The Ford School is pleased to announce an exciting lineup for our January 2025 Policy Talks @ the Ford School series and other special public events hosted with partners from across campus.Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise...
The Ford School will welcome former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson to Weill Hall for an event on Monday, Jan. 16, to mark Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Now in private law practice in DC, Johnson served as Homeland...
In the aftermath of the first election that used newly-drawn districts in Michigan, created by an independent citizen’s commission, the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy and the Program in Practical Policy Engagement hosted a Policy Talk to...
Eight years ago, the Flint water crisis captured national attention when the city’s tap water was shown to be contaminated with lead. Since then, researchers have been rigorously studying this crisis and measuring the effects of this lead exposure...
Ford School Dean Michael S. Barr and Professor Morela Hernandez, faculty director of the Leadership Initiative, reflected on the attributes and importance of good leadership as an essential asset for public policy practitioners during a summer...
The Ford School is pleased to announce an exciting lineup of winter ‘21 semester virtual events. We will be hosting distinguished faculty members, policymakers, and writers for events on topics ranging from energy policy and leadership, to racial...
Throughout his career in academia and in government, Ford School Dean Michael S. Barr has sought ways to help low-income people get better access to the financial system, and to change the financial system to work better for low-income...
Dan Honig discusses his book, Mission Driven Bureaucrats: "Imagine a world where government workers are not just faceless cogs in a vast bureaucratic machine but passionate individuals dedicated to making a real difference."
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will join the Ford School community for a conversation on the Biden-Harris Administration’s record in transportation and infrastructure.
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Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
Conversations Across Differences
Joan and Sanford Weill Hall
Annenberg Auditorium (1120)
In the year since the Hamas attack on Israel, the deadly conflict has widened into crises beyond Gaza -- in the West Bank, Lebanon, and Yemen. Two experts with long experience in Middle East policymaking return to the Ford School for a substantive policy conversation about the conflict and the broader implications for the region, and the ways in which U.S. policy and policymakers are acting and reacting to the crises. This event is open to Ford School students, faculty, and staff, and will be streamed live and on-demand.
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Vandenberg Lecture,
Policy Talks @ the Ford School
The Ford School is pleased to present U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink for the 6th annual Arthur Vandenberg Lecture. Ambassador Brink will give brief remarks on the situation in Ukraine as it enters its third year of war with Russia, followed by a conversation with Weiser Diplomacy Center Director Susan D. Page.
Watch live from this page
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
Conversations Across Differences
Joan and Sanford Weill Hall
Annenberg Auditorium (1120)
Two experts with long experience in Middle East policymaking discuss the violence in Palestine and Israel and its broader implications. This event is open to Ford School students, faculty, and staff, and will be streamed live and on-demand.
Watch live from this page
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Lecture Series
Join the Ford School for a conversation with Michigan Supreme Court Justice, Kyra Harris Bolden, the first Black woman to serve on the state’s highest court. Laurel Beatty Blunt - a Towsley Policymaker in Residence at the Ford School and a judge in Ohio's Tenth District Court of Appeals - will lead the conversation with Justice Bolden on her journey to the Michigan Supreme Court, and the intersection of race and the law in the past and present.
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Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling Health Policy Fund
Pregnancy Justice president Lourdes Rivera delivers the 2023 Omenn-Darling Health Policy keynote address alongside Professor Paula Lantz on the landscape of reproductive rights in the U.S., both legally and through a racial and social justice lens.
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
Conversations Across Differences
Join the Ford School for a Conversations Across Difference event with U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and former U.S. Representative Fred Upton (R-MI) for a conversation on the State of the Union and the Congress, civil discourse, and democratic resillience.
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
STPP Lecture Series
Join for a conversation with former New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio. In conversation with STPP Director Professor Shobita Parthasarathy, the discussion will explore how urban tech is shaping social policy in “smart cities” like New York and beyond. How can we ensure that emerging technology serves the public interest, and what role can local, state, national, and even international policy play?
Join for a conversation with the co-authors of The Injustice of Place alongside Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan COO Nicole Sherard-Freeman. Released in August 2023, The Injustice of Place sheds light on America’s most disadvantaged communities, tracing the legacies of our nation’s places of deepest need—including inequalities shaping people’s health, livelihoods, and upward social mobility for families.
Join us for an exciting event featuring U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo to reflect on economic growth, innovation, and American competitiveness.
Professor of economics at U.C. Berkeley and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy Brad DeLong will be joined by Ford School economicsts Josh Hausman, Betsey Stevenson, and Justin Wolfers for a conversation on recent U.S. macro policy from inflation to the labor market.
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
Vandenberg Lecture
The Ford School is pleased to present Ambassador Julianne Smith, U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO, for the 5th annnual Arthur Vandenberg Lecture: "NATO today: Confronting the crisis in Ukraine and adapting to meet global challenges"
Join Dr. Abdul El-Sayed - physician, epidemiologist, and newly appointed Director of the Wayne County Health, Human & Veterans Services Department, and a Ford School Towsley Policymaker in Residence - for a conversation with policymakers at the intersection of social justice and environmental concerns. Dr. El-Sayed will be joined by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and Michigan Senator Stephanie Chang (MPP/MSW '14) to reflect on their work to address environmental injustice in Michigan and beyond, and the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
University of Michigan Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium
Michigan's new approach to redistricting by an independent citizens commission has now come full circle, from signature gathering for the statewide ballot initiative in 2018, to strong statewide support in that fall's election, creation of the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, their work drawing new districts with extraordinary input from Michigan citizens, and now the new districts being used for the first time in the 2022 elections. Join us for a final webinar in our redistricting series, to look back at this consequential change in state policy and to review how this new approach played out this fall, including its impacts on races and election outcomes, and how it compares to experiences in other states.
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
EPI Speaker Series,
Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling Health Policy Fund
Join Professor Brian Jacob for a conversation on the academic impacts of the Flint Water Crisis 7-8 years later, and the big picture implications for young people in the community, featuring Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha - recognized as one of USA Today’s Women of the Century for her role in uncovering the Flint water crisis and leading recovery effort - alongside Dr. Sam Trejo, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Princeton University, and Flint Community Schools Superintendent Kevelin Jones.
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Lecture Series
Ford School Towsley Policymaker in Residence Dr. Abdul El-Sayed discusses reproductive and birth justice with Co-founder of Birth Detroit and Birth Center Equity, and former Deputy Director of the Detroit Health Department, Leseliey Welch.
Author, Senate commentator, and former Hill staffer Ira Shapiro joins congressional ethics and accountability reporter for CQ Roll Call, Chris Marquette, for a discussion on Shapiro's new book, The Betrayal: How Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans Abandoned America, our current political climate, and the state of democracy in these fractious times.
Celeste Watkins-Hayes and Paula Lantz discuss the devastating structural inequities exposed by the COVID pandemic—and why all policymakers must now be equipped with a toolkit for navigating pandemics.
