Diversity equity and inclusion

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...

News

Weiland and Jacob: Lessons from Michigan for Washington’s early childhood programs

Mar 21, 2025

Research shows that high-quality preschool education has the power to positively impact a child’s growth and development, even far into adulthood. However, as costs increase and high demand creates long wait times, many children across the country...

Headshots of Brian Jacob and Christina Weiland

News

Herd and Moynihan: A framework to reduce administrative burdens in the social safety net

Mar 20, 2025

Pamela Herd and Don Moynihan, faculty at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy and co-founders of the Better Government Lab, address this issue in a new article published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives. They offer a...

Headshots of Pamela Herd and Donald Moynihan

News

Efficiency, success of Social Security threatened by planned layoffs, U-M expert says

Mar 11, 2025

A University of Michigan professor offers insights on the Trump administration’s plans to cut the Social Security Administration workforce.Pamela Herd is the Carol Kakalec Kohn professor of social policy at the Ford School of Public Policy and a...

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

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

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...

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...

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

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...

News

Students create public participation plan for the City of Chicago

Apr 5, 2024

By its very definition, democracy gives people a voice in the decisions that affect their communities, but the practice of incorporating citizen voices in government decisions can be complicated and challenging.Last semester, three students from the...

Photo of Amy Beck Harris and colleagues at Chicago City Hall

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...

News

“Do what makes you come alive, do it with courage” Martin Luther King Jr. panelists discuss his legacy, implications for today’s world

Jan 21, 2024

On Monday, January 15th, hundreds of community members, students, and U-M affiliates filled Hill Auditorium to attend the 38th annual memorial keynote lecture in tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The MLK Symposium, founded in 1987 as a...

MLK keynote speech 2024 at Hill Auditorium

News

Flint high school students glimpse college life with 23Express

Jan 16, 2024

Michael Williams describes himself as a “closeted nerd.” Growing up in Flint, Michigan, he felt like he had to disguise his love of learning in order to blend in with his peers. “It wasn’t ‘cool’ to like school,” he explains. “You could be smart,...

23Express students visit University of Michigan football stadium

News

Institute Partnership Creates Pathway to Diverse Academic Leadership

Nov 15, 2023

The Academic Leadership Institute (ALI) Summer Residential Program offered by the University of Michigan (U-M) and Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) equips diverse individuals with the knowledge and management skills required to advance...

academic leadership institute earl lewis

News

Four named University Diversity and Social Transformation Professors

Jul 20, 2023

Four U-M faculty members have been named University Diversity and Social Transformation Professors for their exceptional contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion through research, teaching and service. The Board of Regents approved the...

Paula M. Lantz, Antoinette Louise Toppin, Kyle P. Whyte and Alford A. Young Jr.

State & Hill

Diversity, equity, and inclusion highlights

Dec 19, 2022

The University of Michigan is currently in an interim period between its strategic plans for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), with the next plan set to launch in early fall 2023. The Ford School community did not pause, however, and is hard...

Photo of DeAndré Calvert addressing a room of attendees at the Ford School reunion in 2019

News

Making the case for public policy education

Dec 14, 2022

In an event on December 5, 2022, Ford School interim dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes told a group of Capitol Hill staffers and other DC professionals that a public policy education can lead to community impact. “I'm a firm believer in the idea that...

Photo of Hardy Vieux, Maria Cancian, Celeste Watkins-Hayes, and Trevor Brown posed in front of a screen with a slide that says "Public Policy Panel for Prospective Policy Makers"

News

U-M online course centers equity and justice in technology policy

Nov 30, 2022

A new massive open online course available on Michigan Online will help STEM and policy professionals, community organizers, and students understand how injustices can become embedded in technology and associated policies. “Justice and Equity in...

Collage of photos featuring tech workers protesting, CCTV camera, wind turbins, and kids using tablets

Publication

Research shows how women leaders manage the “double bind”

Jun 17, 2022

In corporate boardrooms, women often face backlash or negative career consequences when they are unable to display both warmth and competence — gendered societal expectations commonly referred to as the ‘double bind.’ Morela Hernandez, the Ligia...

State & Hill

No time to rest on our laurels

May 31, 2022

Diversity, equity, and inclusion work continues at the Ford School Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values of the Ford School. They’re inseparable from our pursuit of the public good. They’re essential to the character of the...

News

March 2022: Diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Ford School

Mar 9, 2022

Updates regarding faculty, staff, and student DEI-related activity at the Ford School Diversifying who we are The Undergraduate Students of Color in Public Policy (SCPP) hosted an undergraduate application preparation and panel discussion....

News

Parthasarathy calls for equitable innovation in science and technology

Mar 4, 2022

Recently, Shobita Parthasarathy appeared on the Issues in Science and Technology podcast, The Ongoing Transformation, to discuss her article, "Innovation as a Force for Equity." "As someone who is dedicated to the project of equity and justice in...

A person gesturing while speaking at a podium in front of a blackboard, in a lecture hall.

News

Ford School Black History Month activities cover a wide spectrum of topics

Feb 2, 2022

The Ford School and its research centers will be hosting a variety of events during February, Black History Month, examining a range of topics concerning the struggles for racial equity. The Center for Racial Justice, Weiser Diplomacy Center and...