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.

Topics

Unlike the citizen police academy, where topics vary greatly from city to city, citizens academies across the United States share similar agendas.

Most session topics correspond to city or county functional units and departments. As such, most programs cover the following topics:

Planning and zoning,
Public safety,
Transportation,
Parks and recreation,
Health and social services,
Budget and finance, and
Economic development.

Many programs' first sessions cover government form, community history, and introductions by elected officials. Some programs, such as Catawba County, NC allow participants to determine the topic of the final session.

Number of Sessions

In North Carolina, the average number of sessions per academy is about eight. Programs range from having five (Mecklenburg County, NC) to as many as 12 or 13 (Raleigh, NC, and Concord, NC, respectively). Nationwide, there is also variance in the number of sessions per program with several at or above 10 and those with as few as three to five.

Participants from Two Rivers, WI, Citizens Academy simulate a mock council meeting

Session Format

To keep participants engaged in the topic at hand, department presenters are often encouraged to make their presentations interactive and engaging.

The City of Clearwater presents information about their city finances in a game-show role play that uses participants as contestants. In Greensboro, NC, participants are allowed to vote for their favorite presenter/presentation at graduation. Staff there report this promotes healthy inter-departmental competition.

Participants from Morrisville 101(Morrisville, NC) observe a fire demonstration in the public safety session

Ideas for participant icebreakers and innovative topic formats abound. Some include:

Game show or board game-type quizzes (e.g. for city/county history),
Behind-the-scenes tours of facilities (e.g. public works operations center/garage),
Demonstrations of equipment (e.g. fire trucks),
Informal interaction with city/county staff (e.g. dinner with elected officials or city/county employees), and
Group exercises/simulations (e.g. mock council meeting where budget decisions must be made).