SPP Students and Alumni
Learn about the Competitive Edge
By Sarah L. Bonner with
contributions from David Lee
On
September 18, School of Public
Policy (SPP) students Sarah Bonner,
David Lee, Jitesh Singh, Marinela
Arresi, David Olave, and Jessica
Arnold, and alumni Gemal Brangman,
Edythe Artman, and Judy Lao served
as volunteer staff at the U.S.
Department of Commerce’s
inaugural Summit on American Competitiveness
at the Ronald Reagan Center in
Washington, D.C. The summit highlighted
America’s need to advance
strategies to keep the United States
on the competitive edge in the
21st-century worldwide marketplace.
“The one-day
event covered topics central to
School of Public Policy’s
International Commerce and Policy
Program,” notes Lee. Panel
discussions examined the role of
the private sector, education and
workforce issues, energy independence,
and partnerships to support innovation
in response to increased
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Mike
Nelson,
Commerce Secretary
Gutierrez, and David
Olave |
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global competition.
Four panels were led by the secretaries
of labor, education, commerce, and the
White House director of the Office of Science
and Technology Policy. CNBC’s Maria
Bartiromo was the moderator.
Students and alumni, in their capacity
as summit staff, coordinated logistics
for the event and met with CEOs, government
officials, and internationally renowned
professors, among them SPP’s own
Zoltan Acs and Philip Auerswald. During
panel discussions, summit participants
heard from such notables as Craig Barrett
of Intel, Michael Porter of the Harvard
Business School, and Daniel Yergin, a
coauthor of Commanding Heights:
The Battle for the World Economy.
“After listening to Dr. Porter,
I was convinced that future policy responses
should recognize how challenging the
churn rate is to an employer-based health
care system because of gaps in coverage,” says
Lee.
Both formal panel discussions and informal
conversations provided an educational
experience. Singh was encouraged after
talking about his entrepreneurship goals
with Carl J. Schramm, president and CEO
of the Kauffman Foundation. Singh says
he began looking into incorporating his
start-up and identified a lawyer to consult
before the end of his classes that evening.
“It was a great opportunity for
me as a master of public policy student
to learn about our leaders’ present
concerns,” Singh says. “It
was certainly a rare opportunity for
a college student to attend such a valuable
session.”
Arresi was interested in the panel discussion
of immigration as an economic benefit. “All
the knowledge and information I received
will help me be more active in my participation
in classes,” says Arresi.
Alumni welcomed the opportunity to meet
with current SPP students and faculty.
Brangman mentioned the impressive representation
of a variety of sectors, and Artman spoke
with an official from the economic section
of the Polish Embassy.
“I am always intrigued to hear
about the different foreign services,” says
Artman. “I also enjoyed meeting
with my counterparts from other areas
of the Commerce Department, such as the
Economic Development Administration and
the Foreign Commercial Service.”
The panel discussions, the town hall
meeting during which SPP doctoral student
Claudia Pharis was able to discuss her
research with others, and the informal
one-on-one discussions with peers and
officials all provided knowledge that
Olave says he can “continue to
expand on during my graduate experience
at Mason’s School of Public Policy.” Arnold
adds, “The ability to meet peers
in my chosen field was an invaluable
opportunity to network with those who
are on the cutting-edge of competitiveness.”
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