GiveUNC: A Note from Dana Simpson, Chair of the UNC School of Government Foundation Board

Today is GiveUNC, the University’s annual day of giving. As Dean Mike Smith is set to step down as Dean at the end of this year, today we are celebrating his 30 years of leadership at the School. The message below invites you to honor his service and legacy with a gift supporting the Mike R. Smith Dean’s Greatest Needs Fund which will provide unrestricted funds that will allow the School to support and address current needs and issues facing North Carolina. The importance of today is less about the amount raised and more about the number of donors – a testament to the value of the School and what we do. When Dean Mike Smith asked me to join the UNC School of Government Foundation Board in 2014, I was honored to have the opportunity to work in support of an institution that has done so much for my home state of North Carolina. I also feel fortunate, however, to have had the opportunity to do this work alongside Mike. The School is an incredibly unique institution. Its value to our communities, our state, and the University of North Carolina is immutable. Mike has always understood this and has been a tireless champion of the School and its faculty and staff during his 30-year career as dean. He passionately believes in the values of the School that so many of us have benefitted from—its responsiveness to the needs of our communities, its firm commitment to non-partisanship, and its staunch support [...]