Heinz College Students Participate in International Development Conference

Release Date: Apr 20, 2009

A group of students from Carnegie Mellon's H. John Heinz III College recently participated in this year’s International Development Conference at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. In addition, Heinz College facilitated a social enterprise workshop led by Professor Jerr Boschee.

This year’s conference theme was “Impact: Turning Global Changes into Opportunities." Despite the current momentum to tackle global development problems, new challenges, such as the global economic crisis, have arisen. Panelists and students met during three days to take part in a world-class interdisciplinary forum. The conference looked to build relationships between various stakeholders, including senior level policy makers, academics and practitioners, proposing multi-disciplinary strategies for economic, sociopolitical, cultural and institutional changes. For Heinz College students, the conference was an opportunity to discuss the connection between their skill sets and real life experiences from policy makers.

As a center of social innovation, Heinz College featured the workshop “The Global Rise of Social Enterprise." Professor Jerr Boschee shared his experience in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship among people and organizations driven by a social mission, through education, research, and local and global partnerships. Professor Boschee is the founder and director of the Institute for Social Entrepreneurs.

Students also benefited from panels which included topics such as: the global financial crisis, refugees and development in Africa, models for poverty reduction, good governance and development, achieving poverty reduction by private sector development and UN Field Operations Training.

“This year’s conference packed in some great speakers – students, faculty, and staff welcomed us and actively engaged with us in discussion,” said Alison Case, a student in Heinz College's Public Policy and Management program.

The office of Career Services at Heinz College supported the International Development Group’s efforts and organized various events which contributed to the students’ experiences. These activities included a site visit with the international development NGO CARE International, interviews with the United Nations Volunteer Program and a networking event which gathered alumni from the Boston area.

Carnegie Mellon was represented by a total of 36 students from Heinz College, the School of Decision Sciences and the School of Computer Science.

This year’s conference was possible thanks to the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and its partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

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International Development Group: www.heinz.cmu.edu/idg
International Development Conference: http://www.harvard-idc.com

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