Carolina MPA Student Digest 10/1/21:
Carolina MPA Calendar
  • October 17: Fall Portfolio due date, 11:55 pm
  • October 21-22: UNC Fall break; On-campus sections cancelled; online sections meet
  • October 22: Registration opens for January/Spring 2022 terms
  • November 14: drop deadline for September term students
  • November 18: drop deadline for on-campus students
  • December 10-12: Fall Graduation Events
  • March 3-5, 2022: MPA Immersion

NOTE: Check out other dates on the MPA Intranet!

Bell tower photo courtesy of Elizabeth Langefeld.
MPA News
Upcoming Events!

 
Join fellow MPA alumni and students for our second Community Conversation around the arts!
 
When: October 27, 2021
Time: 6:30 PM-7:30 PM
Where: Virtual, register here
 
After a dynamic conversation this spring about the arts industry and recovery after Covid, we are continuing the conversation to discuss tips and tricks for seeking funding for the arts and how organizations can best position themselves for funding in our new normal.  

Please register HERE so that we have an idea of who we will see. You will receive a Zoom link upon registration!
University & Beyond Events
  • Mental Health Resources for UNC & Beyond
  • Starting October 25: NASPAA DC Virtual Trek Week
  • Apply to be a Parr Center for Ethics Graduate Fellow
  • Starting October 14: FREE 6-Day ARPA Course for Local Government Leaders
  • Starting October 14: Gillings on the Ground: Disaster Response Training Programs
  • October 14, 21, 22: Professional Communication Skills Boot Camps for Graduate Students
  • October 16: Sometimes I Sing Virtual Screening
  • October 25: Sen. McCaskill to deliver 2021 Weil Lecture
  • Due October 25: 2022 Impact Award Nominations
  • October 26:Local Goal Attaining Webinar
  • Upcoming Information Sessions on the Ph.D. in Public Administration from UGA
Mental Health Resources for UNC & Beyond
We are all extremely saddened by the recent passing of fellow Tar Heels. We know that graduate school is a very stressful time, and your faculty and staff are ready to listen. In addition, here are resources on campus and in your local community that we hope you will take advantage of:

UNC Resources

Off-Campus Resources
NASPAA DC Virtual Trek Week 
 
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Info Session - RSVP coming soon!
Monday, October 25
 ______________________________________________________________
 
Think Tanks - An Overview and Panel of Professionals
Tuesday, October 26, 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern
NASPAA students and alumni: Join us for a panel of professionals working at think tanks. This event will start with an overview of the think tank eco-system by a staff member at Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) followed by a panel discussion with additional guests.
 ______________________________________________________________
 
NASPAA - DevEx-Posner Center International Development Panel
Thursday, October 28, 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern
Please join the Middlebury of Institute of International Studies at Monterey and the NASPAA Employer Relations Committee for an International Development Panel, with Kate Warren, Executive Vice President of DevEx, and Burke Fishburn, Executive Director of the Posner Center. The Panel will be moderated by Scott Webb, Career & Academic Advisor with the Center for Advising and Career Services at the Middlebury Institute. We will be discussing the state of international development in the wake of both the pandemic and the new Biden administration. 
RSVP and more information:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

The UNC School of Government is collaborating with state partners to host a free six-day course via Zoom to help local governments understand the complexities of the American Rescue Plan Act. Beginning October 13, the course is open to any local government elected or staff member. Others are welcome, but the focus will be on local governments.
Registration is required to attend and will continue following the start of the course. There will be separate tracks for smaller and mid-to-large jurisdictions for several of the topics. Participants may attend the whole course or pick and choose among the sessions. The live course will be recorded and made available to view on-demand for those unable to attend the session.
 
Learn more and register: 
Gillings on the Ground combines cohort-based learning with interdisciplinary training to develop a team of students primed with the skills – and the structure and coordination within the Gillings School – to work with communities in disaster preparedness and relief.
The program features a 5-week training program or “mini-course” that cultivates skills focused on various aspects of disaster relief and community engagement. Following the completion of the training program, trainees will be awarded a certificate of completion and connected with community partners to complete disaster-related service opportunities as a cohort, both locally and in areas hit by disaster. Trainees will also gain access to an exclusive listserv of curated disaster-related service opportunities submitted by our community partners.
We welcome any UNC students, faculty, staff and alumni to join us this fall! Interested? Fill out this form. All sessions will be via Zoom.
 
