Leisha DeHart-Davis is the most recent member of the UNC Master of Public Administration faculty to win national recognition for her scholarship. An article she co-authored, “Gender, Race, and Experiences of Workplace Incivility in Public Organizations“, was recently selected as a co-winner of the 2022 Best Article Award for Vol. 41 of the Review of Public Personnel Administration (ROPPA).
In choosing this annual award, ROPPA aims to celebrate research that examines important topics in public administration, advances the knowledge base around it, and raises questions for the field to address moving forward.
A troubling trend public sector organizations have recently faced is a shortage of workers, particularly in retaining them in governmental positions and losing them to the private labor market. To address this, DeHart-Davis and colleagues from Ohio State University, the University of Connecticut, and the University of Massachusetts Boston sought to examine how the public sector can remain competitive in retaining this sector of the workforce. The answer they found? Create an environment where coworkers treat each other well across gender, race, and other assorted demographics.
“Workplace incivility has been on the rise for a while and can hamper a government organization’s ability to retain good workers. Retention is a particularly important goal for government organizations given the worker shortages they face,” DeHart-Davis said. “To be competitive in the labor market, government organizations need to offer great workplaces, which include employees being respectful of one another.”
To arrive at this conclusion, the School’s Local Government Workplaces Initiative—a program led by DeHart-Davis which conducts research that helps cities and counties improve their workplace climates—collected data responses from a survey asking employees about a range of workplace experiences. The data for the paper was based on responses from two cities and two counties.
For DeHart-Davis, the collaborative approach to addressing this issue of increasing public sector retention perfectly illustrates the unique opportunity the School can provide to its scholars, when connected with other institutions of academia, to connect theory with practice and find concrete solutions to pressing public sector challenges. To be recognized by ROPPA was a welcome honor for the research team, fostering a needed dialogue around strategies to improve human resource management within government.
“ROPPA is a great journal, so it’s an honor to be published there,” said DeHart-Davis. “This award reflects the work of a team of talented researchers from all over the country. It also demonstrates how engaged scholarship works: that practitioner-relevant data can translate to academic research on public sector organizational dynamics.”
When it was time for Maggie Bailey ’21 to look for her first post-MPA job, she didn’t have to look far. She found the right fit within the walls of the School of Government, joining the School’s Criminal Justice Innovation Lab as its second project manager. The role was a natural transition for Bailey after serving as a research assistant in the Lab as a student.
“The Lab has afforded me the opportunity to leverage skills I gained in the MPA program,” Bailey said. “The program does a great job bridging theory and practice. The practitioner’s lens is evident in all the work the School of Government does. It’s exciting to work on projects that directly support stakeholders and inspiring to see how those stakeholders make measurable changes.”
The Lab is one of 10 entrepreneurial initiatives at the School. These specialized, public-service oriented units focus on a variety of critical issues, including public service leadership, criminal justice, economic development and community revitalization, and environmental finance. They generate local government fellowships, produce public policy analysis, and educate public defenders. As this work expands and grows, these initiatives are forging deep connections with UNC MPA alumni and students to support their efforts.
Jess Dorrance (’04) returned to the School in 2021, joining the ncIMPACT Initiative as research director after working at the UNC Center for Community Capital. Returning to the School to work on research and evaluation was “such an easy decision” for Dorrance. With ncIMPACT and UNC’s Carolina Across 100 initiative, Dorrance has the chance to continue deploying skills she first learned as an MPA student.
“The curriculum, the things I learned, and the relationships that began with MPA have carried through the years,” Dorrance said. “At its essence, our work at the ncIMPACT Initiative is about collaboration. That was such a big part of MPA: working collaboratively with groups, with cohort members, and directly with organizations or communities to help them solve problems or address issues.”
MPA students engage in the work of entrepreneurial initiatives by serving as research assistants, graduate assistants, or conduct their Professional Work Experiences (PWEs) with initiatives, generating practical scholarship that leads to real-world impacts in North Carolina communities. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship that expands the work of initiatives, provides unique, hands-on learning experiences for students, and allows public officials to gain the resources they need.
“Our students move foundational research forward and take on projects that help us be responsive to stakeholder needs,” Bailey said. “Students learn about criminal justice in North Carolina and work on projects directly affecting people’s lives. We’re lucky to have programs like UNC MPA as partners.”
