MPP students

News

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

News

Building tech to support small towns: U-M team develops digital tool for SEC compliance

Sep 26, 2024

When Congress passed the Financial Data and Transparency Act (FDTA) in 2022, it required all municipalities in the U.S. to modernize and digitize their financial reports. This is a heavy lift for small towns and school districts, most of which still...

Photo of a stone building with a large "City Hall" sign

News

Hands-on learning on Capitol Hill: Riecker Fellows share their experiences

Sep 25, 2024

Riecker Fellow Joe Mancina (MPP ’24) said he could not have imagined gleaning the same experience on Capitol Hill through a Zoom screen.“It was great to be in person,” he said. “In this environment on the Hill, things are relatively fast...

Riecker Fellows Gerardo Mendez Gutierrez and Joseph Mancina in Washington, DC

News

Ford School names 2024 Weill Scholars

Sep 24, 2024

Five exceptional master’s students have been named the 2024 Weill Scholars. Weill Scholars Beth Hartsog (MPP ‘26), Sunny Huang (MPP ‘26), Milena Saakyan (MPP ‘26), Tierra Tresvant (MPP ‘26), and Jessica Vivar (MPP ‘26) are recipients of the...

Beth Hartsog, Sunny Huang, Milena Saakyan, Tierra Tresvant, and Jessica Vivar

News

Introducing the 2024 David Bohnett Foundation Leadership and Public Service Fellows

Sep 24, 2024

First-year MPP students, Delaney McDermott (MPP/MPH ‘27) and Bradley Popovich (MPP ‘26) have been selected as the 2024 Bohnett Fellows at the Ford School of Public Policy. The competitively awarded David Bohnett Foundation Leadership and Public...

Bohnett Fellows Delaney McDermott and Bradley Popovich

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

Megan Connors named 2024 Gerald R Ford Presidential Fellow

Sep 17, 2024

The Ford School of Public Policy recognizes Megan Connors (MPP ‘26) as the 2023 Gerald R. Ford Presidential Fellow. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Fellowship is awarded to one of the most exceptional Ford School applicants each year, chosen for...

News

2024 Pitch Competition: Samuel Owusu at U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Education & the Workforce

Sep 16, 2024

Eleven talented students showcased what they learned during their summer internship at the Ford School 7th Annual Policy Pitch Competition. Undergraduate and graduate students spent three minutes sharing their key deliverables, policy impacts, and...

News

Christiana Verdelus named the inaugural winner of the Ali Family Memorial Writing Prize

Jul 9, 2024

Recent graduate Christiana Verdelus (MPP ‘24) has won the inaugural Ali Family Memorial Writing Prize for her work, “Why Michigan's Certificate of Need Law Must be Repealed to Improve Black Maternal Health.”Verdelus’s paper addresses the problem of...

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

Ali Family Memorial Prize will recognize student written work in health policy

Feb 6, 2024

Starting this semester, Ford School students will have a new opportunity to earn recognition for their work in the field of health policy. The Ali Family Memorial Prize will be awarded annually to a Ford School student or group of students for...

Javed Ali's mother, father, his sister's family, his wife, and son in 2019 in Detroit, smiling and standing around a birthday cake.

News

Corwin (MPP/SEAS '25) increases residential participation in energy efficiency programs

Nov 1, 2023

Bridget Corwin (MPP/SEAS ‘25) was chosen to be one of nine 2023 Catalyst Leadership Circle Fellows, an annual program that provides Michigan communities statewide the resources needed to be able to tackle environmentally focused projects they...

News

Returning students practice leadership skills

Oct 9, 2023

On an overcast morning in late August, 38 continuing Ford School MPP students gathered in the Dixboro Woods to strategize, communicate, and achieve a shared objective. But it wasn’t to fulfill a consulting project or a problem set. It was part of...

News

Ford School names 2023 Weill Scholars and Weill Youth Policy Fellow

Sep 28, 2023

Six outstanding master’s students have been named as the 2023 Weill Scholars and Weill Youth Policy (YPL) Fellows. Weill Youth Policy Fellow Samuel Owusu (MPP ‘25) and Weill Scholars Winnie Chen (MPP ‘25), Naomi Garcia (MPP ‘25), Nia Knox (MPP ‘25),...

Portraits of (top, left to right) Winnie Chen, Naomi Garcia, Sam Owusu, (bottom, left to right) Nia Knox, Lexie Milukhin, and Farah Pitcher

News

Bryant named 2023 Gerald R. Ford Presidential Fellow

Sep 27, 2023

Honoring the legacy of President Ford, Kathleen Bryant (MPP ‘25) and previous fellows exemplify the president’s commitment to bipartisan cooperation and civility, community service, and public sector service. Each year, the Gerald R. Ford...

News

Ford School names Brooke Tran as 2023 Kohn Scholar

Sep 21, 2023

The Ford School recognizes Brooke H. Tran (MPP ‘25) as the 2023 Kohn Scholar. Tran joins the 2022 Kohn Scholar, Lizett Aguilar (MPP ‘24) in this honor. Kohn Scholars are chosen for their outstanding qualifications and commitment to public service...

