Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy 2013 Commencement

This year marks the 100th Anniversary of President Gerald R. Ford's birth. To honor President Ford's legacy, the Charge to the Class will be delivered by Paul H. O'Neill, 72nd U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and deputy director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget under President Ford.

Join the conversation on Twitter: #fordlegacy

From the speaker's bio

Paul H. O'Neill was the 72nd Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, serving from 2001-2002.

Prior to his tenure at the Department of Treasury, O'Neill was chairman and CEO of Alcoa from 1987 to 1999, and retired as chairman at the end of 2000. Prior to joining Alcoa, O'Neill was president of International Paper Company from 1985 to 1987, where he was vice president from 1977 to 1985.

He worked as a computer systems analyst with the U.S. Veterans Administration from 1961 to 1966 and served on the staff of the Budget Bureau from 1967 to 1977. During this period, the Nixon administration reorganized the Budget Bureau into the Office of Management of Budget. President Gerald R. Ford nominated O'Neill to serve as deputy director of OMB from 1974 to 1977.

He received a bachelor's degree in Economics from Fresno State College in
California, and a master's degree in Public Administration from Indiana University.


Graduation Events

Ford School Commencement Rehearsal (required, for all graduates)
Friday, April 26, 2013
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Rackham Graduate School, Rackham Auditorium

Rackham Graduate Exercises
Friday, May 3, 2013
11:00 AM
Hill Auditorium

Ford School Graduation Open House
Friday, May 3, 2013
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Weill Hall

University Commencement
Saturday, May 4, 2013
10:00 AM
Michigan Stadium

Ford School Commencement
Saturday, May 4, 2013
5:00 PM – 6:45 PM
*Doors will open at 4:30 PM. Plenty of seating is available.
Graduating students: please be at Rackham Auditorium by 4:30 PM on May 4. If you are driving to campus please plan to be looking for a parking spot by 4:00 PM. The Fletcher Street, Thayer Street, Church Street, and Palmer Structures are the four closest parking structures.

Eligibility
Ford School students receiving BA, MPP, MPA, or PhD degrees are eligible to participate. In addition, students enrolled in dual degree programs who wish to participate in commencement with their entering class may do so.

NOTE: This is the last year that dual degree students will be able to participate in Commencement based on their incoming class. Beginning next year, the Ford School's ceremony will adopt the same eligibility rules as the University's ceremony: Only students who graduated the previous December, students graduating in April/May, and students who plan to graduate the following August will be eligible to participate in the Ford School's Commencement ceremony.

Ford School Commencement Rehearsal
Commencement rehearsal will be held Friday, April 26th from 11:30am to 1pm in Rackham Auditorium. If you plan to participate in the Commencement ceremony, please plan to attend rehearsal. The class photos will be taken during this time.

Academic Attire
Academic attire is required for the Commencement ceremony. Masters and PhD students are responsible for purchasing a robe, hat, tassel and academic hood. The color of the hood for public policy is teal. Undergraduate students are responsible for purchasing a robe, hat and tassel. These items are available at the Michigan Union Bookstore or Michigan Book and Supply.

The Ford School has some academic attire for loan on a first-come, first-serve basis. You will be required to sign each item out with the understanding that you'll return the borrowed items after commencement. The robes, hats and hoods will be available for pick-up from the Office of Student and Academic Services from Tuesday, April 23 - Friday, April 26 during business hours.

Information for commencement guests

The doors will open at 4:30 PM for the Ford School Commencement Ceremony. Plenty of seating is available.

Accommodations
Accommodations in and around Ann Arbor for commencement weekend require reservations well in advance. For a list of hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts in the Ann Arbor vicinity, please visit: http://annarbor.org/index.php/place_to_stay/.

Parking
Parking is at a premium around campus and especially during commencement weekend. Please allow ample time to find parking.

To attend the Ford School Open House, the Hill Street Parking Structure and the Thompson Street Parking Structure are closest to Weill Hall; both provide handicapped parking. There is also meter parking on State, Oakland, and Monroe streets. To attend the Ford School Commencement the U-M parking structures on Thayer Street, Fletcher Street, Church Street, and the Palmer Commons structure are closest to Rackham Auditorium, and provide handicapped parking. For more information on university parking please visit http://www.pts.umich.edu/.

Paid parking is available in a number of public lots around town as well. The public parking structures closest to Rackham Auditorium are the Maynard Street, and the Liberty Square structures. For a map of Ann Arbor public parking structures please visit http://www.a2dda.org/about-the-dda/dda-projects-impacts/transportation/#walking.

Additional Parking Information for Commencement Guests
U-M Parking Services suspends parking enforcement for commencement ceremonies. Commencement guests may park for free in any unrestricted University parking space (blue, yellow, orange spaces).

Commencement parking schedule:
Apr 27 (Sat) – The gates to the Thayer, Fletcher and Palmer-Blue Area structures will be opened at 9 a.m. for commencement guests. Parking enforcement in these areas will be suspended from 9 a.m. to the end of posted enforcement hours.

Commencement Weekend
May 2 (Thu) – The gates to the Thayer, Fletcher and Palmer-Blue Area structures will be opened at 1 p.m. for commencement guests. Parking enforcement in these structures will be suspended from 1 p.m. to the end of posted enforcement hours.

May 3-5 (Fri-Sun) –The gates to all the structures on Central Campus (Thompson, Hill, Church, Palmer-Blue Area, Fletcher and Thayer) will open at 9 a.m. on Friday and will remain open throughout the weekend. Parking enforcement in these structures will be suspended 9 a.m. Fri-Sun.

In addition all University parking areas/surface lots on Central, North and South Campuses will have suspended parking enforcement Fri-Sun, and commencement guests are welcome to park in any available unrestricted parking space (blue, orange, yellow).

May 10 (Fri) –The gates to the Thayer, Fletcher, and Palmer-Blue Area structures will be opened at 11 a.m.

Important U-M contact information

University Commencement Hotline: 734-647-6037
Campus Information Center: 734-764-4636