Bailey and Dorrance join other MPA alumni providing leadership to innovative entrepreneurial initiatives at the School. That list includes Dylan Russell ’17, executive director of Lead for North Carolina; Emily Williamson Gangi ’01, policy engagement director for the ncIMPACT Initiative; and Lydian Altman ’84, teaching assistant professor for the Center for Public Leadership and Governance. Each program benefits not only from the expertise of these alumni, but also from the practical skillset of the MPA students supporting them.
“Our team is fairly small, which allows us to be adaptable and responsive,” Dorrance said. “But we are tasked with completing a significant amount of work with limited staff capacity. The MPA students help boost that capacity and bring their enthusiasm, skills, and diverse perspectives to enhance our work.”
The School of Government is pleased to congratulate North Carolina native and UNC MPA graduate Philip Rogers ‘05 on his election as 12th chancellor of East Carolina University. Rogers’s appointment was formalized by the UNC System Board of Governors on December 17, 2020.
“Given my previous experience at ECU and the wide array of authentic relationships I’ve maintained with university stakeholders through the years, I am confident in my ability to be an asset to the university and region from day one,” Rogers said in a release from ECU. “It is also vital to lead with a listening ear and servant’s heart when considering the top priorities to address together as a university.”
Rogers graduated with his MPA from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2005. He earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Wake Forest University and a doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania.
“Philip’s election as 12th chancellor of East Carolina University is not by accident,” said MPA Program Director William Rivenbark. “From the time he matriculated as a student, Philip wanted to pursue a public service leadership position with passion. He also understood the importance of embracing a lifestyle of ethics, integrity, and hard work to serve others in our society. His role at ECU is an embodiment of our program’s mission statement to prepare future public service leaders. We are very proud of him.”
In nominating Rogers for the position, UNC System President Peter Hans described Rogers as “a driven leader who brings energy and vitality to ECU. He has broad national higher education experience and deep local roots in Greenville. Philip is invested in ECU for the long haul and will bring steady, stable leadership.”
Rogers previously served as chief of staff at ECU from 2008–13. Most recently, he served as senior vice president of learning and engagement for the American Council on Education (ACE) in Washington, D.C. While with ACE, he was responsible for the organization’s academic, research, and innovation strategy. Rogers is slated to begin his duties as ECU chancellor on March 15, 2021.
UNC MPA alumna and former School of Government Foundation Board member Elizabeth Biser ‘17 has been appointed Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Biser took her oath of office on July 1, 2021 in Raleigh.
“I am honored and humbled to lead the agency charged with providing environmental stewardship for the health and prosperity of all North Carolinians,” Biser said in a release announcing her appointment. “I look forward to working with key leaders, stakeholders and people throughout North Carolina to fulfil this important mission.”
Biser will be charged with oversight of North Carolina DEQ, which protects the state’s environment and natural resources. Its programs seek to safeguard air, water, land, coastal fisheries, and the public’s health; the agency also offers technical assistance and encourages responsible behavior and respect toward the environment. Her appointment is subject to confirmation by the North Carolina Senate.
Biser was appointed to the position by Governor Roy Cooper in late June. She most recently served as president of Biser Strategies LLC and senior policy advisor for The Recycling Partnership.
“Elizabeth Biser is a strong leader who has experience with this environmental agency and knows its critical work in North Carolina,” Cooper said upon Biser’s appointment.
Biser is a double graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, holding a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Public Administration. She has a strong background in environmental affairs. In addition to her work at Biser Strategies LLC, she served as vice president of policy and public affairs at The Recycling Partnership, government relations and policy director for Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, and as director of legislative and intergovernmental affairs at the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (the predecessor of DEQ). Biser served on the School’s Foundation Board from 2019 to 2021.
The School of Government is excited to welcome Teshanee Williams into its faculty ranks as an assistant professor of public administration and government. Williams originally joined the School in 2019 as a Carolina Postdoctoral Program Faculty Diversity Fellow, researching strategies to manage effective, efficient, and equitable policy outcomes through the public sector and nonprofit partnerships. In her new role, Williams will continue to specialize in the field of nonprofit management and lead the School in researching and advising on effective management, leadership, and governance of nonprofit organizations in collaboration with local governments.
For Williams, the drive to work in public service—specifically in the field of nonprofits—was borne of a desire to help not just individuals but whole communities create lasting change. After the completion of her undergraduate degree in psychology, Williams contemplated pursuing a career in mental health but realized a broader lens would allow her to contend with the sweeping, structural issues she sought to address.
“There are problems that are bigger than one patient,” Williams said. “It was at that point that I realized that I wanted to focus on research that identifies solutions to systemic issues that affect individual people in their day to day lives.”
