See all photos from this event on Flickr.
Over 80 undergraduate and graduate students traveled to Washington, DC, for the Ford School's annual Career Exploration Days, bringing together current and future generations of policymakers for lively conversations about the policy landscape and professional opportunities.
Across two days of programming, students explored a range of careers through panel discussions and networking. Students could choose sessions highlighting U-M and Ford School alumni with expertise in foreign policy and international development, public affairs and strategic communications, cyber and technology policy, policy analysis and research, advocacy, and domestic social policy.
One participant, Gabriel Sanroman (BA ‘27), found the International Development and Global Leadership Panel hosted at the Meridian International Center especially beneficial. There, students heard from panelists working at the International Finance Corporation, CARE International, Meridian, and the Asian Development Bank.
"As a student studying political economy and foreign policy, I appreciated how open the panelists were about their career paths," Sanroman said. "Careers in foreign policy are difficult to break into, especially in a turbulent political climate surrounding traditional international policy, so hearing about multiple routes into the field helped put me at ease."
According to Emma Frazier, associate director of Graduate Career Services, assembling a diverse set of policy professionals from the private and public sectors was central to planning the event.
"We wanted students to be able to visualize themselves as alumni in these roles and at these organizations in DC," she remarked. "Making sure that each panel shows a variety of backgrounds and experiences, particularly ones that current students can identify with and feel authentic in, is key."
The event culminated in a networking reception, which drew more than 100 DC-area alumni. Samuel Bagenstos, the Arlene Susan Kohn Professor of Social Policy and Frank G. Millard Professor of Law, gave a keynote lecture on how Congress can reassert its authority over the executive branch by reclaiming the power of the purse.
Bagenstos traced the evolution of legislative authority across history—from the English Glorious Revolution to the modern-day U.S. Congress. In an increasingly polarized and partisan policy landscape, he believes that legislative authority is no longer shaped by the historical practice of separation of powers, but by the modern reality of separation of parties.
"Branches don't stand up for the branches' interests so much as they stand up for the interests of their party," said Bagenstos. "For majority members of Congress, they're serving their policy interests by serving their party. For minority members of Congress, they're serving their partisan interests by focusing on issues that are likely to move the middle of the electorate. But what that means is the institutional power of Congress erodes."
Bagenstos underscored the importance of Congress's Article I power of the purse as a tool against executive overreach. But Congress has stayed silent, he said, and allowed the dissolution of legislative authority to continue.
"I have told the story that our Constitution contains a basic power of Congress to control the purse strings," he remarked. "But we are seeing this consensus piece, an essential keystone of our separation of powers, being completely undermined by the day—and Congress, whose power is at issue, is silent."
Reflecting on the trip's significance, Frazier emphasized its role in reaffirming the Ford School's commitment to public service.
"Every year, I hear from alumni that they are energized and motivated after connecting with our students," she said. "It reminds them that there are still public servants ready to enter the field, do the work, and make positive change. The Ford School's ability to keep its community connected is always on display during this event, and I think it's something that truly sets us apart as a school."
See all photos from this event on Flickr.
