Dear Fordies, IPPSters, and friends,
As I write, it’s been less than a week since the U.S. election and Fordies were deeply engaged in the process: knocking on doors, serving as poll workers, registering people to vote, and inspiring participation on and off campus. Here at the Ford School, our post-election reactions and reflections are still fresh, and they are as diverse as the individuals that make up our dynamic community.
Our faculty have come together to discuss the implications of the election results. We’re talking about how our students are doing and what we can do to support, educate, and prepare them for careers of impact. We will maintain these conversations and are developing plans for community and public programs over the coming semester to help us understand and navigate the evolving policy landscape.
In keeping with our commitment to fostering democratic values and civic engagement, I am honored to serve as a co-chair for the University of Michigan’s Year of Democracy, Civic Empowerment, and Global Engagement, as we work to make democracy front and center at the Ford School and across campus. Today, we have an opportunity to lead and serve—to inspire and prepare more public servants in the mold of Gerald Ford. We need more leaders and citizens who can listen, and work, and lead across differences. We need creative, data-driven policy solutions that will strengthen our democratic institutions and help us address our pressing challenges in education, health, climate, energy, technological change, and other important issues.
In the months and years to come, the Ford School will lean into our essential work with strategy and with heart: evidence-based policymaking, values and ethics, democracy, dialogue across differences, and leadership for the public good.
I welcome your partnership in our work, and I’m deeply grateful for your support of the Ford School and its students, faculty, and staff. Let’s keep talking.
Warmly,
Celeste Watkins-Hayes
Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
Jean E. Fairfax Collegiate Professor of Public Policy
University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor
Professor of Sociology
More in State & Hill
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