“If I were to choose a headline,” said Michael R. Curtis, “it would be something like, ‘My PhD from George Mason has made all the difference.’”
We’re happy to report that the headline wish of the adjunct professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government’s has been granted.
A career engineer with some two decades in the field, Curtis yearned for something greater and realized he needed more knowledge and a wider breadth of it, to achieve his goals, which are, he agreed, ambitious.
“My objective in pursuing a PhD,” he said, “was to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to create lasting and sustainable solutions for the world’s poorest countries—I do tend to have grand goals—and with the knowledge, understanding, and PhD as credentials, I believed that doors would open in my chosen field. And this turned out to be true.”
In 1998, he was accepted into George Mason University’s PhD public policy degree program offered by the Institute of Public Policy—known as TIPP and the precursor to what would eventually become the Schar School. Knowing there was a large and growing need for educated policy and government workers in key institutions in nearby Washington, D.C., the university empowered its leadership to rapidly expand the policy programming and hire notable professors.
Curtis remembers his professors fondly, including, “Kingsley Haynes, Jim Finkelstein, Roger Stough, Don Kash, Frank Fukuyama, Marty Lipset, Stephen Fuller, Chris Hill, and others who were key leaders and faculty members of TIPP,” he said, naming several who were pioneering forerunners in the field of public policy higher education.
“As you might expect, we students felt we had strong personal and collegial relationships with these esteemed scholars,” Curtis said. “Don Kash, who continues to be a dear friend, was my mentor and the chair of my dissertation committee. Don played a critically important role. He was always there to provide support, guidance, and encouragement while being my greatest advocate.”
Earning his degree was not without effort as he continued to work full-time while studying “public policy literature, including economics, social sciences, political science, and policy, which was completely new to me,” he said, adding that he and his classmates “faced the challenge of balancing demanding careers, family, and rigorous academic studies, which was to say the least, far from easy.”
Curtis successfully defended his dissertation in 2001 and was hired by the Department of Energy to work on energy technology policies, a promising beginning to a new career.
He later accepted a position with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and worked in several developing countries—his early ambition thusly fulfilled—including sub-Saharan African countries, Pakistan, Central Asian countries, and Moldova.
“Throughout this journey, I have led some of the most impactful energy programs in these nations, where the transition to a clean, affordable, and secure energy future is well underway,” he said.
“Earning my PhD in public policy from George Mason has allowed me to pursue dreams I first envisioned more than 25 years ago,” he said. “Working to establish sustainable solutions that benefit humanity has given me the greatest job one could ever desire—making all the difference.”
Curtis continues to make a difference, this time as a member of that esteemed faculty he once studied with and serving as an associate on the Schar School’s Center for Energy Science and Policy.
“Today, those dreams continue as I share my knowledge and experience with the next generation of leaders who will make even greater contributions for the sake of humanity's welfare,” he said. “Obtaining my PhD so long ago continues to make all the difference.”