budget

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

Crafting a clear budget allows funders to understand your organization's financial situation, funding need, and sustainability plan. Yet, so many organizations struggle to identify the information that is most pertinent to include. Join us for this month's webinar on how to craft a clear project budget for your next grant proposal.

Measurement, KPIs, and Grant Reports

Wednesday, July 5, 2023

12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

Congratulations -- you've won the grant! Now it's time to steward that funder, meet reporting requirements, and ensure you're building a lasting relationship (that could potentially lead to more funding). Grant reports can be overwhelming and often take as much time to write as the proposal itself. Join us for the final webinar of the series as we explore how to put your best foot forward in grant reports.

--

Lynn Arsenault, MBA

Founder & CEO

LMA Grant Consulting LLC

www.LMAgrantconsulting.com

The National Consortium for Data Science, in partnership with RENCI and the Odum Institute, is hosting its springtime iteration of the Data Matters short-course series, virtually from March 13 - 16, 2023 — during UNC Spring Break. It’s a great way for someone to learn new skills and expand their knowledge on a subject as they apply for internships, jobs and promotions. 

Data Matters: Spring Ahead | Virtual | March 13 - 16, 2023

Data Matters™ is a week-long series of one and two-day courses aimed at students and professionals in business, research, and government. The short course series is sponsored by the Odum Institute for Research in Social Science at UNC-Chapel Hill, the National Consortium for Data Science, and RENCI. Our first-ever springtime series, Data Matters: Spring Ahead, will feature a selection of our most popular two-day courses. Learn more on their website. 

Among the classes available are:

• Introduction to Effective Information Visualization, Eric Monson. Visualization is a powerful way to reveal patterns in data, attract attention, and get your message across to an audience quickly and clearly. However, there are many steps in that journey from information to influence, and many questions – what visualization tools to use, how to get data into the right format, and which choices to make when putting it all together to tell your story? This course will quickly walk participants through a wide variety of data and chart types to help even beginners feel comfortable embarking on a new visualization project.
• Visualization for Data Science in R, Angela Zoss. Data science skills are increasingly important for research and industry projects. With complex data science projects, however, come complex needs for understanding and communicating analysis processes and results. Ultimately, an analyst’s data science toolbox is incomplete without visualization skills. Incorporating effective visualizations directly into the analysis tool you are using can facilitate quick data exploration, streamline your research process, and improve the reproducibility of your research. This course is designed for two audiences: experienced visualization designers looking to apply open data science techniques to their work, and data science professionals who have limited experience with visualization.

• Basics of R for Data Science and Statistics, Justin Post. This course introduces participants to discrete choice models, econometric models of how people choose between discrete outcomes, such as mode of travel to work or type of treatment for pain. The course will cover the subset of discrete choice models known as random utility models. These models are often used in disciplines such as economics, transportation, and public health. No prior knowledge is expected, and the course will cover logistic regression, multinomial logistic regression, and nested logistic regression. Hands-on exercises will be conducted in R. 

• Introduction to Python, Laura Tateosian. Python is a consistently top ranking programming language. Python syntax is easy to learn and the language is well-suited for rapid data exploration, as well as larger data science projects. This course will help you add basic Python skills to your data science tool belt, so that you can then go on to explore some of the vast number of libraries written in Python. Learning Python is important for any aspiring data scientist. This course is designed for students with some prior exposure to computer programming, but no Python experience. Participants will be introduced to core Python elements for working with data.

The deadline for registration is March 8 for Monday/Tuesday courses and March 9 for Wednesday/Thursday courses.

Please let me know if you have any questions or if you need any additional information.

Best,

Jayasree

The Graduate School is pleased to announce that we are currently accepting nominations for the 2023 Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Student and Academic Program Support. The Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Student and Academic Program Support recognizes graduate faculty currently in the Director of Graduate Studies role, who provide outstanding support for graduate programs and their students. 

The criteria for this award are as follows: 

• Program Support
• Engaging in critical and thoughtful discussions regarding program improvement, resource allocation, and student advising and mentoring
• Cultivating and contributing to a climate of inclusion and support for faculty, students, and staff from diverse backgrounds with varied experiences
• Student Development
• Providing students with constructive feedback and thoughtful guidance in dealing with academic challenges, defining professional goals, and accessing relevant resources
• Helping students develop a sense of voice, agency, and community within their academic program and ultimately their disciplinary field
• Faculty Engagement
• Working with program faculty and staff to ensure clear and consistent communication, interpretation, and application of policies and procedures
• Promoting faculty consideration and discussion of student concerns and ideas as related to program expectations and needs

The nomination process is as follows:

• A letter no longer than 500 words, prepared by graduate students, and commenting on the nominee’s abilities in the relevant criteria areas. This nomination may be submitted by a single student or a group of students.
• One letter that expresses faculty support for the nomination from the program director or chair. 
• Two additional letters of support may be submitted with the nomination. These letters can come from a student services manager and/or another campus representative (outside The Graduate School).
• A nomination packet should be submitted to me through Qualtrics consisting of: 
• Student nomination
• Faculty letter of support
• Up to two additional letters of support
• All graduate students are invited to nominate current Directors of Graduate Studies for this award.

The nomination form can be found at Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Student and Academic Program Support- The Graduate School at UNC-Chapel Hill.

The deadline for nominations is March 10, 2023 at 5pm. Please do not hesitate to contact Lou Anne Phelps with any questions. We look forward to receiving your nominations!

The 25th Annual Graduate Student Recognition Celebration will be Wednesday, April 12 at 4 pm in the Gorge Watts Hill Alumni Center.

Applicants Needed For 

Orange County Parks & Recreation Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Tara May, Deputy Clerk to the Board (919) 245-2125

ORANGE COUNTY, NC (February 9, 2023) – One of the ways residents can have a positive impact on the future of Orange County is to serve on a volunteer board or commission.

The Orange County Board of Commissioners is currently recruiting applicants for the Orange County Parks and Recreation Council.

The Orange County Parks and Recreation Council consults with and advises the Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation, and the Board of County Commissioners on matters affecting parks planning, development and operation; recreation facilities, policies and programs; and public trails and open space. The Parks and Recreation Council typically meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 pm. Applicants are needed for one (1) Bingham Township position, and one (1) at-large position. Please review the map at the following link to see Township boundaries: http://orangecountync.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2290/Township-Map-PDF. 

If interested, apply at www.orangecountync.gov/Apply. 

Orange County strives for diverse representation on volunteer boards and commissions. Residents of all demographic backgrounds, identities, and perspectives are encouraged to apply. Applicants must reside in Orange County. Volunteers appointed by the Board of County Commissioners have the opportunity to directly influence the County’s decisions, policies, and priorities.

For additional information contact Tara May at 919-245-2125 or tmay@orangecountync.gov.