She turned to public administration as a career. She completed her master’s in the field in 2016 and a Ph.D. in 2019, both from North Carolina State University. She shortly thereafter joined the School as a fellow, researching nonprofit management and bridging the gap between theory and practice to make a tangible impact in communities across the state.
“Nonprofits engage in providing or organizing a myriad of human and social service needs,” Williams said. “They function to fill in the gaps to meet the needs of our communities. These organizations play a major role in doing ‘the work, for the people.’”
While building out her research in the field, Williams found the School to be an ideal host for her work to translate academia into action.
“I enjoy doing research that helps to inform and create impact. The School is unique in that approach to engaging in academic research,” Williams said. “I had the opportunity to receive mentorship and guidance that truly helped me to advance my research agenda.”
United under this mission to improve the lives of North Carolinians, Williams credited the camaraderie among the faculty and staff as instrumental in her desire to advance her research commitments and academic career at School.
“My time here gave me the opportunity to understand how the school really functions to meet its mission,” she said. “The level of support that I received played a huge part in my desire to join the faculty.”
Looking ahead to her professorship, Williams welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues who share her passion for leveraging scholarship to improve public well-being.
“I am mostly excited about working with a group of people that demonstrate the public service mindset in everything that they do,” she said. “As public administrators, we engage in the work that we do to improve our communities while also improving the field of public administration.”
In addition to advising on nonprofit and local government relations, Williams will instruct in the School’s top-ranked Master of Public Administration program—teaching courses on nonprofit management, research methods, and program evaluation—and complete research on nonprofit-local government relations and issues of social equity.
Williams has served as a research analyst for the North Carolina State Auditor’s Office and the Office of Partnership and Economic Development at North Carolina State University. Her research interests include the application of mixed-method approaches for inquiries related to strategic alliances between the public sector and nonprofits as well as public participation in decision-making processes. Her research fellowship at the School allowed her to examine effective policymaking through public sector and nonprofit partnerships. Since joining the School, Williams has co-authored two bulletins assessing community capacity to disaster response and COVID-19. Her peer-reviewed article on the role of social capital in organization is forthcoming in the Community Development Journal.
The School is pleased to welcome Williams as a full faculty member and looks forward with optimism to seeing her public management expertise produce effective policy outcomes for the people of North Carolina.
Willow Jacobson, School faculty member and Robert W. Bradshaw Jr. Distinguished Professor of Public Administration and Government, has been named the next director of the UNC MPA program. She will succeed William Rivenbark in this role and become the first woman to lead the program when her term begins in September 2021.
Jacobson joined the MPA program’s faculty in 2003, drawn to the School of Government’s mission of engaged scholarship. As a public administration scholar looking to connect theory with practice, the opportunity to make a tangible impact both in the classroom and at the community level was appealing to Jacobson.
“I studied public administration because the questions we ask are questions that matter in the work of public service organizations and the lives and communities those organizations serve every day,” Jacobson said. “This unique setting is a tremendous value for the faculty and the students we serve, not to mention the 12,000 public officials that the School serves annually.”
Jacobson chaired the recent MPA strategic planning efforts. As part of the planning process the MPA program adopted a new vision for the MPA program: “A nationally recognized leader in engaged scholarship whose faculty, students, and alumni transform thought, organizations, communities, and lives.”
“I’m excited to work alongside the other faculty, staff, students, and alumni to achieve this vision,” Jacobson said. “I look forward to getting to connect with more of our alumni and students and to hear from them about what is working and where we can be doing even better.”
Director Rivenbark expressed his confidence that with Jacobson at the helm, the ambitious program goals are well within the program’s reach.
“Without question, she is prepared to take the program to the next level,” said Rivenbark. “She possesses an in-depth knowledge of public administration and the leadership skills to successfully manage the MPA program, as demonstrated by her interim tenure director and by her recent leadership in the creation of the program’s first strategic plan.”
In announcing Jacobson as the next director, Dean Michael Smith noted that while she was the consensus choice for many reasons—including her record as a distinguished researcher and teacher—what truly made her the best choice to lead the program through its next era was her deep commitment to ensuring its continued good standing.
“What will make Willow a wonderful leader?” Smith asked. “She loves the program. She will pour her heart and soul into making it even better. That passion comes through in her interactions with students, alumni, and colleagues,” he wrote.
“She also understands that the program is distinctive because of its connection to the applied mission of the School. I’m confident that she will find ways to build on that connection to improve the program and our work for public officials.”
