Many parents support their children’s academic goals at Carolina, but few join them on the journey.

Nicole Graysmith ’94 ’99 (JD) is doing just that, pursuing a Master of Public Administration degree from the UNC School of Government alongside her son, Atticus.

What began as an offhand suggestion turned into a full-fledged family affair.

Every fall, the School of Government hosts the Public Law for the Public’s Lawyers (PLPL) program to provide a high-level overview of a range of issues and legal developments relevant to attorneys who work in or with North Carolina state government. In 2025, the class was double last year’s size—with a record-breaking attendance of 161 attorneys participating in the live, synchronous course via Zoom.

Born in Greece, Erin Mathis moved with his military family to the United States when he was 2, living on various U.S. Air Force bases until his father retired and the family settled for a while in Selma, North Carolina.

“My whole life, I considered North Carolina to be home,” Mathis said.

He fell in love with Chapel Hill as a teenager during a birthday trip to the Dean E. Smith Center for a men’s basketball game.

Today, November 11, 2025, the School of Government is proud to celebrate Veterans Day by honoring all who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

The School is proud to recognize its own—including our faculty, staff, and students— who are veterans of the United States military. This Veterans Day, we salute the following who served in the military as well as our current Master of Public Administration students who have served and continue to do so. Thank you for your service.

Anastasia Barnard

Ben Bogle

Cheryl Boruff

Kelly Brennan

Amanda Stratton joined the UNC School of Government as western North Carolina recovery navigator in October 2025. The role is a key component of the School’s broader support for western North Carolina. In her role, Stratton helps local governments identify and pursue recovery funding, connect with state and federal partners, and troubleshoot capacity and compliance challenges.

Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters of the UNC Master of Public Administration program gathered Friday, October 10, 2025, to participate in the annual Deil S. Wright Public Service Forum. This year’s topic was “Successful Emergency Management: Collaboration Across Government Agencies.” The event was moderated by Norma Houston, former School of Government faculty member and chief of staff to UNC President Peter Hans. Houston, herself an emergency management expert, introduced and moderated the panelists:

As North Carolina marked the first anniversary of Hurricane Helene making landfall in the western region of the state, former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu visited the School of Government to share a few words on leadership in times of crisis. The event, hosted on October 1, 2025, in connection with the Office of UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee Roberts, was free and open to the public.

The UNC Master of Public Administration program celebrates the kickoff of the first cohort of students to pursue their MPA degrees through "Service to Service", a program connecting veterans and military families with education pathways and careers in public service.

The UNC School of Government Master of Public Administration faculty consistently work to advance the study and practice of local government management. One such faculty member, Gregory S. Allison, was recently honored for this work with the 2025 S. Kenneth Howard Award from the Association for Budgeting & Financial Management.

The School of Government welcomes Julie Beasley to its faculty as an assistant professor of public administration and government. In her role—which she assumed in summer 2025—Beasley uses applied research to focus on human resource management in the public and nonprofit sectors, particularly workplace diversity and performance, organizational leadership, and civic engagement.