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Alice Kinney named 2026 Robert R. Robinson Memorial Scholarship recipient

Aug 21, 2026

The Michigan Townships Association named Alice Kinney as a 2026 Robert R. Robinson Memorial Scholarship recipient. The annual award aims to encourage students and other individuals to pursue or further a career in public service.

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Nicole Sherard-Freeman to join Luke Shaefer for featured keynote conversation at Kohn Social Policy Conference

Aug 20, 2026

The conversation will explore how leaders across sectors can work together to strengthen the systems that shape opportunity, stability, and well-being. It will connect directly to the conference's central question: What can a city do to promote human...

Portraits of Nicole Sherard-Freeman and Luke Shaefer.

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Leiser promotes new MPPS report: Michigan local governments highly confident in election integrity

Aug 17, 2026

The Michigan Public Policy Survey report presents the opinions of Michigan's township and city leaders on issues related to election administration in their jurisdictions, including confidence in overall accurate election administration and expected ...

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State media outlets cover latest poverty report

Aug 16, 2026

Media outlets throughout Michigan shared analysis by U-M Poverty Solutions that nearly 40% of state residents are struggling to afford basic needs

map of Michigan with colored county lines

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Weiland argues that the West Virginia Legislature must reform the state's school closure process

Aug 16, 2026

In an op-ed for the Charleston Gazette-Mail, Ford School professor Chris Weiland argues that the West Virginia Legislature must reform the state's school closure process. In Roane County, recent school closures have resulted in a fine that will doubl...

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Beyond India-Pakistan: What the Mecca defense pact reveals about a changing security order

Aug 14, 2026

Javed Ali discusses what the new Mecca defense agreement could mean for India, Pakistan and the wider region, and why the relatively restrained responses from both New Delhi and Washington are worth watching.

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“Talk data to me”: ASPIRE fellows explore youth mental health, school trust, and pathways into policy research

Aug 11, 2026

The 2026 Applied Social Policy Internship and Research Experience brought students from Spelman College and Morehouse College to the University of Michigan for hands-on training in applied social policy research.

The 2026 ASPIRE cohort and their mentors.

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About 4 in 10 Michiganders struggle to afford basic needs, same as last year

Aug 4, 2026

An updated Michigan Poverty and Well-Being Map shows nearly 40% of Michiganders are struggling to afford basic needs.

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Award-winning artist Holly Bass named Towsley Policymaker in Residence at the Ford School

Aug 4, 2026

Bass, whose award-winning work spans dance, theater, poetry, photography, installation, video, and performance, brings to the Ford School a powerful practice rooted in American history, social justice, community engagement, and the arts as a vehicle ...

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Shobita Parthasarathy named president-elect of Society for Social Studies of Science

Jul 31, 2026

Shobita Parthasarathy has been elected incoming president-elect of the Society for Social Studies of Science, an international nonprofit association for researchers in science and technology studies.

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Hanson shares insights about opening of new bridge between Detroit, Windsor

Jul 27, 2026

Ford School professor Jonathan Hanson comments on the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor.

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Ford School to host inaugural Kohn Social Policy Conference in Detroit

Jul 24, 2026

The University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy is establishing the Kohn Social Policy Conference, a biennial convening designed to examine emerging social policy challenges and practical, evidence-informed solutions.

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Parthasarathy comments on new White House science report

Jul 24, 2026

Shobita Parthasarathy comments on a new White House report that calls for academic research dollars to go to tech and artificial intelligence companies despite the public's distrust.

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India’s national medical entrance crisis and student protests: Neggers comments

Jul 23, 2026

Ford School professor Yusuf Neggers, who is affiliated with the Center for South Asian Studies discusses the youth-led protests in India amid back-to-back education scandals.

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Rethinking bureaucracy: Study finds overloaded officials–not corruption–can slow public benefits

Jul 22, 2026

University of Michigan research in India shows that giving bureaucrats better access to information can speed payments to millions of workers.

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Michigan's local leaders remain confident in election security, accuracy despite claims of vulnerabilities

Jul 21, 2026

Local officials across Michigan have maintained high confidence in election security and accuracy over the past several years.

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Susan D. Page marks third anniversary of Sudan war with national media engagements

Jul 15, 2026

Ambassador Susan D. Page participated in two engagements focused on the continuing war in Sudan, mass atrocities, and the urgent need for international action.

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Kamissa Camara joins conference panel on U.S.–U.N. relations in Bloomington

Jul 15, 2026

Ambassador Kamissa Camara participated as a panelist in “America’s Evolving Relationship with the U.N.” at the 11th America’s Role in the World Conference, held at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies in Bloomington, Indiana....

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Housing bill set to become law: Ford School experts can comment

Jul 10, 2026

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is scheduled to become law at the end of July 10. Ford School experts can comment on its potential effects.

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Majority of Michigan's local leaders see state moving in wrong direction, U-M survey finds

Jul 7, 2026

A majority of local government officials in Michigan say the state is on the wrong track, according to a new University of Michigan survey that reverses a three-year trend in improving attitudes about the state's overall direction.

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ED Talks to take Life-Changing Education concepts across state

Jun 28, 2026

As a major component of the Look to Michigan theme year of Life-Changing Education, U-M is launching an ED Talks initiative, featuring a newly named cohort of faculty presenters. They will engage with audiences and apply their expertise in ways that ...

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U-M economist Dean Yang named founding president of new international development economics association

Jun 24, 2026

A new global association led by University of Michigan economist Dean Yang aims to strengthen the field of development economics.

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

Jun 22, 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.

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U-M continues to mark 250th anniversary of American democracy

Jun 16, 2026

As the nation prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding, the University of Michigan is marking this historic milestone with a wide variety of events, activities and invitations to reflect.

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U-M Weiser Diplomacy Center, U.S.-Mexico Foundation, and the Mexico Program of the Inter-American Dialogue recommend integrated North American vision following trilateral policy forum

Jun 12, 2026

Amid evolving global political, economic, and security challenges, a new policy brief from the University of Michigan's Weiser Diplomacy Center and two prominent nongovernmental organizations based in Washington, D.C., calls on leaders in the United ...

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Paula Lantz receives IAPHS J. Michael McGinnis Leadership Excellence Award

Jun 11, 2026

Epidemiologist and social demographer Paula Lantz has been named the recipient of the J. Michael McGinnis Leadership Excellence Award from the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science.

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Church attendance is down, and war is up. Coincidence? —Rusty Hills

Jun 10, 2026

Rusty Hills contributes to the Detroit Free Press: As religious life recedes, loneliness, vice and political contempt are filling the void. Can faith offer a path back to mercy and community?

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Remembering longtime public servant and Ford School lecturer Joe Schwarz

Jun 8, 2026

The Ford School mourns the loss of former Congressman Joe Schwarz.

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Peterson and Pawar win 2026 Ali Family Memorial Writing Prize

Jun 4, 2026

Sarah Peterson (MPP/MBA ‘28) and Juhi Pawar (BA ‘26) have won the Ford School’s 2026 Ali Family Memorial Writing Prize for written work examining health-related policy concerns.

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Jasmine Simington wins 2026 Eckstein Prize for interdisciplinary research on heirs’ property and housing wealth

Jun 4, 2026

Jasmine Simington's paper, “Heirs’ Property, Housing Wealth, and the Spillover Effects of Marginalized Legal Classifications,” won the 2026 Eckstein Prize.