Looking ahead to her term, Jacobson notes “I am continuously inspired by the passion, talent, and public service commitment of our MPA students and alumni. I believe in our mission ‘To prepare public service leaders and create useable knowledge that improves governance’ and see that mission come to life in the work of our alumni and students.”
As Jacobson prepares to take over directorship duties from Rivenbark, she relayed her immense gratitude to her predecessor for leaving the program on such solid ground upon which she can continue to grow.
“I am thankful for all of the great work Bill and the previous directors have done to create the best MPA program and I look forward to building on their successes,” Jacobson said. “I am excited to have the chance to serve in this leadership role as we continue to work to accomplish this mission as I believe there is a lasting and transformational impact on the communities, problems, and challenges because of the work of our MPA public service leaders.”
Jacobson currently directs the LGFCU Fellows program, which she helped create in 2011, which focuses on developing local government leaders in North Carolina. In addition, she served on the faculty of the inaugural session of the Public Executive Leadership Academy in 2005.
Jacobson earned a Ph.D. in public administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. Her research has appeared in a range of journals including Public Administration Review and Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, and Review of Public Administration. She serves on the editorial boards for Public Administration Review, Review of Public Personnel Administration, Public Personnel Management, and Korean Journal of Policy Studies. She is currently serving on the board for the Section on Personnel Administration and Labor Relations of the American Society for Public Administration. Read more about Jacobson here.
UNC MPA alumna and former School of Government Foundation Board member Elizabeth Biser ‘17 has been appointed Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Biser took her oath of office on July 1, 2021 in Raleigh.
“I am honored and humbled to lead the agency charged with providing environmental stewardship for the health and prosperity of all North Carolinians,” Biser said in a release announcing her appointment. “I look forward to working with key leaders, stakeholders and people throughout North Carolina to fulfil this important mission.”
Biser will be charged with oversight of North Carolina DEQ, which protects the state’s environment and natural resources. Its programs seek to safeguard air, water, land, coastal fisheries, and the public’s health; the agency also offers technical assistance and encourages responsible behavior and respect toward the environment. Her appointment is subject to confirmation by the North Carolina Senate.
Biser was appointed to the position by Governor Roy Cooper in late June. She most recently served as president of Biser Strategies LLC and senior policy advisor for The Recycling Partnership.
“Elizabeth Biser is a strong leader who has experience with this environmental agency and knows its critical work in North Carolina,” Cooper said upon Biser’s appointment.
Biser is a double graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, holding a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Public Administration. She has a strong background in environmental affairs. In addition to her work at Biser Strategies LLC, she served as vice president of policy and public affairs at The Recycling Partnership, government relations and policy director for Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, and as director of legislative and intergovernmental affairs at the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (the predecessor of DEQ). Biser served on the School’s Foundation Board from 2019 to 2021.
UNC Master of Public Administration alumna Christi Hurt has led a successful career pursuing her passions in women’s issues, anti-violence, and community mobilization. After completing her undergraduate degree in history with a minor in women’s and gender Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill, Hurt pursued her first role after college at the Orange County Rape Crisis Center.
Working at the small nonprofit center, Hurt became inspired by the work of Executive Director Margaret Henderson (MPA Class of 1998). Henderson, who now holds a full-time faculty role at the School of Government and supports the MPA program’s nonprofit concentration, served as a powerful role model for Hurt and was instrumental in her decision to pursue her graduate degree in public administration.
“Her strong leadership of the Center and her wise perspective on so many things led me to explore the MPA degree, which proved to be a good match for me and my growing interest in nonprofit management at the time,” Hurt said.
After completing the program, Hurt moved to Washington to work for the state’s Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs and honed her skills in sexual assault prevention, anti-violence organizing, and collaboration among some of the best activists peers in the field. After 10 years of work on the west coast, Hurt returned to North Carolina and her alma mater to begin her career in higher education administration. Her first major leadership role was as Director of the Carolina Women’s Center – where she was responsible for supporting a small unit and charging efforts in the area of fundraising and community awareness. She then moved into Title IX compliance and eventually into Student Affairs, where she was recently appointed to fill the newly created role of Senior Prevention Strategy Officer. In this position, she will be responsible for sexual assault and gender-based violence prevention, intervention, and support.
“I very much stumbled into higher education administration as a career,” Hurt said. “But I discovered that it has a lot in common with nonprofit management so it has proven to be a good fit for me.”
