Student Profile: Andrew Beeler, MPP Class of 2021

Andrew Beeler has always been committed to service. After graduating from the Naval Academy in 2014, he spent five years as a Surface Warfare Officer, a role that took him from San Diego to Japan and, ultimately, a deployment to the South China Sea on the USS Decatur.

“I was very lucky in my first tour in Japan—we were some of the first ships to respond to the international ruling at the Hague regarding the actions China was taking in the South China Sea. That was the first time I really felt interested in policy, and I think that’s what led me to an MPP.”

After five years on deployment, Beeler decided to pursue that policy interest at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.

For many in the armed forces, an MBA is the next step on the professional ladder. Though Beeler considered that path, he recognized a Master of Public Policy (MPP) was more aligned with his goals. “I want to make change on a large scale, and while you can do that through business, I don’t think working for one single business is the best way to try to change the world. … Policy seems the best avenue to do that. A single person can rarely go around and change the entire world, but if you can make policy that changes the whole world, you can make change as one person—and that’s my broad goal. I don’t know what sector that’s in, I don’t know what industry that’s in, but I want to work long hours and feel good about it because it’s for a good cause.”

Of course, Beeler knew he would need the technical skills to realize his goal, and Harris has been providing him that.

“At Harris, you gain hard skills—and, more importantly, become comfortable in your ability to apply them.” The Harris curriculum also was a big draw for Beeler.  “Harris had the widest range of specialized study. Plus, if I wanted to take a class at the law school or Booth [School of Business] I could do that—and really make my degree uniquely mine.”

Before fall classes started, Beeler brushed up on his math skills at Jumpstart and Math Camp. There, he also met most of his Harris friends—most notably, he says, people who would go on to be part of his kickball team, Kick Cheney. “The people—both the administration and the students—have made the experience for me. They’re the reason I came here, and the reason I’m glad I’m here. I could tell by my interactions that the Harris community cared about people, about me as a person. The personal touch from Harris was head and shoulders above every other school.”

Currently, Beeler is balancing his time at Harris with a possible future career as a State Representative in his home state of Michigan. Beeler worked out a plan with his academic advisor, Andrew Dawson, that allows him to balance his classwork with running his campaign. Beeler will take a leave of absence in spring 2020, with the possibility of being in office that November. And, given the plan Beeler and Dawson came up with, if not elected this term, Beeler can still graduate on time and with his peers.

“The Student Affairs team has been incredibly supportive of this journey. I said I wanted to do it, and the next day I had a meeting with the Dean of Students. The staff at Harris wasn’t just willing to help me pursue my goal, they were excited to help me. It’s a testament to their commitment to their students. Even though realizing this goal would mean I don’t complete my MPP, they’ve done everything they can to support me.”