Courses

Strategic Planning in Local Government

This course will take place in person at the School of Government, from 9am - 5pm.

Strategic planning is one of the most effective tools in local government to improve organizational performance and sustainability. Strategic plans help public managers develop a detailed course of action to take an organization from its current state to the desired future state while ensuring its survival and success. This one-day course is designed for local public managers serving mid-tier and leadership roles. It offers public managers the tools to develop new strategic plans or improve their existing plans. This course employs accessible step-by-step techniques to demystify the strategic planning process for public managers and presents flexible, pragmatic methods to implement strategic plans.

This course is a part of the School of Government's Evidence-Based Course Series.

Learning outcomes:

  • Identify the benefits of strategic planning
  • Develop and refine mission, vision, and values
  • Analyze organizational environment
  • Identify and frame strategic issues
  • Formulate strategic alternatives
  • Develop an understanding of logic models

 

Members of Civic Federal Credit Union (Civic) and Local Government Federal Credit Union (LGFCU), who are local government employees, are eligible to apply for a scholarship towards tuition for conferences, classes, and seminars offered by the School of Government. There are four deadlines to submit applications:

  • March 1 (for courses starting between April 1 and June 30)
  • June 1 (for courses starting between July 1 and September 30)
  • September 1 (for courses starting between October 1 and December 31)
  • December 1 (for courses starting between January 1 and March 31)
Visit the Civic Foundation for more information and to submit an application
  • Chapel Hill, NC
    September 12
    UNC School of Government
    Knapp-Sanders Building
    400 South Rd
    Chapel Hill, NC 27599
    View Scholarship Information

    Members of Civic Federal Credit Union (Civic) and Local Government Federal Credit Union (LGFCU), who are local government employees, are eligible to apply for a scholarship towards tuition for conferences, classes, and seminars offered by the School of Government. There are four deadlines to submit applications:

    • March 1 (for courses starting between April 1 and June 30)
    • June 1 (for courses starting between July 1 and September 30)
    • September 1 (for courses starting between October 1 and December 31)
    • December 1 (for courses starting between January 1 and March 31)
    Visit the Civic Foundation for more information and to submit an application
    View Cancellation Policy
    Course participants who cancel their registration on or before September 04, 2025 will receive a full refund. No refund will be made for cancellations on or after September 05, 2025, but you will receive a transferrable credit to be used within 12 months. Click here to view the School’s full cancellation and refund policy.
    $350.00
    Register
    Registration and payment for this course grants access for a single attendee. In order to register a group of attendees, please register each person individually. If you have questions, please contact our registration office at registration@sog.unc.edu or 919.966.4414.
For all registration questions, resetting passwords, or login issues please contact:

Dale Zuckert

Assistant Registrar
919.966.4414
For questions regarding course details, including location, schedule, materials, and continuing education credits, please contact:

Christa Stansbury

Program Associate, Courts Group
Obed Pasha
Associate Professor of Public Management; Director, North Carolina Benchmarking Project
pasha@sog.unc.edu