News | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

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Greetings from the Dean - The Briefing, October 2024

Oct 31, 2024

Dear friends,We are days away from a momentous U.S. election, and members of the Ford School community are actively engaging with key issues, thereby embodying our democratic values. Many in our community are volunteering their time to boost voter...

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Majority of local officials in Michigan lack confidence in ‘red-flag law’ aimed at reducing gun violence

Oct 31, 2024

A majority of local government and law enforcement officials in Michigan say they lack confidence the state’s new “red-flag law” aimed at reducing gun violence will do so, according to a University of Michigan survey.Further, those officials...

Wayne County Courthouse in Detroit, Michigan

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Stevenson proposes a federal guarantee for earned paid time off

Oct 28, 2024

The United States is the only advanced economy in which workers are not guaranteed paid time off.In a commentary for Brookings, Betsey Stevenson proposes a federal earned paid time off program that would cover all workers, including part-time...

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Why is the White House hiring PR pros over policy experts?

Oct 28, 2024

Shortly after taking office in 2017, former President Donald Trump posed for pictures with dozens of presidents of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).The photo op was a celebration of the Trump Administration moving an HBCU...

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Resources for understanding and engaging in the 2024 elections

Oct 28, 2024

The Ford School of Public Policy presents events, research, and ideas from faculty and other experts that shape our understanding of the people and issues that are influencing local, state, and federal 2024 elections. Read stories and watch video...

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Former Governors Bullock and Kasich: Increased engagement can address structural flaws in our democratic system

Oct 24, 2024

Former Montana Governor Steve Bullock (D) thinks the biggest problems with American politics can be traced to three fundamental factors: gerrymandering has drastically decreased the number of competitive districts, changes in the media environment...

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Ford School and Brookings Institution scholars look to the future of US climate policy

Oct 24, 2024

Climate change is projected to cause 250,000 deaths per year from 2030 to 2050; its effects have already cost 3 trillion dollars and resulted in 100 million people falling into poverty worldwide. The Brookings Institution partnered with the Ford...

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Ford School hosts FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate for election security discussion

Oct 23, 2024

In a wide-ranging conversation, FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate and Ford School Associate Professor of Practice Javed Ali spoke about the agency’s evolving role in safeguarding U.S. elections, how they have adapted to cyber-security threats, and the...

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With sights on the upcoming election, Stevenson and Wolfers converse with economists across the aisle

Oct 23, 2024

In a major recent New York Times article, the Ford School’s Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers represented the center-left in a discussion on economics with center-right economic advisors from the Trump administration, Jay Clayton and Gary Cohn. In...

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Grant to U-M, Georgetown aims to break down barriers to food, health and economic aid

Oct 21, 2024

There’s ample evidence that U.S. government programs improve food security, health and economic mobility. Yet confusing, complicated applications and interview processes often stand in the way of eligible people getting the help they need.The Better...

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Using the arts and 'awe' to guide public policy

Oct 18, 2024

In a new pairing between the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy and U-M Museum of Art, students are learning how to develop human-centered experiences to guide public policy.This approach takes a step back from a traditional...

Students wander a room with framed artworks on floral wallpaper. The left wall reads in a decorative script, "Hey, we need to talk!"

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Don Moynihan appointed as Ford School’s J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy

Oct 17, 2024

On October 17 the Regents of the University of Michigan approved the appointment of Donald P. Moynihan as the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy for a five-year renewable term, effective January 1, 2025. Barry Rabe, the...

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Fulfilling Students' Potential: Ford School launches Policy Analysis Learning Lab

Oct 16, 2024

This September, the Ford School launched the Policy Analysis Learning Lab (PAL), a learning support initiative designed to equip students with the confidence to use policy analysis for the public good.Inaugural faculty director Alton Worthington...

Four people sit at a long table, the two on the right with their laptops open and engaging in a discussion. The two on the left look off camera to the left

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Ford School welcomes OPM Director Rob Shriver for conversation on careers in public service

Oct 15, 2024

On October 8, the Ford School welcomed Rob Shriver, Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management, for an in-person conversation to reflect on his career, discuss public service, and the future of the federal workforce.During the fireside...

Group sitting around a long table engaging in conversation

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Networks citing Hanson for insights on the 2024 Presidential election

Oct 15, 2024

Ford School's Jonathan Hanson has been quoted in networks BBC News and MLive reflecting on the presidential campaigns of Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris. In recent media, Hanson highlights impacts on the 2024 elections in the...

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Stewart: Israeli invasion of Lebanon worsens ongoing crises, challenges Harris campaign

Oct 14, 2024 https://news.umich.edu/u-m-policy-scholar-israeli-invasion-of-lebanon-worsens-o…

Over the past weeks, the Israeli government bombed parts of Lebanon and launched a ground invasion into the country’s southern region. The espoused purpose of this invasion is to degrade Israel’s longtime enemy, Hezbollah, which had longstanding...

