Long-time Ford School faculty member Ned Gramlich died September 5, 2007 after a long battle with leukemia.
Ned joined the faculty of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan in 1976. He taught macroeconomic policy and benefit-cost analysis to several generations of Ford School students. Ned's former students remember his warmth, openness, and the genuine interest he took in their work, both in the classroom and after they left the school.
An excellent administrator, Ned twice served as director of the Ford School's predecessor, the Institute of Public Policy Studies, and he was the school's first 'dean,' having led the transition to the School of Public Policy in 1995.
Generations of Ford School students benefitted from Ned's extensive policy and governmental experience and connections. From 1997 to 2005, Ned served as a Governor of the Federal Reserve Board. From 1994-1996 he chaired the Quadrennial Advisory Council on Social Security. He was both deputy director and acting director of the Congressional Budget Office between 1986 and 1987. Other policy stints included the Office of Economic Opportunity, the Brookings Institution, and as staff director for the 1992 Economic Study Committee on Major League Baseball.
Ned has published books and articles on a wide array of topics, including macroeconomics, budget policy, income redistribution, fiscal federalism, Social Security, and the economics of baseball. Just this past August, the Urban Institute published Ned's last book, "Subprime Mortgages: America's Latest Boom and Bust."
Two years ago, when Ned left his post as Governor of the Federal Reserve Board, the Ford School hoped that we would have him back as a teacher and colleague, but the University of Michigan stepped in and appointed him Interim Provost—a loss for the school but a wonderful example of how highly valued he was around the U-M.
Ned's colleagues and former students remember his deft consensus-building, his humor, his open style of leadership, and his lack of ego. In 1997, the Gramlich Fund was established at the Ford School as a tribute to Ned. The fund supports one graduate student fellowship each year and stands as a testament to Ned's commitment to public policy education.
The Ford School is proud of our long-standing association with Ned Gramlich. We send our support and love to his family and friends.
The family has requested that memorial contributions can be made to:
Edward M. and Ruth B. Gramlich Endowment Fund
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
735 S. State Street,
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Checks should be made payable to the University of Michigan.