Past events

Fordies, we welcome you to join us for a gathering on faith, spirituality, and public policy. Led by our very own Ford School professor Dr. Ann Lin.

Voting rights activist Stacey Abrams will address the challenges to American democracy, her work to guarantee voter access, and other civil rights battles facing the United States in 2024. 

Democracy around the world is both robust -- two billion people will be able to cast a ballot in 2924 -- and fragile, as threats to the voting process, to the structures of democratic society, and to the voters themselves afflict many nations. 

In this session, five successful academicians from a variety of disciplines will discuss their work and perspectives regarding racial justice and public policy.  

Climate change is often described as a wicked problem, one with many interdependent, changing, and thorny factors to solve. For policymakers, this often means balancing complex and sometimes competing preferences from a range of stakeholders, both responding to those voices and communicating about policies in ways that will resonate with a wide range of audiences. 

A wide-ranging discussion with technologist Alondra Nelson, reflecting on her time in the White House, her role as a social scientist involved in shaping science and technology (and particularly AI), her insights into the policy process, and specifically her work on the open access and AI Bill of Rights initiatives. 

This session will examine innovative policies that promote direct cash transfers and tax credits to low-income families, new mothers, and other sectors of society. 

Cecilia Muñoz will reflect on her long career in social activism and policymaking, and on the challenges the U.S. continues to face regarding immigration and refugee affairs, social inclusion, and the role of public interest technology.   

Join us for a fireside chat with Charles Luftig, Deputy Director for National Intelligence Policy and Capabilities, as we commemorate the 20-year anniversary of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA). Moderated by Javed Ali, this conversation will explore current intelligence and envision a future shaped by advances in technology like open source intelligence, social media, artificial intelligence, and language learning models.

Spring Preview is designed to help admitted master's students get to know our faculty, staff, current students—and each other!

Join the Center for Racial Justice for an inspiring night of conversation with our '23-'24 Visiting Fellows. 

Educator staffing shortages have drawn considerable attention from policymakers and the public in recent years. While much attention is directed towards K-12 teachers, there is growing concern about shortages of substitute teachers because of the negative impact on teachers and administrators when schools regularly have insufficient staff to cover teacher absences and vacancies. 

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.

Join the Center for Racial Justice and the Institute for Research on Women & Gender (IRWG) in welcoming Dr. Moya Z. Bailey, Associate Professor at Northwestern University, founder of the Digital Apothecary, and co-founder of the Black Feminist Health Science Studies Collective for a workshop on misogynoir in education.

The Ford School is sponsoring a film at this year's Ann Arbor Film Festival, which runs through March 31.The film, Strange Culture, is showing at the State Theater at 3pm on Sunday, March 31. Tickets available at the Michigan Theater.

Former Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security John Tien discusses how homeland and national security policy gets done and implemented based on his experience across four Administrations: Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Biden.

As the life-threatening impacts of the climate crisis grow more aggressive each year, the Biden-Harris administration is implementing an all-of-government approach at the scale and speed this urgent situation demands. 

Former United Nations Under-Secretary General and the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), will join us to discuss the intricate relationship between health equity and economic resilience in Africa. Dr. Songwe's insights will highlight Africa's role in global power dynamics and strategies for asserting its agency amid evolving economic landscapes.

Although the China Initiative has officially ended in 2022, the hostile climate has not dissipated and scientists of Chinese backgrounds still feel the pressure especially as a proposed House spending bill wants to bring the initiative back. Put in place in 2018 under the Trump administration the China Initiative led to the arrest, intimidation, and forced resignation of faculty on American University campuses. This panel discussion brings together a group of experts who will discuss their personal experiences, the legal dimensions, the costs of the initiative in the realm of scientific and technological advancements, the effects on prospective and current students, and diversity of campus.  

Join Dr. Estelle E. Archibold, the Leadership Initiative and the Center for Racial Justice for this virtual session about restorative justice and its policy implications.

Each spring, Ford School faculty and staff nominate dozens of outstanding student research and service projects for recognition at the Gramlich Showcase of Student Work. Established in 2008 to honor internationally renowned economist and former Ford School dean, Ned Gramlich, this event features exceptional student work on a broad range of local, national, and international policy challenges.

Federal Reserve Bank Vice Chair for Supervision Michael S. Barr, former dean of the Ford School, will discuss the workings of the Fed, his work on banking reform, and the lessons of leadership he has learned in his career in and out of government service. 

Join the Center for Racial Justice in welcoming Dr. Clarence Wardell III, Senior Program Officer on the Economic Mobility and Opportunity team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, for a virtual workshop on the importance of service design in ensuring equitable access to key government programs. 

This policy briefing is the culmination of a project carried out by five Masters of Public Policy students who worked with the American Friends Service Committee’s Michigan Criminal Justice Program in the Strategic Public Policy Consulting course at the Ford School of Public Policy. The students gathered current data on the MDOC prisoner population and modeled the potential cost savings that could be realized under the proposed Second Look legislation in Michigan. 

Thank an alum! Get a free t-shirt! 

This discussion, hosted by the Ford School Student Affairs Committee (SAC) will focus on how to create more inclusive communities and the politics around identity. 

The Center for Racial Justice and Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) are excited to host Alejandro Mayoral Baños for his talk Beyond the Digital Divide: Unpacking the Complexities of Development and Data Colonialism. Alejandro will be exploring the intricate and multifaceted realm of Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D), and assessing its promising advantages and its significant downfalls.

On Wednesday, March 13, celebrate Giving Blueday's 10th anniversary! From midnight through 11:59 p.m. EST, Fordies around the globe will have the opportunity to support what we love about the Ford School and University of Michigan! 

Join us for Black Maternal Rights: Voices & Visions, a compelling panel event focusing on the multifaceted issue of Black maternal reproductive rights.