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Stevenson discusses the economy, union workers, and the value of service sector in America

Oct 11, 2024

The Ford School's Betsey Stevenson has been commenting on the President's influence on the economy, the growth of the service economy, and the role union workers will play in the upcoming election.“Betsey Stevenson on the power the president has...

Stevensom SRM Subcommittee Hearing Teaser Display

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Who owns your face? NYT reporter Kashmir Hill discusses privacy in the era of facial recognition

Oct 10, 2024

How much control should we have over our likeness? Our anonymity?Nearly 200 attendees confronted these questions at a Ford School event with New York Times technology reporter Kashmir Hill, in conversation with Science, Technology, and Public...

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Cohodes receives funding to dig deeper into charter school impact

Oct 10, 2024

With a $27,5000 grant from MIT Blueprint Labs, two University of Michigan professors will tease out why some schools better prepare students for college than others.The project is led by Sarah Cohodes, associate professor at the Ford School of...

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“Fight Night” Strips Elections Down to Their Most Elemental Level

Oct 10, 2024

Five candidates, one winner. As audience members enter the theater, they are each handed a voting device which conveys their power to decide the outcome. Belgian theater group Ontroerend Goed created “Fight Night” in 2013 after a controversial...

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The Student Vote

Oct 9, 2024

The UMich Votes coalition is aiming to increase voter registration and turnout among students on campusUniversity of Michigan students are continually breaking voter registration and turnout records. Some 78 percent of U-M students on the Ann Arbor...

A geometric wall of multi-colored buttons. The blue circle in the middle says "Vote 2024 UMMA."

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Inclusive History Project launches new research and programming

Oct 9, 2024

The Inclusive History Project, U-M’s multifaceted initiative to study, document and better understand the university’s history with respect to diversity, equity and inclusion, is expanding its efforts with new research and engagement opportunities...

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Essay Contest: Political Courage in 2024: A Critical Analysis of Ford's Legacy and Contemporary Leadership Challenges

Oct 8, 2024

This essay by Aiswarya Padmanabhan, MPP ‘25, was awarded second place in the Ford50 essay contest. In 2001, Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of the United States, delivered an insightful statement on leadership while accepting the John F. Kennedy...

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Essay Contest: Mercy, Democratic Accountability, and Presidential Pardons

Oct 8, 2024

This essay, by Anna Pomper, MPP '24, was awarded third place in the Ford50 essay contest. I. BackgroundOn August 1st, 1974, Vice President Gerald Ford received a visit from the President’s Chief of Staff, Alexander Haig. The “smoking gun tape,” a...

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Essay contest seeks to put Ford's presidency in the current context

Oct 8, 2024

As part of the Ford School’s commemoration of the Gerald R. Ford’s ascendance to the presidency 50 years ago, current and incoming Ford School students and recent graduates were given a challenge: to write an original essay on the relevance of...

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Policymakers discuss whether states can pull off single-payer healthcare

Oct 8, 2024

Though millions of Americans still lack health insurance coverage, federal healthcare reform has stagnated since the passage of the Affordable Care Act. Facing the prospect of continued federal inaction, policymakers at the state level are exploring...

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Jonathan Van Ness Gets Curious About Voting

Oct 8, 2024

Jonathan Van Ness, star of the TV show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, brought their podcast, Getting Curious, to Ann Arbor for a live recording to discuss voting and civic engagement. They were joined in conversation by Ford School Dean Celeste...

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Essay Contest: The Nixon Pardon: A Study in Integrity

Oct 8, 2024

This essay, written by Kelly Rogers Victor, MPP '24, was awarded first prize in the Ford50 essay contest.As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Gerald Ford’s inauguration, we are invited to reflect upon his legacy. No decision Ford made drew...

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Ford School names 2024 Weiser Diplomacy Center Fellows

Oct 7, 2024

The Ford School named four master’s students as this year’s Weiser Diplomacy Center fellows: Schila Labitsch (MPP ‘26), Pedro Eymael (MPP ‘26), Ella Mainwaring Foster (MPP ‘26), and Aaminah Tabassum (MPP ‘26). The Weiser Diplomacy Center (WDC)...

Weiser Fellows Aaminah Tabassum, Pedro Eymael, Ella Mainwaring Foster, and Schila Labitsch

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Stange receives federal grant to classify college courses at scale

Oct 4, 2024

Research on college course taking, and what students learn while attending college have historically been hampered by inconsistent course titles and numbers across multiple institutions. Education economist Kevin Stange and a research team from the...