Coupling design education and public policy with Shanti Mathew

IIT Institute of Design

IIT Institute of Design is formalizing a certificate option for students who wish to develop deeper expertise in social innovation through the pursuit of certificates like Non-Profit and Mission-Driven Management, Economic Development and Social Entrepreneurship, and Public Management. Students who obtain these certificates will gain cross-disciplinary knowledge of how public policy and philanthropy work, or how non-profits are structured, financed, and measured for success. In this interview, Shanti Mathew, ID’s first recipient of the Public Management certificate, she recognizes that “If I’m going to be embedded in a sector or field as complex as government agency or services there’s a lot I need to learn [about government, comparative political administrative systems, how government agencies are structured, how programs are evaluate].” This exposure will help her advocate more effectively for design and give her credibility to “talk about it in a way that adds value and that can build a bridge. That’s the kind of collaborative relationship we are looking for in this new world economy.”