Advancing the public good | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

To advance the public good

Help us build a more just and peaceful world.
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“The public good” is core to our school’s mission statement; it’s been core to who we are since our founding in 1914.

Riecker Fellows Gerardo Mendez Gutierrez, Joseph Mancina, and former fellows James Hiebert and Chelsea Davis in Washington, DC
Former Riecker fellows James Hiebert and Chelsea Davis with current fellows Joseph Mancina and Gerardo Mendez Gutierrez in Washington, DC

Public policy matters. And now, at a time of growing threats to our democratic institutions and growing fractures in our society, the Ford School leans into the legacy of our namesake president: integrity, service, and a commitment to working across differences to find solutions.

In a loud and polarized world, our educational mission is to prepare leaders and citizens in the mold of Gerald Ford, able to find common ground and help move our communities forward on the basis of our common concern. Our students learn to listen and lead across differences, to understand and engage with democratic institutions, and to protect and advance resilient democracies in the U.S. and around the world.

Latesha Love in a meeting
Latesha Love-Grayer (MPP '02), Acting Director, International Affairs and Trade at the Government Accountability Office

Our faculty advance the public good with data-driven, pragmatic policy research on issues that require multiple lenses and perspectives–such as combating misinformation, tackling climate change, educating the next generation, harnessing technology for good, and reversing racism and other structural inequalities that keep American democracy from fulfilling its tremendous promise.

 

 

 

 

We look to you ... 
to help us build a more just and peaceful world.

 

In a truly democratic society, policymaking is an exercise in finding common ground."
Jenna Bednar

Jenna Bednar

Professor of Political Science and Public Policy; Faculty Director of UMICH Votes; Co-chair of the Year
of Democracy and Civic Engagement
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Anne Coglianese presenting to stakeholders
Anne Coglianese (MPA '21), chief resilience officer, City of Jacksonville

Local resilience strategy

In October 2023, Coglianese created Jacksonville’s first-ever resilience strategy—a roadmap (with 45 actions and 90 subactions) to help the city adapt to a changing climate. Developed under a Republican mayor and launched under a Democratic mayor, Coglianese kept the plan on track, and credits both mayors for their willingness to let data and science drive equitable decision making.
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Former U.S. Representatives Andy Levin (D-MI) and Peter Meijer (R-MI), with Ambassador Susan Page ▼
Former U.S. Representatives Peter Meijer (R-MI) and Andy Levin (D-MI)

Conversations Across Differences

We host “Conversations Across Differences,” a series of public events that model how to talk and listen across sometimes painful differences in perspectives and backgrounds. The initiative is expanding into the curriculum as well, reinforcing critical democratic norms around mutual tolerance and the value of engaging in civic life.
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Lishaun Francis (MPP '09) talking
Lishaun Francis (MPP '09)

Framing the issues

Youth policy advocate Lishaun Francis spends her days testifying in front of the California state legislature, communicating with the press, and meeting with state administrators to help policymakers understand and care about issues that may not affect them directly. She credits the Ford School with equipping her with these skills.
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To advance the public good

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A person takes a photo with a smartphone of another person standing and smiling under a framed portrait of Gerald R. Ford in a wood-paneled room.

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Hero image credit: Stephanie Rowden, 2024. | Student voters wait in line to register and/or vote during Michigan’s new nine days of Early Voting at the University of Michigan’s Central Campus Voting Hub, designed by the Creative Campus Voting Project (CCVP) at the University of Michigan Museum of Art.

"Seeking a resilient democracy" image credit: Matthew Stephens (Michigan Photography), 2024 | A colorful “Vote 2024” mural composed of nearly 2,000 buttons welcomes students to the U-M Central Campus Voting Hub (designed by the Creative Campus Voting Project at the University of Michigan Museum of Art), and creates a celebratory backdrop.

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