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The Daily Tar Heel

School of Government holds leadership challenge

UNC undergraduates do not often get the opportunity to bounce their ideas off professionals and professors for real world issues and compete for $1,000 at the same time. 

That is just what the Public Administration Leadership Challenge, a case competition held at UNC’s School of Government, aims to provide for undergraduate students from across the University. 

Graduate students working to earn the Master of Public Administration degree are planning the third PAL Challenge. Applications are due Oct. 31 at 5:30 p.m. 

“This program helps to bring some awareness to public administration and the important role played by the School of Government and MPA program in that field,” said graduate student Nicholas Byrne. 

Many of those planning the competition agree that a successful team will be diverse, passionate, and show keen decision-making ability. These are the types of students that the School of Government seeks to attract, said Eric Reese, program director and second year graduate student. 

In addition to holding competitions such as this one, the Master of Public Administration program plays a role in teaching and molding future lawmakers, government officials, and other professionals who will shape North Carolina’s government.

“Many folks don't realize the important role played by the MPA and School of Government community to bolster good government in our state,” Byrne said. 

Program coordinators say undergraduate students also stand to gain from participating in this competition, even if they aren’t a part of the prize-winning team.

“The money is certainly great, but the biggest thing is to be able to introduce yourself to the School of Government,” said first year MPA graduate student Omar Kashef. 

Kashef, who participated as an undergraduate in last year’s event and is helping to plan this year’s competition, found the networking opportunities and real world experience to be invaluable. 

His colleagues described a number of other benefits, including the real-world experience that the competition entails.

“If you're interested in improving your community, this is a really fun and easy way to get some real world exposure," Reese said. 

Reese said that diversity with respect to fields of study can help teams to think outside of the box, which is a major advantage in this competition. 

Participants, panelists, and those planning the event all see great benefit from the competition. It was widely expressed that the networking and learning opportunities from interacting with the panelists is also a major gain for undergraduate participants. Panelists include local government officials and professors in the School of Government.

“These professionals do amazing work, and interacting with them was certainly an excellent experience," Kashef said.

university@dailytarheel.com

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