In October 2021, the Regents of the University of Michigan approved Provost Susan M. Collins’ recommendation to reappoint Michael S. Barr as Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of the Ford School for a second five-year term, effective August 1, 2022.
Barr’s first term was a remarkable success. With a leadership style characterized by openness, inclusivity, and innovation, Barr has guided the Ford School through a period of mission-centered growth and impact on the world.
Halfway through his first term, in March 2020, the pandemic scattered students, faculty, and staff to quarantined homes around the world. Barr’s talents shone in those early days of the crisis and over the many challenging months since. His transparency and empathy and his focus on putting people first earned high praise from students, staff, and faculty. At the same time, the school has remained open to innovation and focused on its strategic priorities—including real impact on urgent challenges such as racial injustice, COVID-19, and threats to American democracy.
NOTE: As S&H went to press, President Biden announced his intention to nominate Barr to serve as Vice Chair for Supervision of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. If confirmed, Barr would follow in the footsteps of his mentor, Ned Gramlich—stepping down as dean and taking a leave from his U-M faculty positions to serve on the Fed’s governing body.
Here are some school highlights from Barr’s first term as dean.
$60 million raised in gifts to the Ford School
6 new endowed professorships
Endowed support for seven Ford School-Rackham Master’s Awards, supporting promising graduate students
The Kohn Collaborative, consisting of five Kohn Professors, two Kohn Scholars, and funding for policy impact–launched in spring 2021 the hub was created with $17 million in gifts from Harold and Carol Kohn and the Kohn Charitable Trust and will promote social equity and inclusion
Launch and growth of the Leadership Initiative, led by new professor Morela Hernandez, providing all students with critical skills for leading organizations, others around them, and themselves
The University-wide Democracy and Debate initiative, co-chaired by Barr: a catalyst for learning, dialogue, and action around the 2020 election and beyond
Weiser Diplomacy Center—created with a $10 million gift from Ron and Eileen Weiser and launched in 2019 with campus visits from Hillary Rodham Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Samantha Power, Stephen Hadley, Steve Biegun, and more
The Conversations Across Differences initiative, designed to model and teach reasoned and evidence-based dialogue and explore issues around identity and difference
A community-wide process to articulate the school’s new mission and values statements
Frank Murphy Collegiate Professor of Public Policy; Roy F. and Jean Humphrey Proffitt Professor of Law
Barr is a governor and vice chair for supervision of the Federal Reserve Board, currently on leave from the University of Michigan. At U-M, Barr conducted research and wrote about a wide range of issues in domestic and international financial regulation, with a particular emphasis on financial services for low-income communities. He served in President Barack H. Obama's Administration as the U.S. Department of the Treasury's assistant secretary for financial institutions, and was a key architect of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010.
Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of Public Policy; Director, Center for Racial Justice; Jean E. Fairfax Collegiate Professor of Public Policy; University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor; Professor of Sociology; Research and Community Impact Fellow, Anti-Racism Collaborative
Watkins-Hayes is an internationally-recognized scholar and expert on HIV/AIDS; urban poverty; social policy; and racial, class, and gender inequality. Her work illuminates social problems of great interest to scholars, communities, and policymakers. She works at the intersection of sociology, African American Studies, and public policy. Her work analyzes the impact of the HIV epidemic on women and the growth of the HIV safety net.
Edward M. Gramlich Collegiate Professor of Public Policy; Professor of Economics
Collins is on extended leave to serve as the president and CEO of the Boston Federal Reserve Bank. At U-M, she served as provost from 2020-22. At the Ford School, she is the Edward M. Gramlich Collegiate Professor of Public Policy, professor of economics, and former dean of the Ford School (2007-17). She is an international economist whose research interests center on understanding and fostering economic growth in industrial, emerging market, and developing countries.
Ligia Ramirez de Reynolds Collegiate Professor of Public Policy; Faculty Director, Leadership Initiative
Hernandez is an internationally recognized scholar with deep expertise in applying behavioral science insights to design and improve organizational systems and decision-making practices. She is widely published in top-tier academic journals and popular media outlets, and serves on several editorial boards. At Michigan, Hernandez teaches courses on leadership and serves as faculty director of the Ford School's Leadership Initiative.
