Roundtable Discussion Marks Opening of SPP

The School of Public Policy at CEU marked the opening of its inaugural academic year with a public roundtable discussion on Public Policy Education and Careers for the Public Good on September 12. In his welcoming address, John Shattuck, President and Rector of Central European University, spoke of how “we don’t to need look any further than the front pages of the newspapers to see the chaos which global public policy is currently in,” but he welcomed the hope which SPP’s new students have brought with them to the beginning of their public policy education.

SPP’s Dean, Wolfgang Reinicke, introduced the speakers, noting how opening the academic year with a discussion looking directly at the problems and opportunities facing public policy schools is very much in the spirit of the new school which strives to go beyond just the academic to teach real-world skills and develop a new type of public policy graduate. SPP Assistant Professor, Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick, who will be teaching the MPA students a course on How to Survive Grad School, moderated the discussion.

The discussion brought together three graduates of leading professional schools to reflect on their careers in the public and non-profit sectors: Jeremy Barnicle, chief development officer and chief communications officer at Mercy Corps, the global humanitarian organization; Orsolya Farkas, regional manager of the Africa & Middle East Team at Triple Jump, a microfinance and sustainable investment organization; and Mathieu Lefevre, executive director of the New Cities Foundation, which promotes urban innovations through partnerships among government, business, academic, and civil society entities.

Chief among the many topics of discussion were pieces of advice which the speakers were able to offer to SPP’s students. Orsolya Farkas advised students to prepare for the entrepreneurial side of public policy work through developing practical skills which are not often considered in an academic public policy education: accounting, budgeting, and basic management skills are just as important for the growing field of social impact investment.

Meanwhile Jeremy Barnicle cited soft skills such as public speaking, networking and negotiation skills as among the most important things he learned in the course of his studies. Skills as simple but easily forgotten as the ability to draft a well written email in a hurry were also noted by the panelists. These skills have become a part of what he refers to as his "political entrepreneur tool-kit."

Barnicle went on to explain his belief, which was shared by the other panelists, that public policy schools need to start looking beyond the usual public sector interfaces to partnerships with the private sector that can be leveraged for social change. 

Each of the panelists agreed on the importance of being prepared to take risks and grab opprtunities. For Farkas, this meant being prepared to look beyond the establishment and work with start up organizations. In fact, she still works with the start up organization that she joined at the start of her career. Both Barnicle and Mathieu Lefevre emphaised the importance of gaining field experience early in your career. Once people begin to settle down and have families, field work becomes something that they simply cannot take the time to do; and there is no way to replicate the experience.

The panelists also offered some advice to the management of SPP. Lefevre stressed that educators must help students to find out what it is that truly drives them, and that students identify their passions and discover "what drives you, what matters to you," in order to build a convincing story around themselves that will help them to stand out in a crowded non-profit employment market.

Something that all of the panelists definitely agreed on was that they would study again for an MPA every couple of years if they could; the years of their public policy studies remain among the most exciting and inspirational in their lives. 

Students of SPP’s inaugural class were joined by members of the wider CEU community and the public for the discussion which was also streamed live online.

Read more about the launch of the School of Public Policy at CEU.