Student Services Office

Current Students

The Ford School Student Services staff is committed to providing our students with the support they need to be successful in their studies. The University of Michigan is a large, complex organization. We seek to assist our students in navigating the inevitable and necessary administrative processes as painlessly as possible.. Our staff is equipped to assist current students with issues such as registration, class selection, academic requirements, academic dispute resolution, fellowships and financial aid, and graduation.

The mission of our office centers around four guiding principles:

Assessment/evaluation • Clarity regarding our policies and procedures • Providing a support structure for our faculty • Pursuing a strategic approach to recruitment, admissions and fellowships


We aim to:

  • Gather and analyze information to help us base our decisions on input from students, faculty and staff
  • Streamline the student experience within the University, particularly regarding medical emergencies, withdrawal, discipline, and other major events in a student's career
  • Work with the faculty to ensure that students receive consistent and helpful information, and to create an overall feeling of cohesiveness within the Ford School community
  • Be a resource and advocate for student organizations, assisting them in working with the University to enhance their overall experience

Contact Information and Bios


Melissa Kemp-Downes (Jones)
PhD Program and Fellowship Coordinator
Weill Hall
735 S. State, #2252
Ann Arbor MI 48109-3091
mimjones@umich.edu
734 764-7508

Mim provides direct administrative support for the Joint PhD Programs and to the PhD program faculty director. She advises current PhD students on understanding and meeting program requirements, as well as administers the Ford School fellowship program. She actively seeks to make students aware of potential sources of funding opportunities and monitors budget categories.

Mim hails from her native Perth, in Western Australia, and received her undergraduate degree in Public Health & Nutrition. She went on to complete a graduate degree in Secondary Education and a Master’s in Education, specializing in behavior amongst disengaged youth. When Mim is not in Student & Academic Services, she is a co-director for the Excellence in Higher Education for Liberian Development (EHELD) program. A joint effort between USAID, RTI and Universities from the US and Liberia, they aim to recruit and retain Liberian high school and university students in STEM disciplines. She is also an active member of Sustainability without Borders (SWB), an organization in Michigan and Liberia, which creates networks of sustainability practitioners by engaging communities in hands-on development projects, such as solar-charging stations and anaerobic digesters.


Amy J. Thudium
Ford School Registrar
Weill Hall
735 S. State St. #2244
Ann Arbor MI 48109-3091
athudium@umich.edu
(734) 615-2026

In her role as School Registrar, Amy is responsible for coordinating the Ford School class schedule each semester and helping students navigate the registration process from enrollment to the posting of grades and graduation. Additionally, she maintains student records, coordinates the GSI application and evaluation processes, and plans Fall and Winter Coursemart programs.

Amy holds a MA in Higher Education from the University of Michigan and a BA in English and Classical Languages from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. Before joining the Ford School staff, she interned with UM Housing, worked in student affairs at Albion College and Interlochen Center for the Arts, and led outdoor education programs in Washington and Oregon.


Amy Flanagan
BA Program Coordinator
Weill Hall
735 S. State St. #2234
Ann Arbor MI 48109-3091
aflan@umich.edu
734 764-9586

In her role as the B.A. Program Coordinator, Amy provides direct administrative support for the BA program and to the BA program faculty director. She advises current BA students on understanding and meeting program requirements. She also assists students with fellowship, scholarship and internship opportunities. Amy advises perspective BA students and represents the Ford School at campus undergraduate events. She works close with the Ford School undergraduate student organization groups.

Amy holds a BA from the University of Michigan in Communications. Before joining the Ford School staff, she worked in the University of Michigan Health System Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Dept. and Student Services at the UofM Law School.


Beth Soboleski
Interim Director, Student & Academic Services
Weill Hall
735 S. State St. #2246
Ann Arbor MI 48109-3091
bsobo@umich.edu
(734) 615-9877

In my role as the Associate Director of Student & Academic Services, I am responsible for the oversight of all Ford School recruiting and admissions processes and events. I also represent the Ford School at graduate fairs and other student recruiting events and serve as the Ford School admissions representative in professional organizations such as APSIA, APPAM and NASPAA. As part of our recruitment strategy, I develop and maintain our partnership programs with organizations such as Teach for America, Americorps, and the Peace Corps. I also supervise the admissions office staff.

I have been at the Ford School since January of 2002 (and am also an alum of the MPP program). I live in Berkley with my husband, Tom, and my two teenage children, Andy & Allison.