Reunion schedule
Friday, October 4, 2019
All activities on Friday, October 4 are free to attend and will take place at Weill Hall, 735 S. State Street. Registration is required. Reunion registration closes on September 20 and some events have earlier registration deadlines. See the special instructions in the below schedule with more details on special registration deadlines, other than September 20.
Note: Please list any accessibility request(s) you or your guests need in your registration.
11:30 a.m.
Reunion check-in - Great Hall #1100
12:00 p.m.
Welcome, Lunch, and State of the School with Dean Michael S. Barr - Betty Ford Classroom #1110 and Great Hall #1100
The Neil Staebler Distinguished Alumni Service Award will be awarded to Paul Weech, MPP '81.
1:00-4:00 p.m.
Pick your own sessions
Choose from among building tours, faculty lightning talks and office hours, student presentations, and alumni panels.
1:00-1:45 p.m. - Select one session at Registration
The Ford School in Detroit - Fisher Classroom #1220
Situated at the edge of the metropolitan Detroit region, and drawn to the diversity, dynamism and complexity of Detroit, the Ford School has significantly increased its Detroit engagement in the past decade. Hear about innovative faculty research, embedded staff positions, engaged learning opportunities and Detroit as a top career destination of choice among our students.
Panelists:
DeAndre Calvert, Program in Practical Policy Engagement
Justin Erickson, Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Program
Steve Tobocman, MPP/JD '97, Global Detroit
Kristin Seefeldt, Poverty Solutions
Luke Shaefer, Poverty Solutions
Alumni Board host: Sam Geller, MPP '17
Faculty Lightning Talks #1 - Meijer Lounge #4240
Class is in session - without the homework, tests, or papers! Hear new Ford School faculty members talk about their cutting edge research in their specific policy areas. Learn about the innovative work they are doing and have the opportunity to discuss it with them. Come prepared for a fast-paced and intellectually stimulating 45 minutes!
Faculty confirmed to date:
Alumni Board host: Veronica Gonzales Stuva, MPP '13
The Ford School Student Experience Today: Engaged Learning - Graduate Career Services Library #2200
Engaged learning has become an increasingly important aspect of the Ford School student experience. Stop by the GCS Library to explore a showcase of engaged learning experiences and interact with students, faculty, and staff involved in programs including: IEDP, China and Costa Rica trips, SAC's DEI Coffee Chat series, and summer internships.
Featured students presenting summer internship experiences:
Kari Rea, MPP '20, internship with the Executive Office of Governor Gretchen Whitmer
Maeve Skelly, BA '21, internship with the U.S. Department of Transportation
Alumni Board hosts: Farah Mandich, MPP '17 and Steven Reich, MPP '85
2:00-2:45 p.m. - Select one session at Registration
Innovation in the BA Program - Towsley Reading Room #3110
As we celebrate ten years of Ford BA graduates, join us for a look at the innovative ways in which the curriculum and student experience in our undergraduate program has evolved over the last decade. Reconnect with faculty and fellow alumni.
Panelists confirmed to date:
Amy Flanagan
Sharon Maccini
David Morse
Stephanie Sanders
Gail Tien
Alumni Board host: Olushola Samuel, BA '10 and Rachel White, MPP '10
The Ford School Student Experience Today: Pitch Competition Winners and Funded Internship Recipients - Meijer Lounge #4240
Each summer Ford School students step away from Weill Hall to apply policy knowledge gained in the classroom, and develop professional skills in real world settings on internships around the globe. Stop by this session to hear from participants in the 2nd Annual Policy Pitch Competition, as well as funded Ford School interns to learn about the impact Ford School students are making in solving the world’s foremost policy challenges.
Monika Anderson, MPP/MSW '20, National Alliance of Mental Health, New York
Pranav Govindaraju, BA '20, Divison of Supervision and Regulation, Federal Reserve Board, Washington, DC
Karl Hoesch, MPP '20, State of Michigan, Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy (EGLE), Lansing
Aprisal Malale, MPP '20, Direct Relief, Indonesia
Aloka Narayanan, MPP '20, Brilliant Detroit, Detroit
Alumni Board host: Naomi Goldberg, MPP '08
Dean Michael S. Barr Coffee Chat - Third Floor Seminar Room #3240
Michael S. Barr became the Ford School’s dean in August 2017. Join him for an informal, interactive session to discuss highlights since becoming dean, new initiatives, the future of policy education at the Ford School, and more.
