One School, Statewide Impact
The UNC School of Government generates practical scholarship with real-world impact. For more than 90 years, it has helped North Carolina’s public officials and citizens understand and improve state and local government.
Mission and Impact
The School is committed to assessing its work, highlighting areas of impact, and identifying opportunities for improvement. Compiling and sharing key insights from this ongoing effort is part of a larger goal to illustrate how the School is meeting its mission of service to the State of North Carolina.
Since its founding in 1931, the mission of the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has been to improve the lives of North Carolinians by engaging in practical scholarship that helps public officials and citizens understand and improve state and local government.
Prior to founding the School, Albert Coates recognized a gap in knowledge between classroom and practice and between incoming and outgoing public officials. The Institute of Government—now the School of Government—was created to help bridge this gap by providing public officials with the training and knowledge necessary to fulfill their duties. The School provides courses, advising, and publications to public officials across North Carolina, with the goal of contributing to increased knowledge and skills, improved job performance, and, ultimately, better governance by public officials.
Serving all 100 North Carolina Counties Annually
The map below shows our work in each county across the state. Click on a county for a printable one pager.
Fiscal Year 2024 at a Glance
Courses Offered for Public Officials
Course Registrations
Copies of Publications Sold
Advising Requests Answered
“The School of Government is vital to the success of every government employee and official. It is invaluable to me on a daily basis, and the instructors are knowledgeable and approachable.”
City/County Clerk
Who We Serve
The School of Government’s mission is focused on the people of North Carolina. Practical scholarship translates into purposeful action through deep and enduring partnerships with local officials and leaders.
Dedicated to service throughout the state, in the previous fiscal year, School faculty taught over 16,000 course registrants representing all 100 North Carolina counties.
School clients span all levels of government in North Carolina, working in municipalities, county governments, the judicial branch, and other state agencies. Support is not limited to coursework and certifications—offerings include tangible assistance and action in areas that run the spectrum of local government services and beyond.
The School is also focused on developing the next generation of public leaders. Through 212 students and 1,398 alumni in its Master of Public Administration program, and 38 current Lead for North Carolina Fellows, the School creates meaningful experiences for aspiring public servants as they prepare for careers in the public sector.
How We're Doing
To better understand impact throughout the state, the School launched an annual audience survey in late 2019. The 2024 survey received responses from more than 1,000 public officials. This is part of an ongoing effort to track the School’s work and outcomes; learn more by reading about the methodology.
“I have learned from the School of Government.”
(n=1,412)
“Working with the School of Government has been of benefit to my career.”
(n=1,408)
“The School of Government has been a valuable resource for North Carolina’s public officials.”
(n=1,407)
“The School of Government helps public officials better serve North Carolinians.”
(n= 1,400)
“The School has been an invaluable resource for me for the past 23 years; I attribute part of my success as a former assistant public defender and my current service as a district court judge to having the SOG as a resource. I am very grateful for the SOG.”
District Court Judge
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill