Always Your Home Team: A Sendoff from the UNC MPA Program

On May 9, 2026, the UNC Master of Public Administration (MPA) program graduated 46 newly minted MPAs from both the online and in-person formats. The festivities at the Frank Porter Graham Student Union were marked by peacock blue hoods, smiling family and friends in attendance, and a unifying theme: "home."

Willow Jacobson, Robert W. Bradshaw Jr. Distinguished Professor of Public Administration and Government and director of the UNC MPA program, set that tone from the opening moments. She invited the graduates to rise and turn to the audience. “Please join me in your most ruckus way in extending appreciation to all of these folks for all the moments they've held you up,” she said, drawing enthusiastic applause. “This community will remain important as you build and expand your network.”

Your Home Team

That sense of community carried into Dean Aimee Wall’s remarks, who reminded the graduates that their future success in public service will be inextricably linked with the success of their teams. "As you prepare to step into city halls, nonprofits, state agencies, wherever you end up, know that we are always here for you and that all of us at the School of Government will always strive to be your home team."

It's a value that the School's MPA faculty and staff work to embody each day, striving to create a genuine sense of belonging with every cohort of students. "I hope you all go forward and build teams that are as resilient and dedicated as the one you found here,” Wall concluded.

Deil S. Wright Award

The spirit of investing in people also ran through the ceremony's academic honors. Newly hired Professor of Public Administration Colt Jensen presented graduate Tori Rakich with the Deil Wright Best Paper Award—an honor whose very origin, Jensen noted, reflects the same human-centered values it recognizes.

Wright, who directed the MPA program from 1973–1979, is credited with creating a culture of high expectations paired with deep support. He developed the MPA Alumni Association and initiated the annual alumni conference. In addition to the named capstone award, MPA alumni have honored Wright’s legacy by endowing a lecture series and a scholarship in his name.

"The same instinct to keep people at the center of how government works runs through this year's winning paper," said Jensen. In her paper titled "How North Carolina Counties are navigating Artificial Intelligence in Public Sector Talent Acquisition," Rakich explores the timely topic of how North Carolina's county governments are adopting artificial intelligence and applying it to human resource management. She recommends they take a human-centered approach to public-sector talent acquisition that allows counties to pursue administrative efficiency without sacrificing the legitimacy or democratic values that are fundamental to government hiring.

Home Team Hero: Carl Stenberg

Fittingly, the program chose one of its own to deliver the commencement address. Carl Stenberg, the James E. Holshouser Jr. Distinguished Professor of Public Administration and Government, will retire from what he calls the "job of a lifetime" in December 2026. He told graduates in his address that he never imagined being asked to stand at a podium on their behalf — but he clearly rose to the occasion.

Drawing inspiration from the Simon & Garfunkel classic "Bridge Over Troubled Water," Stenberg described today's public administrators as people increasingly called upon to serve as bridges—spanning "wide-ranging disruptions and sometimes turbulent, intergovernmental, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral" challenges while keeping the machinery of government moving in service of the public.

He closed with five pieces of advice, offered in his own words:

Be resilient. "Buckle up, stay on top of your game, and make no small plans."
Lead from wherever you are, "because all leadership doesn't come from the top of the hierarchy."
Invest in yourself. "Be a lifelong learner. [The School of Government is] committed to continuing to be your partner in this journey."
Build and maintain your network. "Your network should include coworkers who are practitioners, professional associations, colleagues across the state, federal, local, and nonprofit landscapes. You've got to nurture it."
Think about your legacy. "Consider the contribution you want to make as a public servant, as a living bridge over the public service waters. How do you want to be remembered? We stand on the shoulders of others in making organizations better than we found them. What do you want to leave behind as your legacy?"

Published June 1, 2026