Olinda Hassan, a second-year Fellow concentrating in Economics & Financial Policy, served as the Outreach Chair for the Cornell Public Affairs Society during the past year. You can check out her blog here.
In addition to the academic aspects of the MPA degree, CIPA Fellows have opportunities to take on leadership positions in their two years at Cornell University. In particular at CIPA, I served as the Outreach Chair for the Cornell Public Affairs Society, the oldest organization in the program. CPAS’ primary duty is to foster relationships between the student body and the campus, specifically with faculty and other departments, and also to advance Fellows’ experience in the program, both professionally and socially. With eight positions, the board works with the student body to arrange events for these purposes. To be a board member, first year students campaign during their first semester. Elected members serve from the spring semester of their first year through the end of the fall semester in their second year.
A few weeks ago, the Vice President, Matt Williger, and I finished organizing the election process for the new CPAS Board. During this time, we worked with about twenty students to run their campaigns, arrange speeches, and have a voting process. It reminded me of my own campaign where just two months into Cornell, I got to know many of my peers as I discussed my interest in leadership and what I planned to do for CIPA.
While CPAS serves the entire CIPA body, it is also an organization where you can become a member by paying $30 in dues. Being a member means that you get to vote for your next board, work with board members, and also get priority to join professional roundtables and discussions with public policy leaders. These leaders have been both domestic and international and represent a variety of disciplines, from infrastructure policy and agriculture to international development in a broader sense. Last year, for example, CPAS worked to bring the president of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli to campus, arranging breakfast roundtables and dinners for him to interact with students in addition to his Colloquium speech. We have worked hard to also make alliances with NGOs and leading international organizations to connect Fellows with internships and networking opportunities. Needless to say, CPAS is as much about professional development as the MPA program is.
As the Outreach Chair, I have been responsible for making connections with the Ithaca community through volunteer opportunities by arranging large-scale group activities and also in helping individuals get connected with various organizations in Ithaca. I am also responsible for updating our social media platforms, creating newsletters, and hosting networking and professional events. While this describes my role, it is important to note that CPAS is as much about teamwork as well as fulfilling individual roles. None of my work was possible without getting help from other board members.
This year, we continued our International Affairs Forum by bringing in student panels and professors to discuss global issues ranging from Syria to emerging markets to Indian diplomacy. The IAF was launched last semester and our International Reps have done a great job not only in representing the international student body, but also in bringing people from different backgrounds together to discuss the pertinent topics of our time.
The board also organizes and hosts various social events throughout the year, including informal happy hours, inter-school mixers, cruises, and talent shows for Fellows. We ended this year by hosting the CIPA Gala, CIPA’s largest annual social event. This year, our gala took place at the Statler Hotel on campus and the entire student body was able to enjoy an evening out of our busy schedules to dress in our formal attire (for some, this meant getting out some pretty amazing fur coats), dance, mingle, and hopefully talk about things other than public policy. CPAS is also determined to make sure that students are having fun while they are at Cornell, since two years fly by in a blink.
Having had leadership experience before coming to Cornell, being able to serve again at the graduate level was fulfilling and eye opening. I have never been part of a more diverse organization. Involvement in CPAS has given me the opportunity to foster incredibly diverse relationships, which is a skill that I expect I will use throughout my career. Whether you have had leadership experience or not, serving in such a role at CIPA requires a special kind of dedication and work ethic. After all, we are all students, and academic work always came first. Working as the Outreach Chair for two semesters was an integral part of my graduate degree, as it allowed me to learn new ways to manage my time and interests as well as negotiate between school and professional development. I had a great year working with CPAS, and I really look forward to enjoying this year with the newly elected leaders and all that they will offer CIPA as we continue to grow as a program.