November 2009 UNC School of Government

Faculty members from the School of Government have helped members of Fort Bragg's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, accomplish their mission in Iraq.

The team from the 3rd Brigade was charged with responsibility not only for military and security matters, but also for providing leadership and assistance to Baghdad officials in helping stabilize the local government.

In October 2008, School of Government faculty members offered a day and a half of training at Fort Bragg for 100 US Army officers at Fort Bragg. Topics included basic local government organization and functions, community and economic development, open meetings and public records, community engagement, civic engagement of youth, elections, and emergency management. Faculty members participating in this training were Fleming Bell, Jonathan Morgan, Bob Joyce, Rick Morse, Kelley O'Brien, and Norma Houston.

Earlier this month, the 3rd Brigade held a seminar for local Iraqi directors general of east Baghdad about the practice of lobbying. The directors general serve as leaders for their communities and assist in trying to improve essential services such as water, sewage, and electricity. The Brigade also conducted a seminar for local Baghdad officials and NGO's (non-governmental organizations) focusing on building collaborative relationships between government and the private sector at which over 200 NGO's participated. These seminars are examples of the work carried out by the 3rd Brigade with the long-distance support of School of Government faculty members over the past year.

"The UNC School of Government has done a lot for us all year," said Lt. Col. Michael Shinners, the deputy commander for the 3rd Brigade Combat Team. "Whenever we had a question in relation to civil capacity, they were there to help."