IPA alumni John Collins and Erik Hopkins came with their boss, U.S. Sen. Thomas R. Carper (D-Del.), to help kick off the spring 2010 colloquium series, at which Carper spoke.
IPA alumni Erik Hopkins and John Collins are each working to improve how our federal government functions. U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) hand-picked these Master of Public Administration program graduates to help further the work of the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security, which is under his leadership.
Carper recently came to campus to speak on the federal budget to kickoff Contemporary Issues in Public Administration, a School of Public Policy & Administration colloquium series put together by Ed Freel, policy scientist at the Institute for Public Administration (IPA) in the College of Education & Public Policy.
Accompanying Carper that day were Hopkins and Collins. During his talk, Carper spoke about the important work the two were doing and a couple times asked one or the other to verify some of the detailed information he was presenting.
Both received a BA degree in international relations at the University of Delaware and went on to complete their MPA here, Hopkins in ‘07 and Collins in ‘09.
Hopkins, who has been on Carper’s professional staff since 2007, says that he expects that his work overseeing the federal government’s cyber security will lead to an increased public awareness of the dangers of cyber crime and terrorism. “I focus on leveraging technology to make the government more efficient, accountable, and secure,” he says.
The Senate subcommittee has a wide jurisdiction, handling everything from nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, to oversight of the U.S. Postal Service, to cyber security, to the nation’s current fiscal challenges.
Hopkins worked closely with Carper to draft several key pieces of legislation responsible for shaping the way federal agencies manage and secure their information infrastructure, including the U.S. Information and Communications Enhancement Act of 2009 (s.921) and the Information Technology Oversight and Waste Prevention Act of 2009 (s.920).
As one of Carper’s legislative aides, Collins is the relative newcomer. In describing what he does, Collins says, “Much of my work deals with helping the government operate more efficiently and effectively. Without a doubt, the greatest challenge facing public servants in the coming decades will be having to do more with less.”
Collins has the mindset to engage in this important work of helping streamline government.
“We’ve only just begun to realize the enormous economic shift our country has made in the past few years, and we have to pivot and adapt to this changing environment,” he says. “As a professional in the public sector and as an American citizen, I’m most excited about coupling our nation’s fiscal challenges with the values of transparency and accountability that have become an increasingly important part of our public discourse.”
Hopkins and Collins each had a strong bent toward government work but grew tremendously while at IPA, particularly through their experiences as Legislative Fellows.
Hopkins puts it this way, “The University of Delaware, and IPA more specifically, shaped my desire to be a public servant. Working with the Delaware State Senate [as a Fellow] and the wonderful people who work there and devote their lives to making Delaware a better place inspired me to continue my career at the federal level.”
Collins shares his thoughts on his preparation while at UD. “I benefited enormously from both my MPA coursework and my real-world experiences at IPA, especially Legislative Fellows.” He adds, “There are few programs that allow the high level of access and legislative staff work that this program provides.
What is it that is special about IPA to these two young Carper staffers? It is that IPA sets the standard high and pushes students to go beyond it.
“One of the most important aspects of working at IPA that dramatically helped me in my current career is the fact that your colleagues don’t just hope you’ll do good work, they expect it,” Hopkins says.
“The very first day I walked through the doors of Graham Hall I was given more responsibility and freedom to shape policy discussions than I had ever imagined. It gave me a tremendous opportunity to have an impact on Delaware, but also a great sense of pride in my work.”
Hopkins adds, “Working on the Delaware Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy with [IPA assistant policy scientist] Julia O’Hanlon, [IPA policy scientist] Bernie Dworsky, and [IPA's community development specialist] Bill McGowan opened my eyes to the immense real-life impact I could have through the use of forward-thinking, but common sense, policy. It’s an experience I will carry with me always.”
“While at IPA,” Collins says, “you learn to manage multiple projects, communicate with a variety of stakeholders, and fine-tune your writing and other skills for use in a professional environment,” He adds, “My experiences in the General Assembly, along with my other assistantships, have proven invaluable in much of the work I am doing today.”
Carper concluded his remarks by saying he knows whose job it is to lead and whose job it is to execute and get the job done. “The role of government,” he said, “is to do for the people what they cannot do for themselves—to steer the boat, rather than row it.”
With IPA grads like Hopkins and Collins on deck, there are surely good hands to help make sure the country is steering in a good direction.
“It’s an exciting time to be in government,” Collins says.
