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government training,
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than 12,000 public officials
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The UNC MPA program prepares public service leaders. The program is offered in two formats: on-campus and online.
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The Joseph Palmer Knapp Library houses a large collection of material on state and local government, public administration, and management to support the School's instructional and research programs and the educational mission of the Master of Public Administration program. Reference and research services are available to all residents of North Carolina, and additional assistance is available to state and local government personnel, both elected and appointed.
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Courses

Below you will find an index of our courses. Use the filters to make your search more specific.

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Results: 393

Compensated Absences Webinar

GASB Statement No. 101, Compensated Absences, will be implemented by North Carolina governments for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025. While this may seem to be in the distant future, governments need to begin compiling information and beginning balances by July 1, 2024. This webinar will provide participants with the following:

There are additional offerings of this course available.

Navigate Difficult Conversations

Navigate Difficult Conversations

Navigating difficult conversations is a core leadership skill. Healthy conflict gives us an opportunity to express our ideas and learn more about others’ perspectives so we can come up with solutions that last. Working through conflict can make us stronger, more resilient, and more accepting. This one-day course will help you find the...

There are additional offerings of this course available.

Contracting for Construction and Design Services

This course is designed for those involved in public construction contracting at the local government level or in the procurement of the services of engineers and architects.

Topics of discussion will include:

bidding procedures;construction methods, including alternative delivery (e.g...

There are additional offerings of this course available.

Top 10 Primer: Tools for a Successful Strategic Plan

Top 10 Primer: Tools for a Successful Strategic Plan

This course will take place from 10:00–11:15 a.m. online via Zoom.

Effective governing means having a vision for the future of your community, engaging in planning for that vision, and talking openly about the future you see with the people who are affected by it. As local elected officials, you know that change is inevitable. It is your...

There are additional offerings of this course available.

Family Law for Judges

Family Law for Judges

These two courses are offered by the North Carolina Judicial College. They are intended for District Court Judges who are relatively new to domestic relations court, and who do not have substantial experience with family law matters. The objective of these classes is to allow participants to learn about the law...

There are additional offerings of this course available.

From Pandemic to Protests: Crisis Communications Skills for Local Elected Officials

Facing the news media or an angry public can be nerve-racking even under the best of circumstances. In today’s governing environment, local governments are dealing with multiple crises, from COVID-19 and its economic fall-out to social tensions and political unrest. Citizens want and deserve information about how these situations are being...

There are additional offerings of this course available.

Judicial Waiver of Parental Consent - The Clerk's Role

This session will focus on the proceeding for a judicial waiver of parental consent for abortion and what the clerk’s role is. Learn about what the clerks must do from the moment an unemancipated minor approaches the clerk’s office to seek assistance with a judicial waiver through the judge’s order. A general explanation of the process will be...

There are additional offerings of this course available.

Advanced Leadership Corps

Advanced Leadership Corps

ALC is an immersive personal development program comprised of three parts:

Part 1: The coach comes to you! In advance of the course, you will complete an assessment designed to give you insights into your leadership style. You will receive a preliminary one-on-one session with a coach that is scheduled at a time and place you select. The...

There are additional offerings of this course available.

Essentials of Managing in Cities and Towns in North Carolina

Essentials of Managing in Cities and Towns in North Carolina

This online program is made up of six modules covering a variety of topics relevant to managers of cities and towns in North Carolina. These self-paced lessons are designed for the following audiences:

First time managersManagers new to North CarolinaManagers transitioning to a new form of government Managers new to local governmentAspiring...

There are additional offerings of this course available.

Correctional Facilities Tour—West

This program is designed to give court officials a better understanding of how their judgments are administered by the Division of Adult Correction. Participants tour correctional facilities in western North Carolina gaining a firsthand view of the typical places to which they sentence criminal defendants. Each stop includes time for relevant...

There are additional offerings of this course available.

Top 10 Primer: Worker Recruitment and Retention in Local Government

Top 10 Primer: Worker Recruitment and Retention in Local Government

This webinar will cover ten evidence-based tactics local governments can use to attract and retain the best employees. The tactics are based on workplace climate data from the School of Government Local Government Workplaces Initiative and the latest social science research. Attendees will come away with strategies for...

There are additional offerings of this course available.

Orientation for New Senior Resident Superior Court Judges

This course is offered for judges who are new to the position of senior resident superior court judge. Both new senior resident and chief district court judges meet together for part of the program, and separately for other portions. The program covers a variety of topics related to administration of the court, including the role of the senior...

There are additional offerings of this course available.

Advanced Supervisory Practices

Are you a supervisor who is struggling to get your team to:

Come together and work cooperatively to reach shared goals?Communicate clearly with each other and feel invested in the team?Appreciate differences among team members and leverage those differences to solve problems and create more positive outcomes?

This course is for...

There are additional offerings of this course available.

Resolving Public Disputes: Workshop II

Resolving Public Disputes: Workshop II

Workshop II: Collaboration and Tools for Handling Contentious Stakeholder Groups

This workshop is part two of a three-course sequence to improve individual negotiation skills and responses to conflict and to strengthen group facilitation, collaboration, and problem-solving abilities. This workshop examines the conditions for effective...

There are additional offerings of this course available.

LELA 201: Bridging Divides: Techniques for Productive Governing

This course has been canceled.

Elected officials today must navigate a host of diverse political perspectives when confronting challenges in their communities. To foster productive conversations and create policy solutions to local issues, they must learn to find commonalities amongst differences of opinion with their neighbors, build a...

There are additional offerings of this course available.

Session Law 2025-23: New North Carolina Legislation Concerning the Establishment of Local Adult Protection Multidisciplinary Teams

Thursday, September 4th, 10am-11am (Virtually on Zoom)

You are invited to join us as School of Government faculty members Meredith Smith and Kristi Nickodem host a one-hour, free webinar on September 4, 2025 that will examine Session Law 2025-23 concerning the establishment of local adult protection multidisciplinary teams (...

There are additional offerings of this course available.

Make the Right Hire

Make the Right Hire

The cost of hiring and training new employees impacts local government budgets and services, and the wrong hire or promotion can lower the morale and productivity of an entire workgroup or organization. This course will help you make the right hire the first time. You will learn how to navigate the various...

There are additional offerings of this course available.

Self-Defense: Law and Issues

Self-Defense: Law and Issues

The law of self-defense in North Carolina received a jolt from State v. McLymore, 380 N.C. 185 (2022), where the North Carolina Supreme Court held that the only way to claim perfect self-defense is by invoking the statutory right created by G.S. 14-51.3. The Court went on to say, however, that to the extent the statute does not address an...

There are additional offerings of this course available.

Managing Difficult Conversations With Constituents

Managing Difficult Conversations With Constituents

Disagreements often go “You say up, I say down. You say left, I say right. You say hot, I say cold.” Differences of opinion can quickly become opportunities to create new enemies if the conversations get out of hand. Elected officials can benefit from learning additional skills for managing conversations when constituents and others are...

There are additional offerings of this course available.

County Clerks Certification Applications

NC County Clerk Certification applications are open from December - January each year. Applications are reviewed between February - March each year. For more detailed information on County Clerk Certification requirements, please click HERE.

There are additional offerings of this course available.

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