DEI | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

News

Hills reflects on President Ford's legacy in today's political climate

Mar 31, 2025

The Ford School's Rusty Hills has shone a light on the historic legacy of former President Gerald R. Ford, from the White House to the Ford School. In an opinion piece for the Detroit Free Press, Hills highlights lessons he learned from President...

In the Media

Government asserts only white men belong in American history - Moynihan

Mar 29, 2025 All Things Considered

"If you take away pictures of women, if you take away pictures of Black heroes, of Asians, of Native Americans, of Latinos, then who's left?" asked Don Moynihan, professor at the Ford School. Moynihan spoke with All Things Considered on a recent...

In the Media

The Trump administration is erasing DEI from history - Moynihan

Mar 22, 2025 The Daily Beast

The Ford School's Don Moynihan spoke with The Daily Beast and commented on the removal of government history from various agency websites, specifically targeting topics involving DEI or POC and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. "It's this sort of...

In the Media

How the government is censoring DEI in American history - Moynihan

Mar 18, 2025 PBS NewsHour

NewHour turned to the Ford School's Don Moynihan seeking an explanation for the recent removal of American military history from the U.S. Department of Defense website. Moynihan told NewsHour "There’s certain codewords that are being used to detect...

News

STPP partnership selected for competitive Strava program to shape the future of active transportation

Feb 13, 2025

An initiative from the Ford School's Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) program was among 10 global projects selected by Strava, the popular ride and run tracking app, for its inaugural Metro for Academic Researchers Program....

Photo of group riding bicycles down a neighborhood street.

News

Rx Kids celebration in the news as it expands to Kalamazoo

Feb 9, 2025

More than 1,300 babies and families in the city of Flint have received nearly $6 million in cash prescriptions since Rx Kids launched in January 2024. A birthday bash complete with cupcakes, coloring pages, and other birthday fun, was held Jan. 29...

Adult kissing a baby on the cheek, the baby is holding a teddy bear and wearing a floral headband.

News

Transportation insecurity in Detroit and beyond

Jan 24, 2025

Alexandra Murphy discusses why 36% of Detroiters have trouble getting where they need to go and how a new tool could guide better transportation...

Photo of cars and buses driving on a Chicago street as the Metro train passes overhead on an elevated platform

News

Fixing a broken health care system can help heal ailments, stem frustrations

Jan 20, 2025

Pamela Herd is the Carol Kakalec Kohn professor of social policy at the Ford School of Public Policy and a faculty associate at the Institute for Social Research’s Population Studies Center. Her research focuses on inequality and how it intersects...

Publication

College tuition aid program delivers high marks for value but strives to reach more who qualify

Jan 15, 2025

One of Michigan's largest financial aid programs offers great promise in boosting college affordability as well as the number of college graduates—with room to reach many more who qualify for...

Photo of college students in a hallway, with focus on a student seated on a bench against the wall, holding a coffee and looking at their coffee.

Publication

Child cash benefits improve child health and development internationally

Jan 7, 2025

Looking at programs from more than 140 countries, a University of Michigan-led study concludes that large-scale, government-funded child cash transfer programs improve child health...

Publication

Talk to him: How a conversation can shape public support for women’s rights

Dec 17, 2024

A single conversation with a close family member may not change a young woman’s views on policies protecting their rights, but it can strongly influence young men’s...

Mara Ostfeld speaking at a Poverty Solutions event.

News

Spotlight on poverty and opportunity: Katherine Michelmore

Nov 15, 2024

Dr. Katherine Michelmore, associate professor of public policy at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy has been awarded the 2024 David N. Kershaw Award and Prize for her contributions as a leading scholar and educator...

News

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...

News

Ford School names Paulina Trujillo as 2024 Kohn Scholar

Sep 17, 2024

The Ford School recognizes Paulina Trujillo (MPP ‘26) as the 2024 Kohn Scholar. Kohn Scholars are chosen for their outstanding qualifications and commitment to public service and advancing social policy. The fellowship is a Ford School Rackham...

News

STPP brings interdisciplinary, historical perspectives to public interest technology issues

Sep 12, 2024

Many of the research projects housed at the Science, Technology and Public Policy program (STPP) in the Ford School focus on climate issues for a simple reason, explains Managing Director Molly Kleinman. "None of this technology operates without...

News

Shaefer’s Injustice of Place wins the Richard A. Lester Book Award

Sep 10, 2024

Ford School professor Luke Shaefer’s book, The Injustice of Place: Uncovering the Legacy of Poverty in America (Harper Collins, August 2023) is the recipient of the 2023 Richard A. Lester Book Award at Princeton University. Shaefer, the Hermann and...

