MPA Faculty Share Top Podcast, Book Recommendations from Summer 2024

As the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill welcomes back faculty, staff, and students to campus, the School of Government’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) program is busy at work welcoming new and returning students. With summer entering the rearview mirror, the School decided to check in with Dean Aimee Wall and MPA faculty to find out what they listened to and read to keep learning and engaged during the summer—right as they kick into a new academic semester.

Register for the ICMA-Pittsburgh Happy Hour Hub

UNC MPA will once again be at the Fall ICMA conference! Join fellow alumni, current students, and a few UNC MPA faculty and staff at this year's happy hour hub!

Monday, September 21st

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

The Yard

11 Fifth Ave

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

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

QGAPS Kickoff Social & School Supply Extravaganza

September 20

The UNC-CH LGBTQ Center is so excited to welcome back both our new and returning LGBTQIA+ graduate students to campus! Are you connected with our Queer Graduate and Professional Student (QGAPS) newsletter? Do so at the link below!

For the first QGAPS event of the new year, come on OUT and join QGAPS at the September Kickoff Social and School Supply Extravaganza on Friday September 20 from 3-4:30pm at the Graduate Student Center. We’re celebrating the start of the semester, making friends, and we’ll have FREE school supplies to give away! We’re offering a welcoming, affirming, and relaxing environment so that both new and returning graduate students can connect with each other. Learn about upcoming QGAPS events, meet new people, and enjoy a delicious spread. Please pre-register at the link below so we will have enough food for everyone!

Calm Amidst the Campaigns: Mental Health During Election Season

Monday, September 23, 12-1:30 pm; Virtual

Election cycles can be times of heightened emotions, stress, and uncertainty. Whether you're deeply involved in political discourse or trying to stay informed without feeling overwhelmed, maintaining your mental health is crucial. This seminar will provide practical strategies and compassionate guidance to help you stay grounded and resilient during the election season.

Three Minute Thesis Competition

Three Minute Thesis is an academic competition in which graduate students have just three minutes to explain the breadth and significance of their research to a non-specialist audience. 

3MT is designed to help students foster effective presentation and communication skills while empowering them to clearly convey their research to a non-expert audience.

3MT winners have the opportunity to represent their university at national and international levels, opening doors to networking and professional growth. Many past finalists have received invitations to prestigious events, expanding their professional connections.

Prizes are awarded to the first place, second place, and "People's Choice" finishers. Read about last year's competition here.

• Attend the 3MT information session on Sept. 24
• Workshop: Communicating Your Research to the Public: Storytelling: Sept. 26
• Register for the competition before Sept. 27
• Preliminary rounds will be held on Sept. 30 and Oct. 2

Final round will be held on Oct. 22, during University Research Week

“’Indigenous Storywork’ and Native American Photography: Writing a Visual History of the Ho-Chunk Nation”

September 25 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm, Howell Hall 115

Amy Lonetree is an enrolled citizen of the Ho-Chunk Nation and a Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She received her Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Her scholarly research focuses on Indigenous history, visual culture studies, and museum studies, and she has received fellowships in support of this work from the School for Advanced Research, the Newberry Library, the Bard Graduate Center, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Research Center, the Institute of American Cultures at UCLA, and the University of California, Berkeley Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. Her publications include Decolonizing Museums: Representing Native America in National and Tribal Museums (University of North Carolina Press, 2012); a co-edited book with Amanda J. Cobb, The National Museum of the American Indian: Critical Conversations (University of Nebraska Press, 2008); and a co-authored volume, People of the Big Voice: Photographs of Ho-Chunk Families by Charles Van Schaick, 1879-1942 (Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2011). Amy is currently working on two projects. The first is a visual history of the Ho-Chunk Nation. This research explores family history, tourism, settler colonialism, and Ho-Chunk survivance through an examination of two exceptional collections of studio portraits and tourist images of Ho-Chunk people taken between 1879-1960. The second research project is a historical study documenting the adoption of Indigenous children throughout the twentieth century.

Grant Professionals Association NC Chapter Annual Conference

September 26, 9 am - 4 pm, Charlotte NC

Join North Carolina Chapter of GPA for their Annual Conference!