News

Ford School announces 2023 Rebecca A. Copeland Fellows

Sep 6, 2023

The Ford School is proud to recognize Olivia Morris (MPP/MSW ‘25) and Jennie Scheerer (MPP/MPH ‘24) as the 2023 Rebecca A. Copeland Fellows. They were chosen for their commitment to public service and focus on promoting health equity. Morris and...

Portraits of Olivia Morris (left) and Jennie Scheerer (right)

News

Caroline Sweeney (MPA ‘23) lends media expertise to fellow Fordies in multi-part communications workshop

Apr 18, 2023

This spring, the Ford School’s Leadership Initiative tapped into in-house talent to host a series of communication workshops. Former reporter and current MPA student Caroline Sweeney (MPA ‘23) led a workshop series to help her colleagues better...

News

Ford School recognizes 2022 Gerald R. Ford Presidential Fellow

Jan 4, 2023

The Ford School of Public Policy names Katie Hyland (MPP ‘24) as the 2022 Gerald R. Ford Presidential Fellow. Honoring the legacy of President Ford, fellows are chosen for their commitment to bipartisan cooperation and civility, engagement in...

News

Ford School recognizes 2022 Rebecca A. Copeland Fellows

Jan 3, 2023

The Ford School is proud to recognize Huda Bashir (MPP/MPH ‘23) and Brynna Thigpen (MPP/MBA ‘23) as the 2022 Rebecca A. Copeland Fellows. They were chosen for their commitment to public service and focus on promoting health equity. Bashir is...

Headshots of Huda Bashir (MPP/MPH ‘23) and Brynna Thigpen (MPP/MBA ‘23)

News

Aguilar named as Kohn Scholar

Jan 3, 2023

The Ford School recognizes Lizett Aguilar (MPP ‘24) as the 2022 Kohn Scholar. She joins 2021 Kohn Scholar Marco Ramirez (MPP ‘23). Kohn Scholars are chosen for their outstanding qualifications and commitment to public service and advancing social...

News

From ambulance driver to investor: U-M student creates fund to seed Ukrainian entrepreneurs

Oct 28, 2022

Driving an ambulance in war-torn Ukraine is a risky business. But for an American college student pursuing a dual degree in business and public policy, it was a risk worth taking. For one unforgettable month this summer, Samuel Ashley, a graduate...

Photo of 6 men positioned in front of ambulances and holding United States and Ukraine flags

News

Mandy Mitchell (MPP ‘22) awarded Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award

Mar 17, 2022

The Ford School is proud to announce that the Rackham Graduate School awarded Mandy Mitchell (MPP ‘22) with the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) Award. Mitchell served as the GSI for PubPol 580: Values & Ethics in Public Policy from...

News

Two students awarded Rebecca A. Copeland Fellowships

Jan 21, 2022

Two graduate students, Phong Khải Hồng (MPP/MS, ‘24) and Danielle Wallick (MPP/MURP, ‘23) were recently recognized as the first recipients of the Ford School’s Rebecca A. Copeland Fellowship, for their commitment to public service and focus on...

News

2022 Riecker Michigan Delegation Fellows named

Jan 13, 2022

The 2022 winter semester will look a little bit different for two second-year Ford School graduate students. Bethany Haddad (MPP ‘22) and Kate Randall (MPP ‘22), were selected from a very competitive pool of applicants for the prestigious Riecker...

News

Nine Ford School students selected for 2022 Dow Sustainability Program

Dec 20, 2021

Last week, the Graham Sustainability Institute awarded more than $800,000 in tuition and project funding to support the 2022 Dow Sustainability Fellows and two, large international student projects funded by the Dow Distinguished Awards. Among...

News

Welcome newly-elected 2022 Alumni Board members

Dec 16, 2021

Six Ford School alumni have been elected to serve on the Alumni Board by their peers. The newly elected members are all engaged alumni, bringing experience from numerous fields, including environmental work, philanthropy, consulting, government, and...

Headshots of Ed Chu, Tosha Downey, Sam Geller, Latesha Love-Grayer, Jackson Voss, and Kevin Sweitzer

News

MPP student receives 2021-22 Skip and Carrie Gordon Scholarship

Dec 8, 2021

Three full-time MBA students from the Ross School of Business were recently announced as the recipients of the 2021-22 Skip and Carrie Gordon Scholarships. Those Michigan Ross students, including one dual MBA/MPP student — Nathan Alston (MBA...

News

Brittney Barros briefs Congress on foster care legislation

Nov 3, 2021

Brittney Barros, dual MSW and MPP student, will brief Congress this week on the Protecting Sibling Relationships in Foster Care Act, legislation which Barros developed as a 2018 intern with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI)....

News

Bentley gift bolsters MPP internships

Jun 28, 2021

Thanks to a generous gift from Ann Bentley and the Alvin M. Bentley Foundation in 2020 and in 2021, 10 MPP students were able to secure required summer internships without worrying about costs or income. “Funding support enables Ford School...

Headshots of Alex Baum, Bethany Haddad, Ben Levine, Rebecca Mendelsohn, and Cassidy Uchman