When asked about how the MPA has supported her along the way, Hurt said she has been able to leverage her degree in each of her roles thus far.
“I have been able to apply my MPA in each of these settings along the way because the courses in organizational management and leadership apply in every setting,” she said. “The course on personnel law has continued to be tremendously useful in every role I’ve had where I am responsible for a team.”
Hurt also credits the Professional Communications course for giving her a solid foundation on a crucial skill. “It was largely through that course that I purged my fear of public speaking, which continues to serve me today.”
Hurt’s current focus is on ending violence not just on UNC’s campus but in the larger community through collaboration and strategic planning. She will be working on developing a plan in accordance with multiple stakeholders across campus including Student Wellness, the Equal Opportunity and Compliance (Title IX) Office, the Carolina Women’s Center, Carolina Housing, UNC Diversity and Inclusion, the LGBTQ Center, and other units that serve diverse populations on campus and have responsibility for community safety.
“I’ve always said that ending violence requires an ‘all hands on deck’ approach,” she said. “I truly believe that ending violence requires everyone to participate, to commit to something in their sphere of influence.”
Besides playing an active role in ensuring campus safety and student wellness at UNC, Hurt is seeing things come full circle as she begins work with the MPA program again.
As an alumna of the program who was inspired by the alumni who came before her, she will be teaching the Professional Communications course oncampus this fall.
“I really enjoy working with these eager students to facilitate their learning and the application of a skillset I know will be valuable in the future.”
She further explains, “It’s especially rewarding when students help design and actively participate in developing their educational environment and to see them achieve their goals and go on to find professional and personal success once the course is over.”
Hurt begins her new university role this month (July 2021) and has been teaching in the MPA program since 2017.
The UNC Master of Public Administration program extends its congratulations to one of its own students, MaryBeth Spoehr, for being selected as last month’s Military-Affiliated Grads Scholar by the Graduate School.
Spoehr is pursuing her MPA degree while completing research into identifying key similarities in North Carolina city charters that contribute to a stable local government. This research is evidenced by city bond ratings, which are important because they are external agency evaluations that certtify the creditworthiness of a given municipality. Through the identification of similarities between highly-rated cities, Spoehr is hoping to help other local governments take the key steps needed to improve their respective bond rating scroes and subsequently provide the needed infrastructure and improvements to improve their municipality.
With this desire to improve local government management in mind, Spoehr said she knew UNC-Chapel Hill would be the right fit when exploring prospective programs.
“Choosing UNC-Chapel Hill to study in the School of Government was an easy choice,” she said. “I knew that I wanted to receive an education from – and be part of – an organization that values and emphasizes public service.”
Following her undergraduate studies, Spoehr commissioned into the United States Army as an intelligence officer. She served on active duty as a captain for five years, an experience she categorized as vital in preparing her in the transition to a largely virtual academic experience.
“The military taught me the skills to adapt to new challenges and new environments,” she said. “An unexpected challenge of the virtual learning format was the lack of interaction with others in my cohort. I relied on my experiences of building a team when geographically distant to build connections with my peers and to enhance my learning experience.”
Looking ahead to a future after completing the program, Spoehr hopes to continue the tradition of service that has defined her career – whether it be in the military or in the classroom.
“I want to continue public service in local government within North Carolina. The degree from UNC-Chapel Hill equips me with the knowledge, resources, and network to contribute to local government leadership.”
The MPA program once again congratulates Spoehr on this honor, and looks forward to seeing her accomplishments in the public service field.
Master of Public Administration students at the UNC School of Government participated in two special graduation ceremonies this past weekend. These events, one held fully online, and one held in socially distanced Kenan Stadium, lauded the accomplishments of the December 2020 and May 2021 graduates.
An Intimate Online Gathering for MPAs
On Sunday, May 16, the UNC MPA program hosted a small online ceremony for August 2020, December 2020, and May 2021 graduates and their family members. View the online event here.
Staff took care to send each graduate a box in advance of the event, containing regalia cords, a printed invitation and program, an MPA program lapel pin, and some tokens from life in Chapel Hill including UNC A to Z: What Every Tar Heel Needs to Know About the First State University. The intimate ceremony featured a mix of live and pre-recorded remarks.
As is tradition at MPA program graduation, faculty member Carl Stenberg presided over the Deil Wright Research Paper Award in honor of former faculty member and public administration thought leader Deil Wright. He presented the 2020 award to Maggie Aron Bailey and the 2021 award to Alice Brown and thanked the Wright family for their generous support of the program.