• Keynote from all-star grant professional Cyndi MacKenzie, GPC, on Using AI Ethically.
• Program officers from top foundations sharing tips, including The Cannon Foundation, Golden LEAF Foundation, and Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.
• A presentation on Donor-advised Funds by Foundation for the Carolinas, including tips on accessing these grantmakers.
• Adriana Cosgriff, former US Dept. of State executive and grantmaker, on What Funders Want.
• Q&A with Marianne Rupp Martínez, MPA, on how she raised $6M+ in grants for a major capital campaign.
• Lauren Wilson of YMCA of Avery County on Training Staff and Coworkers to Strengthen Your Grants Program.
• Amy Clinton, MA, GPC, on how to identify and research grant prospects.
• Hometown Strong Grants Program Director Emily Adair on leveraging partnerships to access funds.

Submit a Memo for the NASPAA Grad Student Challenge

The National Academy of Public Administration is partnering with the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs and the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration to give graduate students the opportunity to propose solutions to one of the 12 Grand Challenges.

Over the next decade, all sectors of society must work together to address the critical issues of protecting and advancing democracy, strengthening social and economic development, ensuring environmental sustainability, and managing technological changes. The Academy’s 12 Grand Challenges offer an agenda for action that can drive solutions.

Graduate students are invited to submit a policy memo recommending an action the next US Presidential Administration (whether newly elected or reelected) should take to address a critical issue related to the Grand Challenge of their choice.

Requirements:

• Memos should be no more than 1,500 words maximum.
• Contestants must be currently enrolled in an accredited college or university graduate program or above.
• The submission period closes September 27, 2024.
• All entries must be the original work of the contestant.
• Previously published works do not qualify for this competition.
• Entries should only focus on one Grand Challenge.
• AI-Generated or Assisted Texts are not eligible.

Submit a Memo HERE!

Join the UNC Graduate School at Grad Café!

• Grad Café - Tuesday, October 8, 9:00-11:00am, Bynum Hall fountain
• Grad Café - Monday, November 11, 9:00-11:00am, Bynum Hall fountain

Join The Graduate School and Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG) for regular Grad Cafés each semester. 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, GPSG leadership, 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.

In addition, the UNC Graduate School has started a new webpage of support resources.

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

Grad Student Academic Coaching Group

Every Monday @ 3–4 pm in SASB North 2115

Come check out the Writing and Learning Center's weekly coaching group for graduate students seeking support in any aspect of their graduate school experience. Register here.

CDS reintroduces Halal-Certified Chicken in Dining Halls

Carolina Dining Services reintroduced halal-certified chicken on Sept. 6 at their Simply Prepared stations in Chase Dining Hall and the Top of Lenoir Dining Hall.

CDS Registered Dietician Sapthalee July wrote in an email statement to The Daily Tar Heel that CDS has partnered with their distributor, Sysco Raleigh, to provide halal chicken options for Muslim students and faculty on campus. 

Halal meat and poultry is slaughtered in a way deemed acceptable under Islamic Law. The chicken is processed at Mar-Jac Poultry, which holds a halal certification. 

July wrote that  CDS has collaborated with the Muslim Student Association for special accommodations during Ramadan, including providing dates for breaking fasts and adding halal-friendly options during late-night hours. She said CDS will continue to work with MSA to provide dietary accommodations for the Muslim community on campus. 

Empower UNC: Responding to Disclosures of GBV

Empower UNC: Responding to Disclosures of GBV (gender-based violence) is a training collaboration between Violence Prevention and Advocacy Services (VPAS) and Equal Opportunity and Compliance (EOC). This updated training replaced UNC’s former HAVEN training. 

Empower UNC equips students and employees with information, resources, and strategies to respond to disclosures of sexual violence, interpersonal violence, stalking, and sexual and gender-based harassment in an informed and compassionate way. 

This training consists of two parts. The first part is an online video recording that students and employees will receive once registered and may complete asynchronously at their convenience. The second part is an in-person, live training session facilitated by staff from VPAS and EOC. 

Students and employees who complete both parts of Empower UNC will receive a placard and sticker to acknowledge their training completion and willingness to support individuals impacted by gender-based violence and harassment in our campus community. 

Please note: Graduate and Professional students are welcome to register for the student or employee version of the training, depending on which feels most aligned and appropriate for their role(s) on campus. 

For questions about Empower UNC: Responding to Disclosures of GBV, or to change or cancel your registration, please email violenceprevention@unc.edu