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To maintain one of the most engaged alumni networks in Texas, Jessica Woods starts before classes even begin, at the UNT master of public administration (MPA) orientation. 

“From day one, we have alumni talking to students about what the MPA did for them,” Woods said. “Students see those alumni in action throughout the program, so when they graduate, they’re ready to be that role model and they can’t wait to hire a student.”

Woods is the Department of Public Administration’s internship and community engagement coordinator. She said roles like hers help departments establish “smoother employment pipelines and better morale overall.” 

“The core of community engagement work is getting out there and talking to people,” Woods said. “Invest in relationships first without the ask. I’m not here to sell you anything, I’m just here to be in the community and you can come to me when you want to contribute to it.” 

Four years into the job, Woods said she knows 90% of current students and 70% of MPA alumni. 

“The prime directive of my position is still internships,” Woods said. “But it’s such little work now because I’ve cultivated that network. I go to so many different events and meet people, it makes internship placement so much easier.” 

UNT’s MPA requires students who haven’t already worked in the field to complete an internship.  

“We can’t in good conscience send out students that don’t have experience in the field with a MPA behind their name,” Woods said. “The experiences that our students get with internships can’t be built into a class. It has to be on the job.” 

Students aren’t struggling to complete this requirement: Woods receives more opportunities than she has candidates to recommend.  

She’s also raised the average internship pay rate from $15.50 in 2022 to $17.87 in 2026. For students who need more than an intern’s salary to pay the bills, Woods helps place them in qualifying full-time jobs, sometimes at UNT itself.  

By graduation, most MPA students have full-time job offers secured or are already working in these positions. Some are hired by their internship site and climb the ranks, like one graduate who interned for a town and became the city administrator five years later. 

“That’s a big success metric that we look at, employment and how fast they advance,” Woods said. “We’re very excited that Fort Worth, Austin and Dallas, some of the biggest cities in Texas, are managed by alumni.” 

Woods’ investment in community engagement also helped her increase opportunities for international students. Previously, some employers would immediately pass on candidates because of their visa status. Woods said it was difficult to find qualifying internships. 

Working with the public administration advisory board — made up of all volunteer alumni — Woods was able to place more international students in public administration positions. One went on to get sponsored by a private company founded by a department alum, while another is being sponsored by a city. 

“We’re breaking that preconceived notion that it’s too much work to bring one of these students on,” Woods said.  

As seen with the advisory board, UNT public administration alumni are highly involved, contributing over 250 volunteer hours a year. They mentor students, visit classes as guest speakers in classes, attend the MPA Alumni-Student Conference, and raise money for the department. 

This passion is created in part by Woods’ hard work engaging students and graduates to build an authentic community. 

“It would be so cool to see other departments do this,” Woods said. “I wish I had something like this when I was a student, someone who takes the time to learn what I’m interested in and what my goals are.”