Amy Grau is a full-time employee at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill—and a graduate student in the Master of Applied Professional Studies inaugural cohort.
With a role in the Office of the Chancellor, the concentration of women in leadership appealed to her.
“I think what makes it uniquely Carolina is just the quality and the breadth of classes that we can take,” Grau said. “It’s refreshing to hear other peoples’ ideas and kind of get outside of, you know, your regular work life and to interact with people who you might not otherwise have encountered.”
Grau said she first learned about the MAPS program during a meeting.
“It just felt like the right time with my kids out of the house,” she said. “I had the time to spend on school and homework and all those things that a couple years ago I just wouldn’t have been able to have space for.”
Grau plans to take courses from the School of Education, from communication, and from public policy. “I’m really passionate about helping other women kind of re-enter the workforce,” she explained. “I also really like the foundations of business and leadership, and that’s where I feel like it will really help me in my career.”
As an employee of UNC-Chapel Hill, Grau is able to benefit from the tuition and fee waiver program, offered to employees of the UNC System.
“To be able to work toward a degree at this pace and be able to have it covered as part of my employee benefits is absolutely amazing,” she said. “I’m grateful for it, and it’s really what makes this possible for me right now.”
The deadline to apply for spring 2023 admission to the MAPS program is April 11, 2023.