Ninety faculty and staff from UNC-Chapel Hill traveled across the state on October 16-18 on the Tar Heel Bus Tour, a three-bus journey to 26 towns and cities throughout North Carolina. Through the three-day, two-night trip, bus tour participants learned about the issues facing North Carolinians and the people who are working to effect change—including community members and their University partners.

Each bus had a different route—east, west, and southeast—and a leadership team with the following roles: host, commentator, logistics, and advance. The Tar Heel Bus Tour originally operated from 1997 to 2008, led by School of Government faculty members. The School was heavily involved in planning the 2019 revival, and Dean Mike Smith and faculty member Anita Brown-Graham served as hosts of two of the three buses. 

There were several stops on the tour showcasing the School’s impact across the state:

In Kannapolis, participants visited with leaders from the School's Development Finance Initiative (DFI) and from City Hall to explore the $120 million revitalization project underway there.

At Robeson Community College, faculty member Norma Houston represented the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency in a discussion about research, service, and resource distribution after hurricanes.

A bus stopped in Wilkesboro to visit with one of the School's Opioid Response Project teams—a group of Wilkes County/Wilkesboro public officials and partners, including faculty member Sara DePasquale—working to combat the opioid epidemic in their region.

In Fayetteville, participants met with Project NO REST, a partner with the UNC School of Social Work and School of Government faculty member Margaret Henderson, who is teaching local governments how to identify and prevent human trafficking.

And in Kinston, the bus tour explored the Mitchelltown neighborhood, which is a thriving arts and cultural district thanks in large part to the work of DFI.

“Special thanks to Interim Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz for having the vision to revisit the bus tour, and for bringing it back in a new and even better way,” said Smith.  “Thanks also to so many other people who worked hard to plan and implement the tour. Kevin’s commitment to the bus tour reflects his larger commitment to ensuring that the University is focused on helping address the challenges facing North Carolina.  It is an exciting time for public service at Carolina.”

You can relive the participants' experience on Twitter at #tarheelbustour