Dear Fordies, IPPSters, and friends,
The nation's 250th anniversary this summer invited us to reflect on how much has changed and to look ahead at the choices shaping our future. That forward-looking perspective feels especially important as emerging technologies are rapidly reshaping how we learn, work, govern, and connect. Yet the most important questions they raise are deeply familiar: Who makes the rules? Who benefits? Who bears the burdens? And what makes the tools institutions use worthy of public trust?
In conversations with many of you, I have heard these questions raised with urgency, curiosity, and a shared commitment to the public good. That same spirit guides this year's fall and spring editions of State & Hill, as we explore how the Ford School community is helping public institutions navigate emerging technologies, changing expectations, and complex policy choices. In these pages, Joy Rohde uncovers the Cold War roots of today's AI debates, while Brian Jacob examines the evidence behind school cell phone restrictions. Samuel Owusu (MPP '25) shows how stronger data can help Michigan's early childhood investments reach the people they are designed to serve. Ford School students put their policy training to work for local governments, and Mara Cecelia Ostfeld brings residents' voices into debates about the future of U.S. territories. Together, these stories remind us that effective policy begins with people. I hope you find inspiration in the many ways our community approaches complex questions and works toward a more accountable and inclusive future.
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
← Read all stories in the fall 2026 edition State & Hill
