diversity

News

Student Bridge Builders foster constructive dialogue at the Ford School

Apr 24, 2025

As the political polarization in America rises, navigating across differences to find common ground—and policy solutions—has never been more important. This semester, four students—Rebecca Coyne (MPP ‘26), Ella Kinder (BA '25), Breah Marie Willy (BA...

Four individuals standing in front of a research poster at the Gramlich Showcase, smiling and dressed in business attire.

News

Shaefer calls for courage on DEI

Apr 9, 2025 Bridge Michigan

In a new opinion piece for Bridge Michigan, Luke Shaefer argues that the University of Michigan should not give in to pressure from the Trump Administration so easily....

Luke Shaefer and Kathryn Edin talk about The Injustice of Place

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...

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

ASPIRE program bridges research and real-world impact

Aug 6, 2024

When Chaelee Farquarson learned about the Applied Social Policy Internship and Research Experience (ASPIRE), she applied out of curiosity. As a rising senior studying psychology at Spelman College, much of her research was theoretical.“I was drawn...

Five individuals in business attire, proudly displaying award certificates at Weill Hall.

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

News

IHP continues with university engagement efforts

Mar 6, 2024

The University of Michigan’s Inclusive History Project is continuing its efforts to engage members of the university community by developing a tri-campus student advisory committee and creating a research and engagement fund.The project is U-M’s...

Earl Lewis delivers remarks at a U-M History Department event

News

Neil Nakkash (BA '24) wins MLK Spirit Award

Jan 29, 2024

Ford School undergraduate Neil Nakkash (BA '24) was honored with one of the 19th annual Central Campus Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Spirit Awards on January 27. Nakkash aspires to pursue a career in medicine and health policy. Kuvin Satyadev (BA...

State & Hill

Global Fordies make the school a bigger, better place

May 3, 2023

By Daniel Rivkin Akiho Nagano (MPP '23) and Mayu Ueno (MPP '24) were speaking in a corridor at Weill Hall, sharing thoughts about past jobs, future jobs, and their families. Roaming the halls, you can hear similar conversations, in their case in...

News

Three undergraduate Ford School students receive MLK Spirit Award

Jan 26, 2022

Three Ford School undergraduates have been recognized with Central Campus Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Spirit Awards, noting their exemplification of Dr. King’s leadership and vision. The students, Janani Gandhi (BA ‘22), Ayodele Ojo (BA ‘23),...

Headshots of Ayodele Ojo, Janani Gandhi, and Hugo Quintana

State & Hill

Morela Hernandez on leadership, diversity, and organizational change

Dec 13, 2021

By Olivia Bradish (BA ‘23) Armed with her BA from Rice University, Morela Hernandez entered the corporate finance world. In a setting where nobody looked like her, she pondered a question that was both practical and intellectual: as she puts it,...

News

U-M Ford School launching Center for Racial Justice, aims to help address societal challenges

Aug 24, 2021

The University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy is launching a new Center for Racial Justice designed to expand knowledge about the complex intersections between race and public policy and create a community of leaders, scholars and students...

News

Ford School welcomes 2021 PPIA fellows

Jun 25, 2021

On June 14, the Ford School welcomed its 40th cohort to its Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute (JSI)— a program designed to build diversity in public service. Formerly called the Sloan or Woodrow Wilson...

In the Media

Stevenson and Wolfers' textbook praised for helping to modernize how we teach economics

Mar 20, 2021 The Economist

"Textbooks are evolving too. Last year, Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers of the University of Michigan published a tome that tries to avoid representation biases. Its description of the mechanics of monetary policy also scores well," writes The...

News

Ford School in partnership to diversify and support PhD applicants

Mar 18, 2021

Pilot pre-doctoral program prepares policy school graduates to pursue academic careers, broadening and diversifying pipeline for future faculty The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy is launching a new pre-doctoral research program — in...

