Fall 2020 State & Hill | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Movements and Moments

State & Hill magazine, fall 2020
View/download PDF

Sometimes you have to not just dream about what could be—you get out and push and you pull and you preach. And you create a climate and environment to get those in high places, to get men and women of goodwill in power to act.

Former U.S. Representative John Lewis
Michael Barr and a scaled replica statue of Gerald R. Ford, both masked amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Message from the dean

“We’ve experienced hope that what we’ve seen aren’t just hard moments, that they’re also leading to positive movements in progress—people coming together with a sustained, shared commitment to building change, to insisting on meaningful change.”
Read more from Dean Michael S. Barr
4up photo of Menna Demessie, Peter Martel, Barry Rabe, and Porter McConnell
Video feature

Currents: Action on urgent issues

Perspectives from alumni, faculty, and students as they take on Wall Street and engage in BLM political action, global climate action, and the recent U-M graduate student employee strike.
Read more
A drop creates a ripple

Preparing leaders for the public good

The school’s growing Leadership Initiative prepares students to lead organizations, lead others, and lead themselves.
Read more
tv

Leading through crisis

Leaders have been put to the test in 2020. Dean Michael Barr and others reflect on public leadership and what we’ve drawn from the COVID crisis.
Read more

The November 2020 elections marked a historic moment for our country. Members of our community learned about and supported our democracy in many ways. 

Equal opportunity, equal talent

With a generous gift from the Kohn Charitable Trust, two new professorships will address structural inequality and social policy.
Read more
Arlene Susan Kohn and Karl and Martha Kohn

Departments

Catch up on recent news about Ford School faculty and former classmates, get The Last Word from Associate Dean Paula Lantz, and more.

Top photo: Zuri Jensen, 7, atop her father’s pickup during the protest at the corner of 72nd and Dodge Streets in Omaha, Nebraska, June 2020. Photo by Dalton Carper.