Mission & values | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Mission & values

Our mission

The Ford School at the University of Michigan is a community dedicated to the public good. We inspire and prepare diverse leaders grounded in service, conduct transformational research, and collaborate on evidence-based policymaking to take on our communities' and our world's most pressing challenges.

Our values

We value community, integrity, respect, service, inclusion, diversity, and equity. We aspire for our work to be excellent, relevant, rigorous, collaborative, engaged, and impactful.
 

The global economy requires unprecedented grasp of diverse viewpoints and cultural traditions."

Gerald R. Ford, 38th President of the United States

Our mission in action

Our commitment requires us to think critically and analytically about how public policies may affect groups differently—including how these effects might vary depending on history, experience, circumstances, and culture. Through interdisciplinary curricula and evidence-based policy solutions, we prepare future leaders to address global challenges and local issues, such as climate change, health equity, and economic development. 

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Our Climate

Building a community of empathy and respect

We commit to fostering an environment where empathy and respect are at the core, and varying perspectives are valued. By encouraging dialogue, we create space for community members to thrive. In our classrooms we promote open discussions that welcome different viewpoints, cultivating understanding and collaboration. Beyond academics, we create opportunities for connection and growth, ensuring everyone feels empowered and valued.
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Our research and impact

Advancing our research and policy engagement

Our faculty and students tackle complex societal challenges through multidisciplinary research on topics such as early childhood education, technological innovation, economic inequality, environmental sustainability, and much more. Engaging with policymakers, communities, and stakeholders, we work to confront systemic inequality through evidence-based policy solutions. Through storytelling, collaboration, and outreach, our research informs policy and inspires change at local, national, and global levels.
Smiling Ford School students at our annual Fall Launch event
Our Community

Celebrating who we are

Our mission focuses on welcoming individuals from a broad spectrum of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. We embrace diversity in socioeconomic backgrounds, geographical areas, and academic disciplines. By fostering this wide-ranging representation, we enrich our community and empower a voice that authentically reflects the complexity of our society. The best policy solutions are made possible when everyone has a seat at the table.
Brian Jacob
Our Curriculum

Enriching how and what we teach

Our curriculum reflects the complexities of the world by integrating perspectives across disciplines. We focus on policy analysis, oral and written communication, and leadership development. We prepare students to tackle complex challenges creatively and insightfully by promoting critical thinking and interdisciplinary approaches.
Conversations across differences

Ford School students practice active listening, constructive dialogue

How do future policy leaders learn to listen thoughtfully, process carefully, and respond empathetically?

For several years, the Ford School has hosted public events featuring speakers from diverse and sometimes opposing perspectives. Our new series, "Conversations Across Differences," continues this tradition by demonstrating how to engage productively in dialogue across significant political and policy divides.
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News and highlights

Explore the impactful research, student engagement, and leading projects at the Ford School. 

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News

Ford School joins Volcker Alliance to aid veterans in pursuing public service careers

The Ford School has been chosen as one of 12 distinguished public policy schools to participate in “Service to Service,” a national initiative that connects veterans and military families with education opportunities in public service.
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Children and Health pexels
Publication

Child cash benefits improve child health and development internationally

Looking at programs from more than 140 countries, a University of Michigan-led study concludes that large-scale, government-funded child cash transfer programs improve child health outcomes.
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Mara Ostfeld speaking at a Poverty Solutions event.
Publication

Talk to him: How a conversation can shape public support for women’s rights

A single conversation with a close family member may not change a young woman’s views on policies protecting their rights, but it can strongly influence young men’s attitudes.
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Photo of Luke Shaefer in the Ford School's Towsley Reading Room
Policy Impact

Shaefer's Rx Kids program set to expand to the Upper Penninsula

Rx Kids, the nation’s first-ever citywide cash prescription program for pregnant women and babies, today announced the program’s launch into communities in the Eastern Upper Peninsula (UP). The UP expansion of Rx Kids is made possible by an innovative public-private partnership that has drawn support from bipartisan leaders in the Michigan state legislature and public health and philanthropic experts.
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Sarah Cohodes portrait
Policy Impact

Sarah Cohodes testifies before New Jersey Senate

On December 16, 2024, Ford School Associate Professor Sarah Cohodes testified before the New Jersey Senate Higher Education Committee. She was called on to speak at a public hearing to assist lawmakers in evaluating the status of charter schools within the state of New Jersey, specifically the impact of the Charter School Program Act of 1995 on New Jersey’s students.
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Seefeldt and Emily Shupp Parker tabling outside for GIG A2
Policy Impact

Piloting guaranteed income in U-M’s backyard

Now dubbed Guaranteed Income to Grow Ann Arbor (GIG A2), the pilot will provide monthly payments of $528 for two years to 100 people. GIG A2 takes a novel approach to no-strings attached cash assistance that focuses on entrepreneurs, self-employed people, and gig workers with low incomes, and the study will assess how the cash affects people’s well-being and economic stability.
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Group photo of the ppia jsi cohort at Weill Hall
Student engagement

PPIA JSI 2024: Students, faculty, and staff in their own words

Hailing from 20 distinct colleges and universities, the rising seniors started the summer with a wide range of experiences and backgrounds in public policy. Over seven weeks, they formed a small but strong community that challenges and supports one another. For many of them, it is a life-affirming and life-changing experience.
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News

Musician Etienne Charles discusses culture and combatting climate change

Jazz musician Etienne Charles is combining his musicianship and passion about climate change and its impacts on vulnerable communities worldwide. Charles came to the Ford School January 17, 2025 and spoke with the Catherine Hausman, about the ways that music can connect communities and promote advocacy for climate consciousness, as the school's 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Day speaker.
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Students in Walter and Leonore Annenberg Auditorium participating in IPE 2025
Student engagement

Students simulate creating new affordable housing in 2025 integrated policy exercise

According to a recent report by the Detroit Justice Center, the city needs roughly 46,000 more affordable housing units to meet current demand. Against this backdrop, the 2025 Integrated Policy Exercise (IPE) at the Ford School of Public Policy, offered graduate students the opportunity to grapple with the difficult and complex challenges of local housing policy.
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Resources and support

Access a comprehensive range of tools, programs, and support services that foster connection and cultivate a welcoming, inclusive environment at the Ford School.