PhD student getting hooded at commencement

News

Sanders works to create inclusive spaces for students of color

Jun 26, 2020

Ford School lecturer and diversity, equity, and inclusion officer Stephanie Sanders offers lessons about creating inclusive spaces in an essay published in Higher Education Today. As part of a project run by the National Center for Institutional...

U.S. scientific advancements lack diversity, equity, and inclusion, says Parthasarathy

Mar 16, 2020

U.S. competitiveness in global research and development (R&D) is hampered by political bias and a lack of diversity, according to Ford School professor Shobita Parthasarathy. She spoke at a February 25 meeting of the National Academy of Sciences,...

News

Refereeing the Referees: Wolfers featured on podcast about fairness in basketball

Apr 8, 2019

Just in time for the NCAA championship game concluding March Madness, a new podcast investigating the idea of fairness titled Against the Rules with Michael Lewis gives insight into changing referee standards. In the first episode released April 2,...

News

Ford School joins fellow public affairs schools in Diversity Alliance

Jan 7, 2019

The Ford School partnered with five other public affairs schools across the U.S. to launch the Public Affairs Diversity Alliance. Through the Alliance, the schools commit to training, mentoring, and promoting diverse scholars and sustaining a...

State & Hill

Paul Courant on the evolving/devolving relationship between universities and society

Dec 28, 2017

A conversation with Ford School professor Paul Courant, who has just returned to the school following an eight-month term as interim provost of U-M. S&H: You've just completed your second stint in the Provost's office. Did you notice any...

New DE&I recruiting procedures show promise in first year of implementation

Apr 19, 2017

Last year, the Ford School developed new undergraduate and graduate student recruitment procedures--objectives that were outlined in the school's five-year plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). The goal of the expanded recruitment...

State & Hill

DE&I: Building on the longstanding success of faculty research and policy engagement

Apr 19, 2017

A key pillar of the Ford School’s recently released Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) is to build on the longstanding success of faculty research and policy engagement in this space. Here’s a quick snapshot of just a few of...

Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at the Ford School (summer 2016 - spring 2017)

Apr 19, 2017

The Ford School welcomed its 2016 PPIA fellows and celebrated the 35th anniversary of the Public Policy and International Affairs program this summer. The 18 fellows spent an intensive seven weeks at the Ford School preparing for graduate school and...

Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at the Ford School (fall 2015 - fall 2016)

Nov 29, 2016

The Ford School launched its five-year strategic plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion on October 5, 2016. It includes four central goals: diversifying ‘who we are’, diversifying ‘what and how we teach’, promoting an equitable and inclusive...

Farley in Michigan Daily op-ed: Recognizing U-M diversity during upcoming bicentennial

Oct 31, 2016

Reynolds Farley, in an op-ed for the Michigan Daily, calls on U-M bicentennial planners to recognize and promote diversity around campus through historical markers.Noting that many buildings on campus are named after white men of European origin,...

U-M attracts 262 HAIL Scholarship recipients from 52 Michigan counties in first year

Oct 17, 2016

Enrolling at the University of Michigan seemed like a far-fetched dream for Devin Raymond.Despite his 3.9 high school GPA, being the president of student council, and his involvement in choir, band, musical theater and other extracurricular...

Ford School launches its strategic plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion

Oct 5, 2016

The Ford School has publicly released its five-year strategic plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion, developed as part of a broad University of Michigan commitment launched by President Schlissel in September 2015.The plan includes assessment,...

Stevenson on Women's Equality Day and newly launched Employers for Pay Equity

Aug 26, 2016

“It’s easy to get the impression, as the U.S. celebrates the 45th annual Women’s Equality Day today, that the march toward equality has slowed to a crawl. Allow me to disagree,” writes Betsey Stevenson in today’s Bloomberg piece, “Believe it or not,...

Photos and lessons from 2016 Graduate Horizons conference for Native American students

Jul 29, 2016

The Ford School and University of Michigan recently hosted the 10th biennial Graduate Horizons conference for American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian students.View the photo album here.The four-day conference, held July 9 - 12 on the...