Last week I received my academic advisor assignment for the PhD program.  I think this is going to be a good fit.  My advisor is an Associate Professor of Public Policy and Enterprise Engineering.  He has expertise in the areas of electronic commerce and supply chain integration, international telecommunication, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system implementation and design, and ERP-based Business Process Engineering methods.

Though it sounds a bit technical, this is all good stuff.  A lot of what I do in my job relates closely to my advisor’s areas of expertise.  Here is an excerpt from the Statement of Purpose I wrote to accompany my application to the PhD program:

I am applying for admission to the GMU PhD program in Public Policy because I am interested in gaining the skills and background necessary to conduct advanced research into Information Technology policy and its effect on organizations.  In these days of ever-tightening budgets, government agencies are being asked to do more with less.  Government leaders are constantly challenged to find newer, more creative ways to accomplish the mission of government.  When used properly, Information Technology is a powerful force multiplier.  How Information Technology is used within an organization depends greatly on organizational structure, policy, and processes.  I am committed to achieving a greater understanding of these focus areas and how to apply that understanding to maximize their interrelated strengths.

In my current capacity as a supervisory enterprise architect in the Federal Government, I am acutely aware of the impact Information Technology makes on an organization.  One of the challenges I face on a daily basis is how to align the organization’s enterprise architecture with policy and doctrine.

I believe that the GMU PhD program in Public Policy (with a concentration in Organizational and Information Technology) would be of great value in my efforts to achieve the understanding necessary to increased organizational effectiveness. It would provide me the ability to focus my analytical and management skills in analyzing government’s Information Technology challenges and would possibly open new areas for research.  Upon completing the PhD program, I would like to apply my newly acquired skills to discover new and innovative ways to affect organizational structure and policy within the government.

So I’m looking forward to working with my academic advisor – I think it’ll be a really good fit!