The Ford School's 2015 PPIA Junior Summer Institute fellows have arrived, and will begin their intensive seven-week training program aimed at preparing them for graduate school and leadership roles in public service.
This year marks the 34th of the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) program. Launched with support from the Sloan Foundation, PPIA aims to promote diversity in public service and prepare underrepresented groups for leadership roles.
The 2015 Ford School PPIA cohort consists of 18 aspiring public servants from across the country. The diverse group includes several first generation U.S. citizens, two student athletes, and a Zumba instructor, according to their student bios. The fellows’ varied policy interests range from immigration reform and education policy to international relations and poverty alleviation. Members of the Ford School community can find full student bios in the Student Directory on the Ford School intranet (Degree track: PPIA; Cohort: 2015).
During their seven weeks in Ann Arbor, the fellows will take courses aimed at preparing them for graduate programs in public policy, including statistics, microeconomics, policy writing, and GRE preparation. Modules on timely policy topics will also taught by Susan Waltz, Matt Davis, and Dean Susan M. Collins. As part of Collins’ monetary policy module, the students will visit the Detroit branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, where Collins is a member of the board of directors.
A variety of enrichment and professional development activities are also planned, including resume and coverletter workshops, a graduate school fair, faculty and alumni panels, and trips to Eastern Market and the Motown Museum in Detroit.
The Ford School is one of four policy programs that host PPIA Junior Summer Institute fellows. Other host schools include: The Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University; the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley; and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton.
For more information about the PPIA program, visit www.ppiaprogram.org.