In a June 2013 article in Public Performance and Management Review, David Ammons assesses the state-of-the-art in performance measurement and progress made over the past two decades by city governments both in measurement and in service quality. Download “Signs of Performance Measurement Progress Among Prominent City Governments."

Faculty member Leisha DeHart-Davis, who joined the School in 2012, has been appointed to the Public Management Research Association (PMRA) Board of Directors. The scholarly association holds a prestigious bi-annual conference and publishes the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, the top academic public administration journal.

Faculty member Maureen Berner was interviewed on American Public Media's Marketplace, broadcast on March 12 on NPR. The segment on "Rebuilding Our Schools" featured Berner's 1990 study on test scores of students learning in buildings deemed to be in poor condition. Audio, podcast, and text of the show can be found on the American Public Media website.

David Ammons has been elected to the executive council of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA), the organization responsible for accreditation of the MPA program. As one of 17 members of the executive council, Ammons will serve a three-year term.

Faculty members David Ammons, Karl Smth, and Carl Stenberg's article in the August 2012 issue of State and Local Government Review examines the fallout from previous financial crises to arrive at the conclusion that, though some major changes will occur in some cities and counties, the current Great Recession may not result in permanent changes across the local government landscape.

The MPA program is now offered in an online format (MPA@UNC). Classes began in January 2013. This new format extends our reach to qualified students who need the flexibility of an online program but want the rigorous academic experience offered by a top-ranked university.

Brent Troxell '12 has been named a recipient of the Government Finance Officers Association’s Daniel B. Goldberg Scholarship, presented each year to a student preparing for a career in state and local government finance. The scholarship and financial award will be presented to him at the organization's annual conference in Chicago in June. An ICMA Fellow, Brent will work in the Dakota County, Minnesota, manager's office after graduation.

Municipal Benchmarks: Assessing Local Performance and Establishing Community Standards, Third Edition (M.E. Sharpe, 2012) is now available. This comprehensive resource gives urban experts, municipal leaders, management analysts, and pre-professionals essential practical tools to assess a municipality’s performance in all areas of operation.