SOG dean affirms Carolina’s commitment to serve the state

As dean of the UNC School of Government, Aimee Wall works diligently to fulfill the school’s mission to improve the lives of North Carolinians. In the school’s 94-year history, Wall is only the fifth leader and the first woman to serve in that role. Wall spoke with The Well about the school’s impact on North Carolina.

How is the School of Government fulfilling Carolina’s mission of teaching, research and public service?

Public service is at the heart of the school’s work around the state. Our faculty have three objectives: teaching both university students and public official students, creating practical scholarship and advising public officials across the state. We provide foundational texts around government structure, public records law and crimes in North Carolina, and our faculty not only author these texts but translate them into practical tools, checklists and other resources for officials.

How does the school’s training of elected officials impact the state?

In 2024, we taught more than 16,000 public officials, elected and appointed. We are lucky to have the opportunity to work with many elected officials when they first come into office, including legislators, city council members, judges and county commissioners. Officials benefit from the school’s educational and foundational knowledge as well as our collaborations with partners. One of the most valuable parts of the school’s training is that it builds a community that officials can learn from and with.

How has the school helped counties impacted by Hurricane Helene?

We provide resources and advise officials during weekly office hours, when public officials ask questions and learn from our faculty and from one another. Those office hours are tailored to meet whatever pressing needs they have. There’s also the long-term recovery aspect, which utilizes our expertise on community development, economic development, affordable housing, public health and other topics. Our goal is to ensure local governments are best positioned for the next emergency and for addressing their community’s needs now and into the future.

How does the school’s faculty help local governments who are on the N.C. Local Government Commission’s Unit Assistance List?

This new training works directly with communities who have been identified by the state’s Local Government Commission as having particularly challenging financial conditions or concerns. We identify their needs and support them in getting off the list. We help them understand their authority and responsibility on issues such as financial management, internal controls, budgeting and audits. A significant challenge for many of these communities is having trained staff who are well equipped to follow law and best practices related to financial management. We help train those in place and also help build a pipeline of new public finance professionals to support our state going forward.

How is the school preparing the next generation of public service leaders?

One way we do this is through Lead for North Carolina, a competitive AmeriCorps fellowship program that provides training, job placement and support for recent college graduates interested in exploring public service careers. We match them with local jurisdictions, mostly in underserved and rural areas, to help with community engagement and development, grant writing and emergency management. Fellows often stay in public service or transition to graduate programs in public administration, law, city and regional planning, or public health. This program is a success because of the dedication from the fellows and the communities they serve.

Our graduate program in public administration provides future public service leaders with training, tools and practical experience for roles in government or the nonprofit sector. Our state will be in very good hands with this next generation.

What do you want others to know about the School of Government?

We are so lucky to have the school here in our state. North Carolina is the only state with a university-based institution with a mission focused on supporting and serving government officials. That’s incredibly unique, and the school is incredibly proud to serve as that beacon for the state and nation. I’ve always treasured our value of serving the state, and our adaptability through the years to support its growing and changing needs.