About

As the largest
university-based local
government training,
advisory, and research
organization in the United
States, the School of
Government serves more
than 12,000 public officials
each year.

Browse by Role

The School provides
content and resources for a
wide array of local
government and judicial
officials in North Carolina.

Select your role to explore
all related content.

Browse by Topic

The School provides content
and resources on a wide array
of topics in local government
and judicial administration in
North Carolina.

Select a topic to explore all
related content.

Courses

The School of Government
offers up to 200 courses,
workshops, webinars, and
professional conferences
each year.

Publications

The School of Government
publishes essential books,
manuals, reports, articles,
bulletins, and other print and
online content related to state
and local government.

Blogs

Faculty write for a number
of School of Government
blogs providing timely
updates on emerging issues.

Resources

The School of Government
offers information and
services related to a wide
range of topics relevant to
government and judicial
officials—in-person and on a
variety of platforms.

Blog Posts

Timely updates on emerging issues

Centers and Services

Specialized training/research hubs and consulting services

Frequently Asked Questions

Aggregated answers to common questions on a variety of topics

Knapp Library

Print and online materials and research expertise

Legal Summaries

Brief descriptions of legal cases, bills, or legislative activity

Listservs

Information exchanges for peers and faculty experts

Microsites

In-depth or aggregated content for local government and judicial officials

Tools and Apps

Online and mobile tools for employees on-the-go

Master of Public
Administration Program

The UNC MPA program prepares public service leaders. The program is offered in two formats: on-campus and online.

For more information, visit mpa.unc.edu

Giving

The School of Government depends on private and public support for fulfilling its mission. Your gift will make a lasting impact on the quality of government and civic participation in North Carolina.

Knapp Library

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.

Scheduling a time and place for the citizens academy is especially important. The sections below offer a sampling of variations in time, schedule, and location, which communities have used to plan successful programs.

Schedule

Offering the program on a regular basis is crucial. Most programs are offered at least once and often twice per year—usually in the fall (September – November) or spring (February – April). Scheduling during these months usually avoids major conflict with holidays, inclement weather, and, importantly, a late spring budget process. Some smaller communities, such as Addison, TX (pop. 13,056) conduct programs every other year to ensure that a meaningful number of citizens participate.

In order to appeal to diverse populations, some communities have begun to offer their programs in multiple languages. The City of Oakland, CA, with large Asian- and Hispanic-American populations, offers concurrent programs in Cantonese and Spanish, for example.

Day and Time

Monday through Thursday nights are logical choices. The most popular nights are Tuesdays and Thursdays. Sessions are between two and three hours long, set somewhere between 5:30 and 9:00 pm. Saturday mornings are frequently designated for community or facility tours.

Some communities are creative with their schedules after considering feedback from citizens and past participants. Holly Springs, NC, runs its program every other Wednesday from 8:30am-1:30pm, April – June. Many local businesses will allow employees to attend during the day, so there is a good mix of participant ages.

Participants from Greensboro, NC, Government Works learn how to operate fire equipment

Locations

While some communities hold their sessions in city hall or the county board meeting room, many others have chosen to vary the session location regularly. For instance, sessions on public works are often hosted at the public works garage or operations center.

Whatever locations are chosen, most programs strive to ensure they are accessible. Finally, many communities use facilities unique to them, including community colleges, libraries, and recreation centers.