Ford School Public Events

Free and open to the public.
Reception to follow.

About the speaker
Congressman Eric Cantor is the Majority Leader for the 112th Congress and has represented Virginia's 7th district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2001. Cantor is chair of the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare and previously served as Minority Whip and on the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Join former Ford School dean and current Acting Deputy Secretary of the Department of Commerce Rebecca Blank for her personal reflections on management at senior levels of government and on the relevance of public policy education for leadership in the public sector.

The University of Michigan International Institute will hold a round table discussion to analyze the underlying tensions in the Middle East that have led to widespread unrest and political instability. The round table will feature six leading U-M scholars in a candid, informal discussion about how protests in Egypt, Tunisia, and other countries have led to a shakeup of the existing governments.

Nanotechnology has been touted variously as the next industrial revolution and the next asbestos. But where does the hype end and reality begin? And what does this mean for public health? Three leading experts discuss the health risks and opportunities of engineering matter at the nanometer scale.

For the past thirty years, significant policy attention has been given to improving the transfer of technology from universities to private industry in an effort to improve U.S. global competitiveness. These policies have changed the academic model from one of passive knowledge production into one of aggressive participation in the innovation ecosystem. The University of Michigan's new venture accelerator, the North Campus Research Complex, is one example of this trend. However, we must continue to scrutinize the effects of this new alignment of university and industrial interests on public interest research-or non-commercializable research done solely to benefit the public. Is public interest research waning? Can we bolster public interest research in academia by improving the transfer of non-commercial knowledge to nonprofit or public organizations? This paper discusses the history of university-industry interaction, explores several models of successful non-commercial technology transfer mechanisms, and suggests an expanded purview for the North Campus Research Complex.

This panel discussion focuses on how politics, conflict and oil affect U.S. interests and policies in the greater Middle East region. Current developments in Iraq, Iran and in the Israel-Palestinian peace process will be examined by present and former policy-level officials who have studied and dealt with these issues in both the U.S. Government and in academia.

Leadership has changed in Michigan and many other jurisdictions in the Great Lakes Basin. One immediate challenge for incoming governors and premiers will be deciding how to proceed with existing state, provincial and regional commitments in climate and energy policy. This panel will review current policy commitments and provide an overview of public opinion on climate change and public policy options. This analysis will consider survey samples from national audiences in the United States and Canada as well as more localized audiences in Michigan and Ontario.

Free and open to the public.

Ann Wright, retired U.S. Army Colonel and former U.S. Deputy Ambassador presents an examination of U.S. foreign policies in the Middle East from her point of view as a former military officer and government official, and peace activist. Further, drawing upon her recent travels, she will share her direct observations and personal experiences.