This article was first published in Public Management (PM) Magazine through the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) in Washington, DC. Click here for the original.

by Jon Cheek
According to the 2012 US Census Bureau, there are more than 116,000 active-duty and 22,500 National Guard/reserve service members stationed across North Carolina, which amounts to the third largest military population by state in the country, following California and Texas.
What does all this mean?

What if we could tackle childhood hunger, develop local businesses, and create community jobs in the summer at the same time? There are millions of dollars in local food system sales being left on table and millions of children who could be served by an established program, if we can only figure out a local meal distribution system that works.

This article by Gini Hamilton originally appeared in the Winter 2015 issue of the North Carolina State Bar Journal.

Mike Ruffin and his wife Robbie had finally taken the trip they had been planning for years: a whirlwind tour of European cities—London, Amsterdam, Rome, Venice, Florence, Innsbruck, Munich, Heidelberg, Boppard, Lucerne, and a final two nights in Paris. On their last night, Friday, November 13, they dined at a neighborhood restaurant and went back to their hotel, but not before a short walk to the Eiffel Tower and a cruise down the Seine River.

The UNC School of Government buzzed with excitement the afternoon of October 30, when 39 of the state’s newest and most promising local government leaders graduated from the 2015 Clerks’ Certification Institute.

The School of Government serves within a diverse community whose leaders and citizens come from many walks of life and perspectives. Faculty members also come from many different backgrounds. For several of the School's current faculty members, this includes service as officers in the nation's military.

Jeffrey B. Welty will become director of the North Carolina Judicial College effective January 1, 2016.

Family members of several notable African Americans depicted in the SERVICE mural shared personal stories of their loved ones’ accomplishments through memorabilia and an oral history at the School of Government on Friday, September 25.
