News | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

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Katherine Michelmore to help new journal bring timely research to real-world policy decisions

Oct 23, 2026

Ford School scholar joins the inaugural editorial team of APPAM’s Journal of Policy Implementation & Evaluation, launching in summer 2027.

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Aaron David Miller and Rosemary Kelanic assess U.S. strategy in a Middle East at war

Oct 22, 2026

Ford School students engaged foreign policy experts on Iran, regional security, and the limits of U.S. power.

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Peter Bergen reflects on the enduring consequences of the U.S. war on terror

Oct 22, 2026

The journalist and author traced how decisions made after September 11 continue to shape American foreign policy, national security, and presidential power.

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Proposed additional ID requirements for voting could disenfranchise more than 1 in 4 Detroit adults

Oct 21, 2026

More than 1 in 4 Detroiters cannot easily produce up-to-date documentation of their U.S. citizenship that matches their current name, according to a new survey from the University of Michigan's Detroit Metro Area Communities Study.

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Expanded Earned Income Tax Credit improved housing security for childless young adults

Oct 19, 2026

A temporary expansion to the Earned Income Tax Credit improved housing security for young workers who don't have children, a new study shows.

Natasha Pilkauskas and Katherine Michelmore

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Art at work: Understanding America's past, shaping public policy's future

Oct 18, 2026

Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence Holly Bass

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Energy economist Catherine Hausman appointed the inaugural Lenore K. and Robert Damrauer Professor of Social Policy

Oct 15, 2026

On October 15, 2026, the Regents of the University of Michigan approved the appointment of Catherine Hausman as the inaugural Lenore K. and Robert Damrauer Professor of Social Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

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Javed Ali joins OVPR as assistant vice president for research security

Oct 14, 2026

Javed Ali will join the Office of the Vice President for Research where he will help lead the university’s efforts to advance safe, secure and compliant research across its campuses.

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Ford School names 2026 Weiser Diplomacy Fellows

Oct 13, 2026

The Ford School is pleased to announce the 2026 cohort of Weiser Diplomacy Fellows: Tariq Fanek (MPA ‘27), Hayley Jewett (MPP ‘28), Anastasiya Miknovets (MPP ‘28), Adna Mohamed (MPP ‘28), and Saumya Nagar (MPP/MBA ‘29).

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Lessons from Maine: What it takes to implement aligned P-2 curriculum

Oct 12, 2026

U-M research provides insights to help localities adopt and implement high-quality, open access curricula in Pre-K and early elementary grades

children raising their hands in a classroom

News

The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Fellowship Turns 10

Oct 12, 2026

As the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Fellowship celebrates its 10th anniversary, its nine recipients have built a legacy of leadership and service nationwide. Today, the Fellowship continues to nurture future policy leaders who exemplify academic excel...

Photo of a bronze statue of President Ford in Weill Hall's Great Hall

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Midterm elections: Ford School experts available to discuss

Oct 12, 2026

As voters prepare to head to the polls for the 2026 midterm elections, University of Michigan experts are available to navigate the issues, political dynamics and key questions shaping the race. From voter behavior, campaign strategies and elect...

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Ford School names 2026 Weill Scholars

Oct 12, 2026

Five outstanding master's students have been named the 2026 Weill Scholars. Nour Abdel-Ghani (MPP '28), Sadie Burnaine (MPP/MSW '29), Aries Cole (MPP '28), Kelsey Faranda (MPP '28), and Georgia Youngblood (MPP '28) are recipients of the prestigious F...

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Small Michigan communities feel early voting strain

Oct 11, 2026

Most Michigan city and township officials report positive or neutral impacts from recent state election administration reforms, but many cite the costs and staffing demands associated with nine days of early in-person voting as a concern, according t...

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Ford School students turn policy training into practical support for Michigan communities

Oct 7, 2026

For local leaders, extra strategic capacity matters. Teams from the Ford School's Consulting Clinic students took different policy challenges facing Michigan communities.

