Georgetown University announced a partnership between the McDonough School of Business and the Bipartisan Policy Center on March 27, which will connect the economic focus of the business school with the public policy aims of the BPC. In doing so, the university plans to expose MSB students to an alternative and, perhaps, unconventional career path.
Georgetown students unfortunately see the four schools as separate entities with their own purposes. There is an unfortunate misconception that the School of Foreign Service is a place for students interested in public policy while the students in the MSB look to make millions by exploiting niche markets, like Sweetgreen and Luke’s Lobster.
However, these stereotypes are not accurate. While students choose one of the four schools, many often have interests that fall outside of the traditional scope.
The MSB/BCP partnership, however, attempts to address this problem by giving business school students an opportunity to work on public policy initiatives and to make government more fiscally efficient.
By providing students with opportunities to collaborate with the BPC and enabling them to take on internships with the center, this partnership can foster a connection between business students and the political world.
This partnership opens a path to allow something that was once relatively unconventional and not really advertised by the school itself to become a viable MSB career path.
Through allying with the BPC, the MSB will have a more tangible foundation upon which it can build a business education tied with making an impact on society, a goal often professed by the school’s leadership. Students should take full advantage of this as it is the much-needed bridge between business and public policy that the MSB lacks.
As unconventional as it might sound, the partnership of public policy and business is something that every MSB student should explore.
In a world where there exists an increasing interconnectedness between different interests and potential careers, understanding the connection between public policy and business — fields that find themselves more at odds than not — is a valuable skill to have.
