Updates from the Alumni Board chair

Spring 2026

Hello Fordie alums!

In April , the Alumni Board met both in-person in Weill Hall and on the Zoom screens for our Spring board meeting. As always the meeting coincided with Spring Preview, and it was energizing, exciting and a bit nostalgic to be back in the building as a new cohort of Fordies started (or, at least contemplated starting) their academic journeys in Ann Arbor.

After a welcome, introductions, and ice breaker, we moved into a series of discussions with Ford School staff and faculty. Highlights included:

Development Update

The Development team shared fundraising and campaign updates with us, and we had a robust conversation about Giving Tuesday and how we can encourage alumni to make donations to the Ford School more broadly. Keep an eye out for some exciting new additions to next year's Giving Blue Day! And, if you're feeling inspired to make a gift now, visit https://fordschool.umich.edu/giving.

Dean's Update

A perpetual highlight of the Board Meeting is hearing from Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes. Our conversation with the Dean started with a transparent discussion of the challenges facing not just the Ford School, but U-M as a whole and the higher education ecosystem at large, given some of the events happening around the country and globe. Despite those challenges , Ford School consistently places highly in the U.S. News and World Report rankings (#5 Public Affairs program overall and #1 in Public Policy Analysis; Read more:https://fordschool.umich.edu/ranking-awards) and our faculty continues to win awards and accolades. We discussed critical growth of the BA program and the new online MPA program, and talked about the role of AI at the Ford School..

Curriculum Update

After lunch, we had two incredibly engaging conversations! Stephanie Leiser, Director, Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) and Lecturer IV in Public Policy,

joined us to talk about her experience teaching and leading the new online MPA program. Following Stephanie, Jonathan Hanson, MPP/MPA Program Director and Lecturer in Public Policy and Joy Rohde, BA Program Director and Associate Professor of Public Policy,

shared insights around both the BA and MPP curricula. Taken together, this portion of the meeting gave us a clear view into what's being taught at Ford, why and how those courses are selected, and how the school is addressing the changing needs of the field in responsive ways.

Admissions Update

Our last formal update of the day was from Dustin Castro, Associate Director of Recruiting and Admissions, regarding the status of applications, student profiles, and recruitment strategies. Although it was disheartening to hear that we are seeing a meaningful decrease in international student applications because of the current climate, it's worth noting that the school's yield is staying steady and we are consistently going to recruitment events and meeting with potential students around the world.

Alumni Lightning Talks

For many of us, the Alumni Lightning Talks are a highlight of being on campus during Spring Preview. Members of the board were divided up according to professional focus areas, and we had the opportunity to connect with prospective students and share more about the role the Ford School has played in our lives. As always, the students and families we met asked thoughtful questions and really seemed to understand what makes Ford a special space (something we all obviously know well!).

On a personal note, this was also the meeting where we celebrated and thanked Cortney Sanders for her leadership as Board Chair. I am incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to serve alongside Cortney as her Vice-Chair, and I'm thankful for, and will miss, her candor, transparency and professionalism. She will leave a lasting impression on the Alumni Board and we deeply appreciate her service.

Until next time, and Go Blue!

Eliza Erickson, MPP 2010 
Chair, Ford School Alumni Board