Six people stand together in front of a Wayne County Economic Development Corporation sign during a visit with Ford School Consulting Clinic students.

News

Class Notes, Fall 2026

Oct 6, 2026

Catch up with Fordies and learn about recent accomplishments, moves, and babies!

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Zoe Vaughan named 2026 Gerald R. Ford Presidential Fellow

Oct 2, 2026

The Ford School recognizes Zoe Vaughan (MPP '28) as the 2026 Gerald R. Ford Presidential Fellow.

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Reauthoring political futures in U.S. territories

Oct 2, 2026

At a Ford School event during the University of Michigan's Democracy Week, "Decolonizing imagination: Narratives, memory and political possibility in the U.S. Territories," Ford School associate research professor Mara Cecilia Ostfeld led panelists i...

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Better Government Lab receives more than $2 million from the Walmart Foundation to support SNAP administration, accuracy, and access

Oct 2, 2026

BGL will help state agencies analyze payment-error patterns and prioritize quality-assurance efforts while supporting timely access for eligible people.

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News

What’s changing in Medicaid and what can you do?

Oct 2, 2026

With eligibility rules for people with lower incomes changing in every state, it’s important to stay up to date, seek trustworthy sources and not fall for misinformation.

A magnifying glass enlarges the word “Medicaid” on a pale yellow background.

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Ayanian wins national public health policy award

Sep 29, 2026

John Z. Ayanian, M.D., M.P.P., has received one of the nation’s top awards for health researchers, as the 2026 winner of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation David E. Rogers Award.

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Ford School faculty examine democracy beyond U.S. borders

Sep 29, 2026

During a recent Democracy Week event, Ford School faculty considered what cross-national and historical research reveals about democratic resilience and erosion.

Five panelists sit before Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy banners as one speaks and gestures to the group.

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STPP adds second fellow to MiST Program through the Civic Science Fellowship Award

Sep 29, 2026

STPP is expanding its efforts to connect scientific expertise to decision makers in Lansing by adding a second postgraduate position to its Michigan Science, Technology, and Public Policy (MiST) fellowship program.

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Holly Bass discusses art, memory, and the nation’s unfinished story

Sep 28, 2026

Holly Bass, the Ford School's fall 2026 Towsley Policymaker in Residence and U-M's 2026 Roman J. Witt Artist in Residence, explored these questions and more as part of a special Penny Stamps Speaker Series during the University of Michigan's Democrac...

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Detroit gun violence drops sharply during ShotStoppers program

Sep 27, 2026

Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan evaluated public safety impact of community violence intervention program

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Parthasarathy urges AI regulation

Sep 26, 2026

"The United States urgently needs to regulate AI, because of the risks the technology poses today, to privacy, civil liberties, equality, our health, environment and beyond," according to professor of public policy and director of the Science, Techno...

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Bipartisan leaders discuss what it takes to build trust across political divides

Sep 25, 2026

What sustains democratic trust when political disagreements remain unresolved? At two Ford School events during the University of Michigan’s Democracy Week, current and former Democratic and Republican elected leaders pointed to local participation, ...

A Democracy Week banner from U-M’s Center for Democracy and Civic Empowerment stands outside the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies.

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Parthasarathy among newest cohort of Michigan Society of Fellows

Sep 24, 2026

Shobita Parthasarathy has been named to the Michigan Society of Fellows for a term of four years.

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Ford School names Tyler Mathieu and Courtney Moore as 2026 Kohn Scholars

Sep 23, 2026

The Ford School recognizes Tyler Mathieu (MPP ‘28) and Courtney Moore (MPP ‘28) as the 2026 Kohn Scholars.

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Remembering Reynolds Farley: An expert on Detroit, the census, and America's racial divide

Sep 22, 2026

Reynolds (Ren) Farley, a sociologist and demographer who used Census data to illuminate the persistence of racial segregation in American cities, died on September 12, at 88.

Ren Farley in the stands at Comerica Park