MIPPS Honors Alumni, Looks to Future
Minorities in Public Policy Studies (MIPPS)—the student organization of the Harris School focused on issues pertaining to minority students—recognized the achievements of its alumni and celebrated its accomplishments at the Tenth Annual Minority Alumni Awards Dinner at the Buckingham Athletic Club and Hotel in Chicago. So far in 2012, MIPPS has hosted a practitioner speaker series, managed philanthropic activities and events, and held the "400 Years from Whence We Came" panel discussion. Featured MIPPS speakers in early 2012 included Arsalan Iftikhar, international human rights attorney and founder of TheMuslimGuy.com, and Jose Antonio Vargas, accomplished journalist and author of "My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant." In early 2012, MIPPS also held its first ever alumni networking event.
"MIPPS has hosted very successful programming this year, answering the call of the Harris community to provide programming on a diverse array of topics," said Ashley Ramchandani, the outgoing president. "We are pleased with the increased level of policy discussion in the greater University of Chicago community."
At the Tenth Annual Minority Alumni Awards Dinner, the keynote address was delivered by Mark Joseph, Associate Professor at the Mendel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University and Faculty Associate at the Center on Urban Poverty and Community Development. Dr. Joseph was the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. from the Harris School, and remains one of only two minority students to do so. In his speech to the current and former Harris students gathered at the dinner, Dr. Joseph challenged the future leaders in the audience to consider the many components that comprise leadership.
"Being a leader doesn't necessarily mean being the one who always talks, or the one who chairs the meeting," Dr. Joseph said. "Being a leader means being a person who can catalyze the powers-that-be to take the steps necessary to create positive change."
Dr. Joseph encouraged current MPP students to consider applying for the Harris Ph.D., and thanked the Harris school staff members who had supported and encouraged him during an often rigorous program of study.
The Alumni Awards Dinner also honored Erin Duggins, who earned her MPP from Harris in 1999. Mr. Duggins was presented with the MIPPS Alumni Award. Ms. Duggins began her post-Harris career as an Associate Consultant with IBM, becoming a specialist in organizational change management. In 2002 she joined BearingPoint, and in 2006 was promoted to Senior Manager. She is also currently the Senior Advisor at the United States Agency for International Development.
Ms. Duggins credited the Harris School and MIPPS for instilling a spirit that allowed her to overcome several considerable professional and personal obstacles in her climb to the upper-echelons of business and policy.
Both Dr. Joseph and Ms. Duggins praised MIPPS for creating increased opportunities for minority students in public policy, and working to grow the number of minority students enrolled in the Harris School.
As Dr. Joseph summed up at the end of his remarks: "Long live MIPPS!"
