MPP Student Wins Award for Paper on Ethics

First-year SPP master’s student Cheryl Murray received a Brady K. Howell scholarship award for an essay about ethics in government. The award from the Northern Virginia Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration honors Brady K. Howell, a public administrator who perished in the Sept. 11 attack on the Pentagon.

Murray, who is pursuing her MPP in Global Medical and Health Policy, says the award represents her commitment to ethical practices as she launches a new career. “The award represents an ideal that I strive for and most people in government strive for. I like being associated with that ideal. I hope I continue to believe in and make ethics a priority in my life…So many people do not make ethics a priority,” she says. After spending the majority of her career as a marketer and business developer for technological firms in Silicon Valley, Murray decided that she wanted to make the switch from the business world to government, spurring her to apply to SPP. “I’m interested in government becoming more effective. I think they need people who are young with energy and who come with an open mind so we can make some of these changes in government,” she says.

Murray is pursuing an MPP in Global Medical Health Policy.

Murray adds that SPP has begun to teach her about some of the changes that government needs to make. With skills and interests in foreign languages and travel, communications, writing, technology and healthcare, Murray is not sure exactly where she will decide to make her mark in public policy. One option she has considered is using her writing skills to help develop better communication systems within government.

She says that the various government departments need to communicate more efficiently, especially when it comes to issues of homeland security. “Part of securing the homeland is being able to respond quickly and track performance so that emergency response improvements happen. The systems are getting better but they are not there yet. They’re not interconnected so that in a moment’s notice everyone is up to date on the situation and able to respond immediately,” she adds.

This summer, Murray will serve as an intern with the Office of Management and Budget, working on a project to help the federal government streamline the procurement of software. In addition, Murray, who has studied and traveled extensively in Spanish-speaking countries, was recently accepted into Phi Beta Delta, the international honor society.

It’s obvious that Murray is continuing to explore her options for the future. She says, “I’m going forward with an open mind to see where I fit in the world of public policy. It kind of depends on where I’m needed. I don’t have a specific direction…It’s actually a fun feeling.”