Organizational Culture- Week 1

Throughout my first week at the PPIA Junior Summer Institute at the University of Minnesota, I have been pleasantly surprised by the level of commitment to not only fostering a diverse environment, but an inclusive environment as well. My cohort consists of fellows from universities all over the United States including Syracuse University, University of Massachusetts, Sonoma State University, University of Wisconsin and others. This program’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is not only reflected by the demographics of the fellows, but the faculty and coordinators as well. Since we are all passionate about, and have experience within the field of public affairs, our conversations within formal and informal settings do not vary drastically, and are generally centered on current events and addressing societal issues. Because of this, it is heavily valued and expected that each fellow have a high level of understanding about public affairs. Additionally, it is valued to possess a high level of cultural sensitivity during our frequent discussions about issues surrounding race, poverty, culture and various challenges facing the public at a macro and micro level.

In total, there are 19 fellows who all have varying topics of expertise and interest ranging from education policy to immigration reform and food justice. One of the greatest aspects of the program’s organizational culture is the expectation for group members to constantly collaborate and learn from one another. Already in the first week, we have organized various policy groups who will be focusing on and presenting research across a wide spectrum of topics including: establishing tip credit laws for minimum wage in the state of Minnesota, increasing diversity within the Minneapolis police department, addressing lending disparities across racial groups by banks and other credit lending institutions and so much more. So far, this experience has been eye-opening to say the least and I am ready, more than ever, to engage and have the “courageous conversations” that should occur within public discourse but very rarely does.