As we continue to navigate both old and new challenges, members can depend on ASPA to provide needed resources for building careers, keeping up with the latest issues in the field and continuously focusing on professional development. Student members, especially, benefit from services and resources focused on their unique needs. Here are just a few examples of what you can expect from an ASPA membership:
·        Local Chapters with which they can engage to meet others in the field
·        A Student and New Professionals Section to help them connect with others who are new to public administration
·        An archive of premium webinar and e-learning programs to help jumpstart students’ careers and give them new ideas—like creative research options, mentoring options, job-search assistance and more
·        Presentation opportunities at the Annual Conference next spring—and the Student and New Professionals Summit to help them focus on the next steps in their career
·        Access to Public Administration Review—the premier professional public administration journal in the field—and PA TIMES magazine, the premier resource for practitioner-based learning
·        An e-news digest of public administration news to help inform the rest of their scholarship
 
ASPA membership for students also will foster community building within our program, as students collaborate to make the most of our ASPA and integrate them into their ongoing learning experience.
 
Students can apply for membership online at www.aspanet.org/join. You also can access a PDF of our membership application, which you can distribute to your students, here (https://www.aspanet.org/ASPADocs/membership/ASPAMembershipApplication.pdf). ASPA Offers group memberships (made up of 10+ new/renewing members) that enables students to join as a cohort and get a membership discount, if you would like to organize a group! 
Professional Communication Skills Boot Camp for Graduate Students (Oct 14, 21, 22)
The Communications Boot Camp is a three-part series intended to increase students’ confidence communicating to broader audiences and practice developing persuasive skills that will create effective messaging and relay the importance of one’s research. 
 
Full details are listed on the Registration page. This event will be held in person and online.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Combining the distance of history with emotional immediacy, Sometimes I Sing indicts the systems that still keep battered women in abusive environments, even today. Chapel Hill’s master storyteller Dr. Milbre Burch presents her one-act monodrama and leads a panel discussion. The panel includes Jenny Lopez, immigrant outreach program director in rural western NC, UNC Law Professor Patricia Bryan, Chapel Hill Police Crisis Unit officer Megan Johnson, and Compass Center volunteer and survivor, “Nancy.” The event is FREE, open to the public, and is co-sponsored by AAUW-Orange-Durham-Chatham branch, AAUW-NC and the Orange County Arts Commission. REGISTER NOW for this Zoom program. Date: Sat., Oct. 16, 10:30 – Noon. (Please log into Zoom by 10:15.)
The Institute for the Arts and Humanities announces Claire McCaskill, U.S. Senator 2007-2018, will deliver the 2021 Weil Lecture on American Citizenship on Monday, October 25 at 5:30 p.m. EDT in a virtual event.
 
McCaskill was first scheduled as the speaker for the Weil Lecture in March 2020, which was postponed because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The 2021 lecture will stream to guests online live from Hill Hall at UNC-Chapel Hill. After McCaskill’s remarks, there will be a Q&A session with questions submitted by the online audience.
 
The Graduate School is currently accepting nominations for the 2022 Impact Awards, recognizing graduate students whose research contributes to the well-being of North Carolina communities and citizens. Impact Awards are sponsored by the Graduate Education Advancement Board and recognize research that is of high quality with significant and direct impact on specific North Carolina citizens, communities, problems, and issues. The Impact Award includes a $500 cash prize, a certificate, and recognition at the Annual Graduate Student Recognition Celebration.
 
Each graduate program may nominate two graduate students. We encourage students in all academic areas to apply; a diversity of research is imperative in demonstrating the importance of Carolina graduate student research to North Carolina.

Nominations are due October 25, 2021. Students interested in being nominated should consult with their program leadership regarding any internal deadlines.
myFutureNC and ncIMPACT Initiative invite you to join a learning opportunity with Dr. Becky Tippett, Director of Carolina Demography, regarding setting local attainment goals. Join us on October 26th at 10am to hear about resources available such as the Setting Local Attainment Goals Practice Guide and the 100 County Attainment Goals for 2030 Spreadsheet to support local attainment-focused efforts.
Our hope is that community leaders use these local goals and resources as one part of a strategic planning process - a conversation starter about goals, priorities, and target populations - for increasing attainment in their local community. This opportunity is open to the public.
 Learn more and register:
Information Sessions on the UGA PhD Program in Public Administration & Policy
All students interested in earning a PhD. in Public Administration & Policy are invited to join the UGA program in one of their two upcoming information sessions.

PhD Program Director Katherine Willoughby is inviting you to a Zoom informational session about the University of Georgia's PhD Program in Public Administration and Policy:
 
Topic: UGA PhD Program in Public Administration and Policy
Days and Time: Wednesday, Oct 20, 2021 and/or Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at 11:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
     
Join Zoom Meeting
 
Meeting ID: 962 7074 7883
Passcode: 971072
 
One tap mobile
+19292056099,,96270747883#,,,,*971072# US (New York)
+13017158592,,96270747883#,,,,*971072# US (Washington DC)
Carolina MPA | UNC School of Government | carolinampa.sog.unc.edu | Website | Intranet