About the Office
The Office of Public Service Programs serves as the hub of public interest career-related services and programming as well as pro bono activites. Examples of annual programs include workshops on public interest job searching skills, the Public Interest Peer Mentor Program and the Public Interest Retreat. The Pro Bono Program is also housed in the Office of Public Service Programs and provides numerous opportunities for students to perform pro bono service throughout the school year.
Staff
Sylvia Novinsky 
Assistant Dean for Public Service Programs
919.962.7813
5023 Van Hecke-Wettach Hall
In its ongoing commitment to public service, Dean Boger has appointed Sylvia Novinsky as the school's first assistant dean for public service programs. Novinsky has been with the School of Law since 1996, after practicing public interest law representing migrant farm workers and immigrant workers in Virginia and New York. She served as the school's first public interest career counselor and in 2000, became the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. In her new role, she will combine these varied experiences to counsel, advise and support students interested in public service and public interest law, as well as continuing to foster the school's pro bono activities.
"As a great public law school, our tradition of public service is deep-rooted and core to our mission," noted Dean Novinsky. Upon graduation, approximately 20% of the class goes on to pursue careers in the public sector. While in school, approximately 50% of the student body performs pro bono service. Still, there are challenges for students and graduates who want to do public service, particularly as debt burdens at all law schools increase. "Helping students identify avenues for pursuing their commitments to pro bono and public service, and supporting them while they are doing so, is crucial," said Dean Novinsky. "Our students are following in the footsteps of many great Carolina Law alumni who have gone on to serve our state and the nation and we want to make sure we support them as they incorporate these values of serving the public in their own educational pursuits and legal careers."
Dorsey Bachenheimer
Student Services Coordinator
919.843.9871
5022 Van Hecke-Wettach Hall
Dorsey Bachenheimer is the Student Services Coordinator at the UNC School of Law. Hailing from New Bern, NC, Dorsey did her undergraduate work at Appalachian State University, graduating in 2007 with a B.S. in Apparel & Textiles. Prior to her arrival at UNC Law, Dorsey spent a year as an Americorps volunteer, serving as a college counselor at James Bowie High School in Austin, TX. Dorsey currently resides in Chapel Hill, NC, and enjoys spending time with her husband and two yellow labs, live music, and local running races.
Bethan Eynon '12
Director of the Pro Bono Program Board
Bethan grew up in the Youngstown, Ohio area and graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelors of Science in Journalism, a minor in Sociology and a Women Studies Certificate. She believes that law offers a unique way to explore social justice and equal rights issues, and was attracted to UNC Law because of its commitment to public interest law and pro bono work.
During the 2010-2011 school year, Bethan served as one of the two Special Trips Coordinators, facilitating the Wills Project in rural Central and Eastern North Carolina. She looks forward to expanding her role in the Pro Bono Program as its director and is proud to lead such a talented board of coordinators. Bethan has interned with the Honorable Beverly Scarlett at the Orange/Chatham District Court, the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, the North Carolina Attorney General's Office (State Agencies Section) and the UNC Center for Civil Rights. In her free time, you can find her riding her bike in the North Carolina countryside.
Sarah Chang '13
Public Service Fellow
Sarah Chang is the Public Service Fellow for the Office of Public Service Programs at the School of Law. Sarah grew up on a farm in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, and after moving around the country a few times, graduated from UM-St. Louis in 2004 with a degree in Sociology. Sarah intends to pursue a career in disability advocacy, and is specifically interested in disability in higher education. Sarah has over ten years professional experience as a disability advocate in various settings. In 2011, Sarah interned at Disability Rights, N.C., the federally mandated Protection & Advocacy agency in North Carolina that works to protect the legal rights of citizens with disabilities through legal advocacy. Sarah also serves as a Guardian ad Litem in Orange and Chatham counties. When she is not studying, Sarah enjoys spending time with her husband, pursing her interest in photography, and hiking with her two dogs, a yellow lab and a Weimaraner.