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UNC MPA Student Digest | June 7, 2024 |
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Congratulations, Dr. Jacobson!
Kudos to MPA Director Dr. Willow Jacobson, who recently received the Jonathan P. West Outstanding Scholar Award at the most recent ASPA Conference. The award is in recognition of a scholar who has made substantial contributions to the academic literature in the field of public personnel administration. Congratulations!
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Join students, alumni, faculty, staff, friends, and their families for some tasty food and great conversation at the annual UNC MPA Alumni Kickoff Picnic. This event is free, and please bring your families, roommates, etc!
When: August 24th, 5-7PM
Where: SOG Knapp-Sanders Building, Dining Room
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Dr. Kim Nelson and Dr. Whitney Afonso recently published Municipal Corruption: From Politics to People. Exploring the 30-year time period from 1990 to 2020 and including all U.S. municipalities with populations of 10,000 people or more, Municipal Corruption: From Policies to People uses both quantitative research and case study analysis to answer the question of why some municipalities fall victim to corrupt acts, while others do not. It tells the stories of a number of communities that suffered through public corruption, investigating factors that contribute to a greater risk of corruption in municipalities, and identifying steps to prevent corruption in communities—including strengthening resident interest and involvement in local affairs, offsetting the decline in local journalism, and reinforcing scrutiny by state governments.
One fun fact: Dr. Afonso's son designed the book's cover art!
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MPA Faculty member Charles Szypszak published Understanding Law for Public Administration: 2nd Edition. Originally published in 2011, Understanding Law for Public Administration has long been a valuable resource for public administration students and professionals. This revised and updated edition explains key legal concepts and addresses subjects most relevant to public managers, such as property, contracts, employment, and torts. Extensive case excerpts show how the judicial system addresses such critical issues as free speech, abortion, government takings, and affirmative action so that readers understand the application of legal principles in the real world. | |
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MPA Faculty member and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kody Kinsley will be among the keynote speakers at the Statewide Summit on Suicide Prevention. This event will be co-hosted by MPA faculty member Dr. Anita Brown-Graham. Attendees will learn from local leaders participating in the “Our State, Our Wellbeing” program and will engage with 30 different organizations in an afternoon Resource Expo, connecting communities with experts and available resources for advancing work on suicide prevention.
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- May 27: Memorial Day; university closed and classes cancelled
- June 18: wellbeing day for online summer classes
- July 3-5: Wellbeing days for online summer classes
- July 4: Independence Day; university closed
- August 4: Last day of classes for summer online courses
- August 19: Fall on-campus classes s tart
- August 26: Fall online classes start
- August 24: MPA Alumni Picnic - all students are invited! Details TBA
You may also find all calendar events on the MPA Intranet calendar or by adding "UNC MPA Student Calendar" on Outlook.
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DataBytes: Using GenAI to win STTR and SBIR Government Grants | June 20 at 4 PM ET
Through a competitive awards-based program, STTR and SBIR federal grants enable small businesses to explore their technological potential and open new opportunities to profit from its commercialization. However, it can be difficult for first-time applicants to get their foot in the door, between sorting through guidelines, requirements, and deadlines, and trying to locate successful examples. GrantScout is automating grant search, writing, and submission. The tool uses traditional deep learning methods and generative Al to unlock funding for everyone. Join GrantScout founders, Felicia Chen and Jennifer Tang, as they present how the government provides over two million grants for small businesses, the ways that their team fine-tunes their own models to create strong technical proposals, and lessons they've learned from past experiences that helped them build the platform.
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