State & Hill sat down with the Ford School’s Director of Career Services Peter Vasher to get the lay of a challenging landscape.
Where do Fordies traditionally end up post-graduation?
Nearly 40% of our master’s graduates enter government roles with 15% at the U.S. federal level, and 72% of those in the executive branch. About a third find careers in non-government organizations, while others move into consulting or private sector roles. Our undergraduates often enter consulting or private industry, while PhD alumni frequently pursue positions in academia or government.
What are you seeing now?
No surprises here for individuals in the policy world; we’re currently seeing a lot of shifts and uncertainty. As of March 2025, the U.S. federal government has enacted a hiring freeze and is attempting to reduce the size of the federal workforce.
Many executive branch positions have been affected. Student internship and job opportunities, like the Presidential Management Fellowship, have been paused or cancelled. In the near term, it’s unclear if and when these opportunities will return. Ongoing litigation around these changes and federal funding cuts add to the complexity and uncertainty.
Our office is closely monitoring these changes and their ripple effects, including potential job cuts within the federal workforce and with affiliated contractors. We’re also benchmarking with peer policy schools to create resources to help our students and alumni navigate these times.
What is the Ford School doing to support students?
We’ve introduced several new resources to help our students efficiently search for public service jobs. Recognizing a rising interest in opportunities at state and local levels, we’ve compiled several dynamic hiring resources that help students navigate internship, fellowship, and hiring opportunities at all 50 state governments and the largest 100 local city governments. Additionally, we’ve increased outreach to previously unengaged state and local government agencies. We’re also tracking state population trends and budgets to inform future outreach.
On the international development front, we’ve secured a university-wide membership to Devex, a very robust global development job board and resource.
What advice or resources can you share for alumni?
I’ve spoken with several seasoned alumni in recent weeks who, while reflecting on their careers, have expressed appreciation for the versatility of their skill set and the value of a Ford School degree.
I encourage alumni to lean into the strong Ford School network. If you can offer support for the network, please do. If you need support, reach out.
We are compiling resources for alumni affected by federal changes and offering virtual drop-in hours. Alumni are encouraged to contact us at [email protected] for more information.
What can alumni and friends of the school do to help?
We welcome all job and internship leads! Please be in touch with me at [email protected]. We also encourage alumni to join and share opportunities with the Ford School LinkedIn Group.
More in State & Hill
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