Faculty member and alumna Margaret Henderson ‘90 presented the Nanette Mengel Communication Award. Former faculty member Nanette Mengel taught communications-related courses across campus and left the School of Government a scholarship fund for students. Maggie Aron Bailey (2020 winner) and Elizabeth Stalford (2021 winner) were celebrated for their outstanding graduation portfolios.
Keynote speaker Kirsten Wyatt ’02 is the executive director and co-founder of Emerging Local
Government Leaders (ELGL), a national network of young local government professionals. Her advice to the graduates contained practical nuggets of wisdom for public administration careers, such as “your career is a jungle gym, not a ladder,” “always go to the potluck,” “innovation starts with empathy,” and “life is hectic, but true leaders, mentors, and friends are never too busy to help somebody else.”
“A life lived in service is a life well lived,” Wyatt added. “There is no one right way in a career that is focused on public service.“
Graduation is an opportunity each year for the Alumni Association Board Chair to pin the graduates with their MPA program lapel pin as they process across the stage. Corey Petersohn ’16 led a virtual pinning ceremony after graduates’ names were read.
UNC School of Government Dean Mike Smith addressed the graduates. “You leave Carolina with a set of skills you can apply to any future situation. You are ready and we need you.” Quoting historian Stephen Ambrose, he said, “Optimism always is justified. Whatever the future brings, I am optimistic that you can handle it. You’re smart, creative, hard working. You are good, and you will do good. MPA graduates, you are here this afternoon because you have demonstrated that you are ready for anything. We’re proud of you. We look forward to following your careers and also continuing to support you as public service leaders.”
Smith also thanked MPA Program Director Bill Rivenbark who hosted the ceremony in his final semester as director before a new faculty member takes the helm of the program in fall 2021. “As you graduates pursue your careers and become public service leaders, you’re not only carrying out the mission of the MPA program, you’re carrying out the mission of the nation’s oldest public university,” concluded Rivenbark.
A Sunny Ceremony in Kenan Stadium
On Saturday, May 15, about 20 MPA graduates participated in UNC-Chapel Hill’s ceremony reserved for the School of Government, School of Law, Kenan-Flagler Business School, and School of Information and Library Science. It was one of six distinct ceremonies held over three days in Kenan Stadium for audiences of limited size due to social distancing and outdoor gathering capacity requirements in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. View the recorded event here and the online program here.
The speakers recalled how tough the past year—between the pandemic, political unrest, and economic uncertainty—has been on the Chapel Hill community. Many also mentioned how this community—the University, its students, faculty and staff, and health system—is poised to lead through challenging times.
“The ways you’ve had to endure and fight through this pandemic will pay dividends someday. You have adapted, and the lessons of this year are important and worth celebrating,” said UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz in his opening statement. “You will face other challenges in your life … I hope you will look back on 2020 and think about how you’ve persevered, how you’ve helped others amid the struggles, and the obstacles you have faced.”
Many University figures provided remarks, including Board of Trustees Chair and MPA alumnus Richard Stevens ‘74. Stevens earned his bachelor’s, master’s and JD degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill. “Last year was my 50th class reunion, and I’m still being shaped by this university…. As an alumnus once said, you may work on Wall Street, or you may work on Main Street. But don’t ever forget Franklin Street. Never forget what this university has given you. And in time, I know you will find ways to give back to the university.”
Two keynotes were delivered by scientists and public servants on the forefront of the nation’s COVID-19 pandemic response. Anthony S. Fauci is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, where he oversees an extensive research portfolio focused on infectious and immune-mediated diseases. Kizzmekia S. Corbett, a Hillsborough native and 2014 PhD graduate in microbiology and immunology from the UNC School of Medicine, is a post-doctoral research fellow at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ Vaccine Research Center. In this role, she conducts basic and preclinical research and worked on preclinical development of the mRNA-1273 vaccine against COVID-19. Both received honorary degrees from the University during this ceremony.
Both speakers noted the historic and unprecedented challenges of the past year for students. “How you have responded to this pandemic thus far gives me confidence that you will adjust and you will thrive,” said Fauci. “You are going to play an important role in shaping this new normal. Perhaps it can even be a better normal.
Corbett’s remarks focused on the importance of home and Carolina as a home for those lucky enough to be a part of this community. “The beautiful thing about this moment, as you leave this place, a place that has shaped you for the past four years, is that you now have the privilege to decide where you go from here,” said Corbett. “Remember that you are exactly where you are supposed to be. You are going exactly where you are destined to go.”