News | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

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Tool tracking school closures puts data in hands of affected communities, informs work to find solutions

May 27, 2026

Kohn Professor Christina Weiland talks about the WV school closure tracker to help policymakers, community members, and families make informed policy decisions.

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Greetings from the Dean - The Briefing, May 2026

May 27, 2026

Earlier this month, we celebrated more than 170 Ford School graduates at Hill Auditorium, sending them into the world with our mission and our confidence. Commencement was joyful, proud, and honest about the work ahead. As I shared in my remarks, pub...

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Can protest art shape policy?

May 26, 2026

Devin Judge-Lord's winter course tasked students with examining the role of movement art in policy debates while addressing a central question: what constitutes a "successful" protest movement?

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Hausman, Michelmore, and Pilkauskas promoted to full professors

May 22, 2026

The Regents of the University of Michigan approved promotions for Catherine Hausman, Katherine Michelmore, and Natasha Pilkauskas—all to professor of public policy, with tenure.

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Herd and Moynihan win 2026 Riccucci-O’Leary Award

May 19, 2026

Pam Herd and Donald Moynihan have been recognized with the 2026 Riccucci-O'Leary Award for the best article on diversity in public management, conferred by the Public Management Research Association (PRMA).

Headshots of Pamela Herd and Donald Moynihan

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Don Moynihan wins prestigious George Fredrickson Award for Career Contributions

May 19, 2026

Dr. Donald Moynihan, the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy, has received the 2026 George Fredrickson Award for Career Contributions from the Public Management Research Association (PRMA) in recognition of his valuable contribu...

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Ambassador Camara addresses U-M's International Institute's International Studies graduates

May 18, 2026

Ambassador Camara's commencement address at the University of Michigan International Institute's International Studies graduation ceremony

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Ann Chih Lin comments on Trump's China visit

May 14, 2026

Ford School Professor Ann Chih Lin spoke with Spectrum News about the possible agenda items for President Trump and President Xi's meeting including the war in Iran, the economy, political prisoners in China, and Trump's defense of Taiwan.

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Ali discusses World Cup security concerns

May 13, 2026

Ford School Professor Javed Ali comments on the challenges facing law enforcement authorities in keeping the World Cup safe.

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Justin Wolfers launches Platypus Economics to bring economic thinking to everyday life

May 12, 2026

Justin Wolfers Q&A about the urgent need for economic literacy, the meaning behind his new platform, Platypus Economics, and how it aims to help people make sense of today's economy and political climate.

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U-M research spending drives $164 million economic impact across Michigan

May 11, 2026

University of Michigan federal grants supported more than 16,000 jobs and generated nearly $396 million last year in research-related spending nationwide.

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"Trump thought Iran would fold. That’s how Vietnam started." —Hills

May 8, 2026

Read the analysis: Ford School Lecturer Rusty Hills, former chair of the Michigan Republican Party, in the Detroit Free Press.

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Wolverines put policy to work

May 7, 2026

State & Hill spotlights student internships around the world.

Collage of students with photos out in their internships

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“Be courageous”: the Ford School celebrates the Classes of 2026

May 5, 2026

More than 170 graduates crossed the stage at Hill Auditorium on May 3, marking a milestone moment for the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Classes of 2026.

four students celebrating in their graduation robes

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2026 Truman Scholar to expand debate, diverse voices in public policy

Apr 30, 2026

Ford School student Thea Zellmer has been selected as a 2026 Truman Scholar—one of 55 new recipients nationwide to win the award for graduate studies.

Thea Zellmer and students in a chat with Ford School professor Javed Ali and colleagues.

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Kleinman shares expertise and concerns regarding facial recognition in schools

Apr 29, 2026 Michigan Public

STPP Managing Director Molly Kleinman was recently interviewed on Michigan Radio regarding the use of facial recognition in schools to identify and verify visitors. Kleinman advised schools should instead focus on investing in larger-scale, social- a...

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Youth Policy Lab welcomes Morehouse and Spelman students to 2026 ASPIRE summer program

Apr 27, 2026

Spelman students Toni Flemming, Joasia Jacobs, Olivia Liddie, and Morehouse students Donovan Correll, Chavous Langhorn, and Vincent Patterson will spend the summer advancing quantitative social science research skills, learning about careers that inv...