Photo of Luke Shaefer in the Ford School's Towsley Reading Room

News

U-M Ford School welcomes renowned scholars and former city leaders

Aug 22, 2024

The Ford School successfully grew our faculty in 2024, bringing in experts to deepen our focus on early childhood education, health and aging, better government, and criminal justice policy. Additionally, we welcomed distinguished policymakers in...

Publication

Transitional kindergarten programs expand early education access, boost academic gain

Aug 16, 2024

Children enrolled in transitional kindergarten programs in Michigan did better in math and English by the time they reached 3rd grade, with higher test scores than other kids who didn't go through the program, according to a new policy brief from...

Kindergarten teacher with students at a table

News

Youth Policy Lab celebrates growth and expansion in annual report

Aug 5, 2024

Since launching in 2016, The Youth Policy Lab (YPL) at the University of Michigan has helped community and government agencies make informed, impactful policy and program decisions. The most recent annual report shares remarkable growth and...

News

PPIA JSI 2024: Students, faculty, and staff in their own words

Aug 5, 2024

Every year looks a little bit different, but the students are always smart, caring, and dynamic, said Alex Ralph, a teaching professor who just finished up his 12th summer with the Ford School’s Public Policy & International Affairs (PPIA) Junior...

Group photo of the ppia jsi cohort at Weill Hall

Publication

Disparity dynamics: Geographic impact of social transfer programs on income inequality

Jul 31, 2024

Social transfer programs have significant geographic differences in spending that help to reduce income gaps between rich and poor regions of the United States, according to new University of Michigan research.The study, published in Social Service...

Map of personal income per capita in US Core-Based Statistical Areas, 2019. Per capita incomes were highest in metropolitan areas on the East and West Coasts and in tourism and natural resource centers in the interior West.

Publication

Disparities in career, technical education access found in Washtenaw County

Jul 29, 2024

Significant inequalities in career and technical education access have been found across Washtenaw County school districts, according to a report by the Youth Policy Lab at the University of Michigan.The analysis, titled "Inequities in CTE Access in...

People operating machines in a training environment

News

Research shows far-reaching costs of eviction filings to tenants—regardless of the outcome in court

Jul 16, 2024

A new study from the University of Michigan documents the far-reaching costs of eviction filings for Pennsylvania tenants who had eviction cases filed against them but experienced a “best-case scenario” in court, meaning they had legal...

Photo of homes in Detroit's Chaldean Town neighborhood

Publication

Prioritizing equity among the great challenges of AI, says Parthasarathy

May 29, 2024

As generative artificial intelligence becomes ubiquitous, University of Michigan expert Shobita Parthasarathy says technical revisions to the mechanics may address some harms built into the technology so far.Yet, she argues, “it will always be...

Publication

State bans on ‘divisive concepts’ could stifle population health research

Apr 25, 2024

Ten states have passed legislation that prohibits teaching and mandatory training for students, faculty, and staff in public higher education on specified 'divisive concepts' related to race and sex. In four of these states, the bans extend to all...

State & Hill

It’s all about equity

Apr 24, 2024

The Biden administration wants electric vehicles (EVs) to comprise fifty percent of new vehicle sales in just six years. This has required massive investment in our charging infrastructure. And charging is not the only issue raised by the...

Liz Gerber interviewing Dr. Missy Stults

State & Hill

Meet new assistant professor Yousif Hassan

Apr 24, 2024

Expert in AI, equity, and science and technology studies joins the facultyMy story has been shaped by many lived experiences at different events and places,” says Yousif Hassan, who, after seeing members of his family safely conveyed from war-torn...

State & Hill

Demographer Paula Lantz on the challenges of designing public health policy

Apr 24, 2024

The government has a clear role in promoting and assuring the goals of public health—the prevention of illness and injury, prolonging life, and promoting the collective health of the entire population. Achieving these goals cannot be left to the...

News

Highlights from the Dean's Symposium

Apr 21, 2024

Two days of panels, chats, and keynotes focused on examining and seeking solutions to some of the biggest challenges we face in Michigan, in the United States, and across the globe. More than 400 students, faculty, staff, and friends attended in...

Publication

NASEM committee including EPI’s Christina Weiland urges changes to preschool curricula to improve equity and support high-quality early education in the U.S.

Apr 18, 2024

A new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) lays out a new vision for high-quality preschool curricula that support equitable early education for all children. The report recommends that in the next five...