Master of International Studies Launches Professional Development Series

New graduates entering the workforce in 2021 face greater uncertainty than any group has for decades. To help navigate this period, the Master of International Studies (MIS) program launched a series of professional development workshops for their current students. 

“We don’t know what the world of work will look like a year from now. We do know that we want our students to succeed and to make a difference,” said the director of the MIS program, Associate Professor Mark Nance. “And we also know that they can, which makes it all the more important for us to help students develop a full toolkit of skills that will leave them with as many options as possible.” 

To meet this need, the MIS program created a series of professional development workshops for current students during the 2020-21 ademic year. Funded by members of the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) and other alumni, the workshops encouraged students to think about their career goals early in their program, to evaluate a broad range of opportunities and to develop new competencies. By giving graduate students access to professionals in different fields and new skills, it broadens both their career and self-awareness and will help them regardless of where they work. In its first year, the series featured 11 different speakers from the public and private sectors. Topics included:

• How to find and secure an international internship.
• Skill building workshops such as how to give a briefing and how to be an effective editor.
• How to network and manage your online profile.
• Introduction to a variety of international career pathways such as diplomacy, intelligence, international development, global security and lobbying.
• How to apply for distinguished fellowships such as the Fulbright, Presidential Management Fellowship and Boren Awards.

“We’re already good at helping students develop the foundational skills that will help them succeed: how to think critically, write logically and clearly, and work constructively with people with a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives,” Nance explained. “Now with workshops focused on professional development, we are helping them add skills that often come only through on-the-job experience. Some of that is career specific: for example, what it takes to be a good diplomat or a good covert intelligence officer. Other skills are more general, like how to verbally present your ideas most effectively, how to be a better editor of written communication, or how to land and succeed in a quality internship. This has also been a good way to connect alumni with current students, which helps new students build their networks and allows former students to pay it forward, which is something many of our alumni want to do.” 

The workshop series was organized by Teaching Assistant Professor Tracy Appling, external relations and internship director for the School of Public and International Affairs. She noted that many of the speakers are alumni, which has the added bonus of connecting current students to a vast network of working professionals well before graduation. Other workshops drew on the expertise of the Career Development Center, an important resource for NC State students. 

Featured speakers this year included: Mary Sauerborn (MIS ‘15), IVLP program officer, Meridian Center for Global Leadership, Meridian International Center; Pat Weninger (Political Science ’91), recently retired from a career with the Senior Intelligence Service of the Directorate of Operations at the Central Intelligence Agency; George Sibley, diplomat in residence for the U.S. Department of State’s mid-Atlantic region; Cassi Zumbiel (Political Science ’14, MPA ’16), director of workforce initiatives, the Manufacturing Institute (the nonprofit affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers); Gentry O. Smith (Political Science ‘83), current nominee of President Joe Biden to serve as assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security; Judy Johnston and Rob Johnston, Johnston Analytics; Logan Graham (MIS ‘19), presidential management fellow, U.S. Forest Service; and Elizabeth Dillion (MIS ’19), Curamericas Global. 

Maggie Agnew, a first-year MIS student, commented that the workshops were well worth adding to her already busy schedule. Maggie is preparing for a career in public diplomacy and found it inspiring to hear alumna Mary Sauerborn speak about her career in the same field. “Hearing Mary talk about her experience, as well as her time in the MIS program, was incredibly encouraging and affirmed that I am heading in the right direction.”