In the nonprofit sector, experience in the field is invaluable, but stepping back into the classroom offers a fresh perspective and the space to reexamine issues professionals confront every day and develop deeper frameworks to address them. In Columbia’s M.S. in Nonprofit Management (NOPM) program, mid-career students like Priyanka Puri and Douglas Black are taking advantage of the program’s flexible format options to build on decades of professional experience while expanding their skill sets.
The NOPM program recently hosted Puri and Black for a Student Insights event with Program Director Dr. Basil A. Smikle Jr. to discuss how the program supports professionals at every stage of their careers and brings together students with a range of backgrounds and experiences.
“The throughline of this program is values. We come to this space with a strong care and concern for the community,” Dr. Smikle said. “What we provide are these hard skills, whether it’s data measurement or understanding the business and legal aspects of the nonprofit space.”
Puri, who holds an MBA from Adelphi University, is currently a managing partner of a wholesale apparel company and vice president of the board of Adventures for Learning, all while pursuing her M.S. in Nonprofit Management.
“After more than 20 years in the workforce and as a proud mother of two, I am in my fourth semester, part-time, of the Nonprofit Management program,” Puri said. “It has been a very meaningful next chapter for me as I work to shift my career more deeply into the nonprofit sector, and I am so grateful that I made this decision.”
Black is in his second semester of the program and has spent the last 25 years in the nonprofit sector, working in health, international development, domestic policy, and human and civil rights. Given the ever-evolving nature of the sector, he began to prioritize approaching new dilemmas with a new perspective.
“This is a program I’ve always actually wanted to be involved in at some level, so it’s been a really enriching experience for me to meet these new classmates and use different parts of my brain that I have not had the opportunity to use in a way that’s really effective,” Black said. “When you’re doing your day-to-day work, you’re not always using that part of your brain, because someone else is doing it for you.”
Despite Puri’s extensive education and career experience, she still finds herself learning new fundamental skills that have altered the way she conducts herself in the workplace. Not only has the curriculum furthered her thinking, but Puri has also fostered strong relationships with her professors and advisers—mentors who aim to see their students become the next changemakers.
“Whether you’re coming straight from undergrad or have taken a few years off and have decided to come back to school, we have professors and faculty who are experienced in the field, leaders both locally and nationally, and a support system to be able to help you pivot into this next part of your life,” Dr. Smikle said.
Ultimately, Puri and Black bring years of success and experience in their fields, having reached the C-suite level. However, they both chose to pursue an M.S. in Nonprofit Management because they understood that the program’s unique opportunities could further their careers, deepen their expertise, or allow them to pivot in their careers.
For more illuminating discussions with leaders in the nonprofit space and information, learn more about Nonprofit Management's upcoming events.
About the Program
Columbia University’s M.S. in Nonprofit Management prepares graduates for leadership roles within mission-driven organizations in a wide variety of contexts, including global and community nonprofits, foundations, education, healthcare, the arts, or as fundraising and development experts.
Learn more about the program here. The program is available part-time, full-time, on-campus, and online.
