A Message from Sean Berkowitz
Many people ask me where I received the accounting training and experience necessary to prosecute cases arising from the fall of Enron. The reality is that while I went to Tulane with the intention of enrolling in the undergraduate business school, I ultimately ended up majoring in Political Economy because the combination of political science, economics, philosophy and history was more consistent with my true interests and passions. The excitement and energy that the Murphy Institute faculty brought to their courses in the political economy program also helped make the decision an easy one.
While not intentional, the interdisciplinary curriculum in Political Economy turned out to be the best training and experience I could have had for understanding complicated issues and handling difficult cases. The exchange of ideas, critical analysis, and creative way of approaching problems, along with the written and oral skills I developed and honed while at Tulane, are the tools I continue to use today in tackling complex matters and cases. To put it another way, having studied, debated and struggled with the works of Adam Smith, John Rawls, Immanuel Kant and John Maynard Keynes, understanding what happened at Enron seemed easy by comparison.
Sean Berkowitz
Murphy Institute, ’89