Donovan Correll, Toni Flemming, Joasia Jacobs, Chavous Langhorn, Olivia Liddie, Vincent Patterson

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Pam Herd addresses administrative burden in her Kohn professorship address

Apr 27, 2026

Administrative barriers are burdening the already disadvantaged Americans seeking life-saving benefits and aid, Ford School professor Pam Herd asserted in her Carol Kakalec Kohn Professor of Social Policy lecture.

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National biodefense leaders call for coordination and stable public health support

Apr 26, 2026

As concerns grow about new disease outbreaks and the misuse of biotechnology, the University of Michigan welcomed a bipartisan group of former federal leaders and experts on April 10 for a day of discussions on how the nation can better prepare for b...

Biodefense panel with Joe Upton speaking at the center

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Rackham Graduate School announces the 2025 ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award winners

Apr 24, 2026

Ford School doctoral graduates Benjamin Goehring (PhD '25) and Owen Kay (PhD '25) were recognized with ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation awards.

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Margaret Peterman (BA ‘27) and Edra Timmerman (BA ‘26) awarded Best Delegates at Midwest Model EU

Apr 23, 2026

Ford School students Margaret Peterman (BA ‘27) and Edra Timmerman (BA ‘26) won awards for their performance at the Indiana University–Bloomington Hamilton Lugar School's 2026 Midwest Model European Union (MMEU) competition.

A group of smiling people gathered on a stairwell for a group photo

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Jason Owen-Smith testifies before the U.S. House subcommittee on investigations and oversight

Apr 21, 2026

Sociologist Jason Owen-Smith, executive director of the University of Michigan's Institute for Research on Innovation and Science (IRIS) and courtesy professor at the Ford School, testified April 15 before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Investigation...

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Community water fluoridation has no negative impact on cognitive function, new study shows

Apr 21, 2026

New research from Pamela Herd, the Ford School's Carol Kakalec Kohn Professor of Social Policy, shows no negative relationship between community water fluoridation (CWF) and adolescent or adult cognitive function.

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U-M experts explore benefits, harms of AI for people with developmental disabilities

Apr 20, 2026

STPP's new project will explore the potential benefits and harms of AI in supporting people with developmental disabilities, their families, and direct-care workers.

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"The Double Tax" explained as Harvard economist and author delivers CEW+ Mullin Welch Endowed Lecture

Apr 20, 2026

The compounded effects of racism and sexism lead to what economist and author Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman calls "The Double Tax".

Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman and Cortney Sanders in conversation

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The Civility Project: Creating Constructive Dialogue Across Differences

Apr 19, 2026

Detroit journalists Nolan Finley and Stephen Henderson discuss their Civility Project

Nolan Finley, Stephen Henderson, and Celeste Watkins-Hayes in conversation

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CLOSUP marks 25 years at Lansing anniversary event

Apr 17, 2026

On April 15, 2026, the Ford School's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) celebrated a quarter century of impact. Approximately 75 current and former CLOSUP directors, staff, students, collaborators, and state legislators gathered in La...

A group of people in front of large '25' balloons, holding celebratory signs, foam fingers, and pom poms

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Moynihan receives prestigious Guggenheim fellowship

Apr 16, 2026

Donald Moynihan, J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy and co-director of the Better Government Lab, has been named a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow.

Don Moynihan next to the text 'Guggenheim Fellowship - 2026 Fellow'

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What happens when schools restrict phones? U-M Youth Policy Lab convenes national conference as new studies get underway

Apr 16, 2026

On April 10, the University of Michigan's Youth Policy Lab (YPL) convened a National School Cell Phone Policy Conference, inviting researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from Michigan and beyond to compare notes on a rapidly changing school pol...

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Ambassador Camara discusses the relationship between military actors and civil society in the Sahel region

Apr 16, 2026

Ford School professor of practice Ambassador Kamissa Camara was among the expert panelists invited to discuss rising extremism in the African Sahel region at an event hosted by Columbia University's Kent Global Leadership Program. Camara and her fell...