For Conner Alexander McGuire ’25 MBA/EMPA (WSM/MAX), the Defense Comptrollership Program (DCP) offered more than two degrees. It offered a pause, and a rare opportunity to reflect, reset and grow.  

McGuire, an active-duty U.S. Army financial manager, enrolled in the 14-month program to earn an MBA from the Whitman School of Management and an Executive Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. 

“Coming from the operational tempo of the Army, this program felt like a much-needed pause,” he says. “It gave me the space to focus on learning without the constant demands of my day job.”  

McGuire’s path through the program was marked by both academic excellence and deep self-awareness. He was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, an international business honor society, and received the Lt. Col. Thomas P. Belkofer Award, presented to the DCP student with the highest GPA in the cohort.  

“Both honors were meaningful to me, especially given the intensity of the program and the caliber of my peers,” he says.  

Another highlight was taking the lead on the Whitman Capstone project, where McGuire helped develop a business plan for a board game subscription service. The project blended financial modeling, market research and strategic planning into a single challenge.  

“It brought together everything we had learned in a hands-on, creative way,” he says of the required culminating group project that showcases all the knowledge learned through the Whitman experience. 

McGuire also drew from his Army experience in a policy analysis project at Maxwell, where he studied the impact of continuing resolutions on U.S. defense operations. The topic directly connected to his work as a military budget officer.  

“It pushed me to think critically about how policy and uncertainty affect our ability to plan and execute missions,” he says.  

But it was the Whitman faculty who left the most lasting impression. McGuire says Professor of Practice Kivanc Avrenli made data analysis accessible while building strong personal connections, even memorizing every student’s middle name. He also credits Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management Zhengping Wu for making one of the most challenging courses, Supply Chain Management, clear and approachable through a teaching style that resonated with the entire class.  

“Their passion and expertise elevated every assignment,” he says of both professors. “They made the experience more meaningful than I expected going in.”  

Outside the classroom, McGuire and his wife embraced life in Syracuse. Living downtown, they explored local events, joined volunteer efforts and built routines with classmates. He played weekly rounds of golf, participated in trivia nights and dropped his handicap from a 17 to a 9 during the year.  

“Those activities gave me space to reset and made the experience feel more like home,” he says.  That sense of community extended into the classroom, too. For McGuire, the DCP cohort became a temporary family.  

“There were classmates I played golf with, others I volunteered alongside, and plenty I worked with on group projects,” he says. “Like any close-knit group, there were people I would gladly work with again and others I probably wouldn’t. But good or bad, we were in it together, and that made the experience special.”  

Now graduated, McGuire is headed back to active duty in Homestead, Florida, where he will serve as a budget analyst for Special Operations Command South. The new role marks a return to operational work and a chance to apply what he learned in the classroom to real-world challenges.  

Reflecting on the past year, McGuire says the program gave him exactly what he hoped for.  

“DCP was an incredible opportunity, both professionally and personally,” he says. “It challenged me, sharpened my perspective and gave me the momentum I needed for the next chapter.”  

By Bo BenYehuda