MPA students to hold kickoff party prior to 100th annual city/county managers’ conference

The UNC Charlotte student chapter of an international city/county management will gather with government officials at a kick-off party 100 days before the association’s 100th annual conference in Charlotte.

“The kickoff party will give students an early opportunity to network and jump-start their careers in local government,” said Paarth Mehta, president of the student chapter of the International City/County Management Association. The chapter is affiliated with UNC Charlotte’s Gerald Fox Master of Public Administration program in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

The kickoff will be from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, June 6, at the Hickory Tavern on Mallard Creek Church Road. Attendees will include students, faculty and local government officials.

The student chapter, which started in January to introduce students to the local government management profession, helps students connect with the association, local governments and other professional associations.

UNC Charlotte’s MPA program currently enrolls approximately 80 master’s degree students and more than 20 certificate students. Since its inception, the program has graduated more than 500 MPA students and is 59th in the country among public affairs programs, according to rankings in the Best Graduate Schools by U.S. News Media Group.