Alumni Board hosts: Sylvia Herzog, MPP/MBA '88 and Lynn Vendinello, MPP '89
Faculty Office Hours - Great Hall #1100
Mix and mingle with your beloved former faculty members. Check-in with them, share what you have been doing since graduating from the Ford School, and reconnect!
Faculty confirmed to date:
Beth Chimera
John Chamberlin
Paul Courant
Sue Dynarski
Mel Levitsky
Alex Ralph
Carl Simon
Building Tours - meet in the Great Hall #1100
Take a student-led tour of Weill Hall. If it’s your first time to the building or you have haven’t been back in several years, this is an opportunity to see first-hand where students, faculty, and staff are learning, teaching, and working.
3:00-3:45 p.m. - Select one session at Registration
Leadership Development Across Your Career - Towsley Reading Room #3110
What does leadership development look like across a policy career? Hear from a panel of alums as they share perspectives. This session is also a chance to learn more about the Ford School’s new Leadership Initiative and share your thoughts on how we might best position our students with the technical and adaptive leadership skills to lead where they serve.
Panelists confirmed to date:
Mary Ann Hunter, MPP '81
Paula Lantz
Jennifer Niggemeier
Hardy Vieux, MPP/JD '97
Faculty Lightning Talks #2 - Meijer Lounge #4240
Class is in session - without the homework, tests, or papers! Hear new Ford School faculty members talk about their cutting edge research in their specific policy areas. Learn about the innovative work they are doing and have the opportunity to discuss it with them. Come prepared for a fast-paced and intellectually stimulating 45 minutes!
Faculty confirmed to date:
Catherine Hausman
Natasha Pilkauskas
Alumni Board host: Latesha Love-Grayer, MPP '02
The Ford School Student Experience Today: Student Organizations and Activities - Graduate Career Services Library #2200
Student organizations and activities continue to play a key role in the student experience and offer many opportunities for continued alumni engagement and mentoring. Stop by the GCS Library to explore a showcase of student organizations and interact with students and staff involved in the following student organizations:
Charity Auction, Domestic Policy Corps, Ford + Monk Conference, Global Fordies, Michigan Journal of Public Affairs, Student Affairs Committee, Women and Gender in Public Policy, Policy for the People, and Environmental Policy Association.
4:00-5:30 p.m.
Master class with former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice - "Democracy and America's Foreign Policy Identity" - Annenberg Auditorim #1120
Hosted by Professor John Ciorciari, Director of the Weiser Diplomacy Center
Registration for this session is closed. It is possible additional seats may become available on the day of the event and if you would like to be included on a waitlist for 1 seat, please see the instructions listed in Reunion registration. Please note: Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will also be giving a talk on Friday, October 4, 10-11:30 a.m. at the Ross School of Business, moderated by Michael Barr. Ticket information here.
5:30 p.m.
Reception - Great Hall #1100
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Time Activity Special Instructions9:00-11:30 a.m.
Alumni Territory Go Blue Homecoming Tailgate at the U-M Indoor Training Center
Reserved tables will be available for Ford School alumni.
Ticket required.
$50 adult/$25 child (5-12 years old)
Purchasing instructions below
12:00 p.m.
Michigan vs. Iowa football game at Michigan Stadium
Limited number of tickets reserved in a section for Ford School alumni.
Ticket required. Purchase deadline is August 23.
$80/ticket + $10 service charge per order
Purchasing instructions below
To purchase Alumni Territory Go Blue Homecoming Tailgate and/or football tickets:
- Go to mgoblue.com/go/promo. Enter the promo code FORDREUNION.
- The football ticket limit is 2 and the deadline to purchase in the Ford School section is August 23, 2019. As a reminder, there is a limited number of tickets reserved in the section for Ford School alumni. Tickets will be mailed approximately 2-3 weeks prior to the game. Tickets are located in section 13, rows B-7.
- If you purchase football and tailgate tickets together by August 23, both sets of tickets will be mailed to you.
- If you would like to purchase tailgate tickets after the August 23 deadline, you may do so here.
Other activities
Here early? Staying later? Check out these other events happening around campus:
- Oct. 2-3: Central Bank of the Future Conference
Palmer Commons
Hosted by the Center on Finance, Law, and Policy - Oct. 6: Abstraction, Color, and Politics: The 1960s and 1970s
University of Michigan Museum of Art
Exhibition / UMMA Gallery Talks and Tours - Find more events at events.umich.edu