Message from the Director Kearney head shot

Welcome to NC State’s School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). As the School’s inaugural director, I have been privileged to work with the faculty, staff, and students at NC State to advance the public interest by preparing scholars and practitioners for careers in public and nonprofit service. The School’s name reflects our present and potential realities. SPIA takes a leadership role within the University as it addresses issues of public policy and public affairs at the state, national, and international levels. As the home for departments of political science and public administration as well as an international studies graduate program, the Leadership in the
Public Sector all-distance B.S. degree, and the Public Safety Leadership Initiative, the School fosters a dynamic culture with significant opportunities for growth and diversity among its units. The School provides an intellectual center for strengthening, promoting and contributing to public policy and international programs across the university and beyond.

A word about our faculty

Our vibrant community of scholars is committed to teaching students and informing public affairs through research and collaboration. Our faculty engages in well-regarded research that informs policies and politics at the state level. They are frequently called upon for their expertise, ranging from the most effective ways to prevent the spread
of gangs, to public opinion of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, to decision making in the U.S. Congress, to policy networks. Our faculty value excellence in teaching. A number of faculty members have received the University's most celebrated teaching award; others have been selected for college-level teaching awards. NC State awarded our department of political science the prestigious University Departmental Award for Teaching and Learning Excellence in 2004.

Making a Difference

Want to change the world? Or at least your state or local community? Or influence the path of public policy on an issue of concern? Among our alumni are judges, legislators, members of Congress, university professors, CEOs of firms and nonprofit organizations, and other leaders in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors of the state, nation, and world. For additional information, please contact me by phone, 919.515.2481, or by email, rick_kearney@ncsu.edu.

Warm regards,

  • Richard C. Kearney, Director
  • School of Public and International Affairs
  • North Carolina State University
  • Raleigh, NC 27695-8102