On March 8, a small team of first-year BPAPM students arrived at the U.S. Embassy on Sussex Drive in Ottawa, passed their bags through security, and were led to a meeting room where they were given a behind-the-scenes briefing by the embassy’s cultural and public affairs team. From there, they met with political and economic affairs officers, followed by the Consular Officer and the Homeland Security Investigations Attache.
The informal meetings offered the students a chance to experience first-hand a day in the life of Embassy officials. Students then met back on campus to exchange stories with their colleagues over dinner and participate in a casual mix and mingle, meeting professionals and B.PAPM alumni representing public organizations around the city.
It’s an experience they couldn’t have anywhere but in the National Capital and it’s part of Kroeger College’s unique initiative, “Kroeger Policy Connect.”
“This provides an opportunity for our first-year students to engage and interact with some of the practical applications of public policy, and to provide them a better sense of the people and organizations that influence public affairs,” says Barry Wright, Associate Dean and Director of the Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs. “This takes them beyond classroom theory to offer a snapshot of the experiential learning opportunities they will pursue in subsequent years, including co-op positions, internships, and experiential learning.”
Associate Dean Wright acknowledged several organizations that participated in Kroeger Policy Connect, including:
- Canadian Alliance of Student Associations
- Canadian Credit Union Association
- Cooperatives and Mutuals Canada
- Embassy of Costa Rica
- Embassy of the United States of America
- Every Canadian Counts Coalition
- Global Affairs Canada
- Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada
- James Whittall of Ignitus Marketing Arts
- John Nater, Member of Parliament for Perth-Wellington [B.PAPM alum]
- Matt Luloff of the Office of the Minister of National Defence [B.PAPM alum]
- Ottawa Chamber Music Society
- Public Policy Forum
- Trade Facilitation Office Canada (TFO Canada)
- Trevor Deley of 1125@Carleton
- United Way Ottawa
The students received a certificate and notation on their co-curricular record for participating.
Associate Dean Wright also acknowledged the hard work, dedication and attention to detail exhibited by Layla Farhat and Alicia Dobson of Kimiya Project Lab, which partnered with Kroeger College to design and launch Kroeger Policy Connect.”
Monday, April 3, 2017 in Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs, International, Justice, News, Policy, Politics, Public Affairs and Policy Management
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