New MPA Online Student Leadership Council Members Selected

Congratulations to the following students for being selected for the MPA Online Student Leadership Council as at-large members. They come from the 2024 cohorts. The UNC MPA Online Student Leadership Council serves as student advocates to address the needs and concerns of the online student body. We strive to promote community and collaboration through knowledge-sharing, mentorship, and social engagement. Additional information can be found on the MPA Intranet.

Our Movement Starts Here Film Screening and Panel Discussion

February 25, 5-7:45 pm

Joan Heckler Gillings Auditorium, 133 Rosenau Hall

The MPA Diversity Student Alliance is partnering with UNC Law School and Gillings School of Global Public Health to support a screening and discussion of "Our Movement Starts Here." Come learn about the historic fight against the construction of a toxic PCB landfill in Warren County. Refreshments will be served beforehand and a panel discussion will follow the film.

Women in Government Leadership Panel and Reception

Tuesday, March 4, 6:30-9 pm

Knapp-Sanders 2603 and Atrium

Join the Carolina Veterans Alumni Network, UNC School of Government, and the UNC Carolina Women’s Center for an insightful panel discussion featuring accomplished women leaders who have made significant contributions to public service.

This event will bring together leaders from various government sectors to share their experiences, challenges, and insights. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from their journeys, gain inspiration, and connect with peers who are passionate about gender equality and leadership.

Don’t miss this inspiring event that highlights the importance of gender equity in government leadership. Register now to reserve your spot!

AI Career Promptathon

Are you seeking to take your career journey to the next level with AI? You can participate in the AI Career Promptathon: Choose Your Adventure! -- an asynchronous training resource where you’ll harness the power of AI to boost your career journey, documents, and connect to resources.

Navigate through the AI Career Promptathon via this survey link to learn and train yourself on ways you can use AI to level up career exploration, interviewing, and more! This is your chance to experiment with AI in a career setting, gain valuable career insights, and walk away with tangible takeaways.

What are the Adventures? Choose one (or all!) of these AI-powered experiences:

• Evaluate: Analyze an AI-generated conversation and sharpen your critical thinking skills.
• Explore: Use AI to research career pathways, job roles, and organizations tailored to your interests.
• Execute: Leverage AI to refine your resume, cover letter, or other career documents.

When: Access will be open from February 17-28, 2025

Location: Online via this link, which opens automatically on February 17

Time: Anytime! You do this on your own time at your own pace through February 27

Questions: Shauna Hines-Farmer will be hosting office hours (see dates below) if you wish to jump on a Teams call (link) or come by her office (Room 3111) for assistance.

• Monday, February 17: 12-1pm
• Friday, February 21: 9-10am
• Friday, February 21: 3-4pm
• Tuesday, February 25: 12-1pm
• Thursday, February 27: 11am-12pm

For each adventure submission, you will be entered into a random prize drawing and be provided with customized feedback.

Reach out to Shauna Hines-Farmer (shines-farmer@sog.unc.edu) with any questions.

Graduate Student Academic Coaching Group

Every Monday through April 28, 4-5 pm

Greenlaw 221

Looking for support in grad school? Trying to make progress on your coursework, thesis, or dissertation? Seeking greater balance or accountability in your academic and professional life? Join our weekly coaching group for graduate students! No registration necessary.

Bynum Hall Food Pantry Now Open

Our new pantry is here to support graduate students in need with canned goods, toiletries, cleaning supplies, childcare essentials and more. The pantry is typically open Monday-Friday, 10:00 am-3:00 pm, but please email Leanne Bajkowski to confirm a time and ensure someone will be available to assist you. 

Carolina Engagement Week

Carolina Engagement Week 2025, a week-long celebration of partnerships between UNC-Chapel Hill and North Carolina communities, is right around the corner and has something for everyone! Since it began in 2022, more than 230 communities throughout the state have been served through these partnerships

This year, Carolina faculty, staff, students and community organizations will host more than 40 lectures, workshops and other activities throughout the week. Events are offered virtually and in person covering a wide range of topics from Hurricane Helene relief to reducing food waste and food insecurity to a UNC Law clinic to our very own FRIE team hosting a virtual session on helping community initiatives finding a fit with foundation funders.

Check out the events and please share widely. Events are open to the public and free. This is tremendous opportunity to highlight Carolina - the work and the impact in real time - to volunteers, donors and prospects.

