Course Description
The Ford School of Public Policy’s Strategic Public Policy Consulting (SPPC) is a
semester-long, four-credit course offered to students in the Ford School and other UM
professional degree programs. The course provides an opportunity for students to conduct a
supervised consulting project. We expect the clients for the course to be a mix of local
governments and nonprofit organizations based in Michigan and the Chicagoland area.
Teams of 3-5 students will work with a client representative to develop a project work plan,
collect relevant materials and information, and conduct research and analysis. All projects
culminate in the production of a final report and an oral presentation to the client. In return,
clients are asked to help provide students with a valuable, engaging educational and
professional experience. Projects may range widely in policy area, methodology, size, and
complexity.
Learning objectives include:
● Gaining hands-on experience by applying policy tools to help an external partner
● Developing leadership skills and meaningful community engagement experiences
● Learning how to organize, plan, and carry-out a long-term group project
● Enhancing writing and oral presentation skills via a final presentation and paper
The lecture portion of class meets on Thursdays from 2-5:20 pm and will be dedicated to a mix
of (a) skills-building workshops, (b) thematic panel discussions featuring local government
officials, leaders of nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, and professional consultants, and
(c) meetings between the instructors and each of the teams.
The discussion section meets on Fridays from 9-9:50 am and will be used for (a) debriefing on
workshops and/or panel discussions from lectures, (b) classwide discussion of issues that
teams are confronting in their projects, (c) meetings with project team-leads, and (d) team
meetings with clients.
There will also be a class trip to Chicago (tentatively scheduled for September 11-12) to meet
with government officials, community leaders, and project clients, and take a guided tour of
Chicago. Students will receive stipends to cover their travel and lodging expenses.
