InSPIRE invites you to join our book club on Rebecca Skloot's bookThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Have you heard about this great book but haven't yet had a chance to read it? Are you looking forward to discussing the implications of life science innovation with science and policy colleagues? Simply looking for a good read?! Join us! Dinner will be provided.

The University of Michigan and the Ford School are planning a series of activities to welcome the classes of 1963 and 2003 back to Ann Arbor. The Reunion Weekend will offer alumni the chance to reconnect with old classmates and visit campus. Though much has changed since its time as the Institute for Public Administration, the Ford School of Public Policy is still committed to public policy research and education-come visit us and see how! University-wide reunion events are planned for October 3-6.

Special screening of State of Emergency, a new documentary play inspired by Michigan's controversial Emergency Manager Law. On Saturday, February 23 at 7:00 pm, we will live-stream the performance (taking place in Flint) in Rackham's 4th floor amphitheatre.

Light reception to follow. Free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Please RSVP at 616-254-0384 or [email protected]. Join the conversation on Twitter: #fordschoolgrandrapids About the event The Ford School's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) will discuss findings from the Michigan Public Policy Survey, which asked leaders from 1,329 of Michigan's local governments to report on the future of public services in their jurisdictions in the a

About James S. House: The Ford School's James S. House will deliver the 13th Henry Russel Lecture, titled: "Beyond Obamacare: Social Determinants and Disparities in Health and America's Paradoxical Crisis of Health Care and Health." James S. House is the Angus Campbell Distinguished University Professor of Survey Research, Public Policy and Sociology.

Free and open to the public. Race and gender discrimination play an enormous role in all of our institutions, including media. This lecture will provide concepts, tools, and stories that help us close gaps and generate unity. A leading figure in the racial justice movement, Rinku Sen has positioned the Applied Research Center as a national home for media, research and activism for social change.

Free and open to the public. About the lecture: The presentation will address four topics: (1) why it is important to step up our use of evidence if we are to improve education outcomes; (2) strategies for engaging stakeholders in using and generating credible evidence; (3) the importance of adopting common standards for design and evidence standards; and (4) a proposal for a common evidence platform. About the speaker: Rebecca Maynard is a leading expert in program evaluation, including the design and conduct

Free and open to the public. From the speaker's abstract: The federal Pell Grant Program provides billions of dollars in subsidies to low-income college students to increase affordability and access to higher education. In her recent research, Lesley Turner tests whether colleges respond to the Pell Grant program by altering institutional aid provided to Pell Grant recipients. Turner's findings show that, overall, 16 percent of all Pell Grant aid is passed-through to schools in the form of higher effective prices.

Presenting the findings on the system of funding of local government. About the Michigan Public Policy Survey The Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) is a program of state-wide surveys of local government leaders in Michigan. The MPPS is designed to fill an important information gap in the policymaking process.

Free and open to the public. About the Presentation: Improving students' access to information about college attendance and affordability is a simple, inexpensive intervention which has received much attention in policy circles. The hope is that providing accurate information to potential college students may dramatically improve their ability to calibrate the costs and benefits of college. Many have argued that providing information early in their high school years might build more expectations about college attendance.