Register now for the most robust lineup to date! Registration is separate for each individual event.

For questions, write to engagementweek@unc.edu.

Apply to the Order of the Golden Fleece

Dear Carolina Community,

Nominations for the 2025 Order of the Golden Fleece are now open!

Founded on April 11, 1904, the Order of the Golden Fleece is UNC-Chapel Hill’s oldest and highest honorary society. Each year, the Active Order selects new members who have made significant and lasting contributions to the University through scholarship, leadership, and service.

Who is eligible?

Juniors, seniors, graduate students, faculty, staff and alumni who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to UNC-Chapel Hill.

Membership is open to all individuals, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, ability, religion, or any other identity.

Submit a nomination here: https://go.unc.edu/OGF2025Nominations

Deadline: Monday, February 24th, 2025 at 5 p.m.

For any questions, please reach out to ogf1904@gmail.com.

Best,

Morgan Jordan

Jason, Order of the Golden Fleece

Your Money College Tour

Tuesday, February 25, 10:30 am

Carolina Union

CNBC’s Your Money: College Tour brings together industry experts and special guests to offer advice and real-world insight on topics like budgeting, saving, investing and more to empower students to take control of their money and their future. We think this will be an especially exciting event for graduate students and would love for you to share it with them as you see fit. Register for the free event here.

Rooted in Community: 2025 NC Child Hunger Leaders Conference

Tuesday, February 25, Friday Center, Chapel Hill, NC

The 2025 NC Child Hunger Leaders Conference is an annual day of celebration and inspiration for anyone invested in making sure kids have access to healthy food at school and beyond.

The one-day event is presented by the Carolina Hunger Initiative and will take place Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at The Friday Conference Center in Chapel Hill. Attendees will grow their community of child hunger leaders from across the state, hear new strategies and success stories, and leave reenergized to continue the fight against child hunger.

This year's featured speakers include:

• Governor Josh Stein
• Rachel Findley, new Senior Director of School Nutrition at NCDPI
• Dasan Ahanu, Poet and Cultural Organizer
• And lots more fun and inspiration!

To register and learn more, visit CarolinaHungerInitiative.org/Register.

S.O.L.E. Fest

S.O.L.E Fest: Spring Edition will offer in-person tabling opportunities each day for new and returning students to create connections with student organizations. This is the best opportunity for students to learn more about the active organizations on campus. Join us from March 3-5 at 11am-1pm as organizations gather around the Art Gallery, Great Hall, and Great Hall Lobby to showcase their impact on campus and throughout the community. 

Participating students will have the chance to grab a food voucher from one of this year's sponsors - Al's Burger Shack, Brandwein's, Hibachi & Co., or Cosmic Cantina! We will also have some cool merch for attendees. We hope to see you there! 

Grad Cafe

Join The Graduate School and GPSG for the second Grad Café of the semester on March 4 from 9:00AM - 11:00AM. We'll be at the Bynum Hall fountain with free bagels, coffee and hot chocolate from Brandwein's Bagels and Gray Squirrel Coffee Company. 

Grad Café is an opportunity for you to connect with other graduate and professional students, GPSG leadership and staff of The Graduate School.

Plus, as part of our Campus Partner Spotlight, staff from The Writing and Learning Center will be on hand to share information about how they support graduate and professional students – including an academic coaching group exclusively for graduate students!

Feel free to stay and chat or grab and go. We look forward to seeing you as we approach the midpoint of the semester!

The 2025 Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Student and Academic Program Support

The Graduate School is pleased to announce that we are currently accepting nominations for the 2025 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. 

This award recognizes a current Director of Graduate Studies who exemplifies excellence in:

• Program Support
• Student Development
• Faculty Engagement

All graduate students are invited to nominate any current Director of Graduate Studies for this award. The deadline for nominations is 5:00pm on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.

Specific information about this award, the updated and streamlined nomination process, and the link to the nomination form can be found on our website: https://gradschool.unc.edu/academics/awards/dgsaward.html. 

Free Tax Prep for Graduate Students

Now through April 11, the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide in partnership with the IRS will provide tax assistance to all graduate students including resident and nonresident international students. Their IRS-certified tax counselors are specially trained in graduate student tax matters including complex education tax credits and foreign tax treaty benefits.

To request this fully virtual service, submit a Service Request Form and an IRS-certified tax counselor will follow up with detailed instructions.