PPIA | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

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

News

Ford School announces 2024 PPIA Junior Summer Institute fellows

Mar 12, 2024

Twenty-four undergraduate students from across the U.S. will move to Ann Arbor for an intensive seven-week summer program that focuses on preparing them for graduate programs in public policy and international affairs. For over four decades, the...

Group of PPIA students posing in front of Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy courtyard

News

PPIA students reflect on their summer of study and social life

Aug 2, 2023

What are the dynamics of inequity in labor markets? How do we determine appropriate categories for people in a multicultural society? How is the U.S. approach to ethnicity and nationality different from what they are doing in Europe? These were...

News

Ford School welcomes PPIA 2023 cohort

Jun 19, 2023

The 2023 Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute (JSI) has welcomed 23 students from 11 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. This year’s cohort will spend seven weeks taking classes, participating in...

News

The education journey of EPI's Sam Owusu

Jun 19, 2023

Research analyst Sam Owusu recently worked on a project, which surveyed every school district in the state of Michigan about the availability of early childhood programs. It is a part of his job as a research analyst at the Education Policy...

State & Hill

Spotlights, fall 2022

Dec 19, 2022

Passing the baton A June gathering with faculty and staff celebrating Michael Barr’s first term as dean—and this photo with then-associate dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes—took on new meaning a couple of weeks later when the U.S. Senate confirmed Barr...

News

Ford School welcomes 41st class of PPIA fellows

Jun 16, 2022

Weill Hall buzzed with excitement this week as the Ford School kicked off the 41st year of its Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute – a program designed to build diversity in public service. Hailing from coast to...

Headshots of the 24 members of the Ford School summer 2022 PPIA cohort

News

Challenge accepted: Alumni step up to support PPIA and student internships

Mar 2, 2022

For 40 years, the Ford School’s Public Policy & International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute fellowship (formerly known as the Sloan or Woodrow Wilson fellowship)—a program designed to build diversity in public service—has provided a...

Alumni spotlight

Laura Rivera-Carrion (MPP ‘02, PPIA ‘99) gives back to her community and assists in disaster recovery with HUD

Feb 23, 2022

In the summer of 1999, Laura Rivera-Carrion (MPP ‘02, PPIA ‘99) attended the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute. The program gave her the necessary skills, knowledge, and confidence to pursue a master’s degree in...

State & Hill

Celebrating 40 Years of PPIA

Dec 13, 2021

For 40 years, the Ford School's Public Policy & International Affairs Junior Summer Institute fellowship (PPIA JSI), previously known as the Sloan or Woodrow Wilson fellowship, has helped launch promising undergraduate students on a path toward...

News

Alumni reflect on the enduring and ongoing impact of PPIA

Aug 26, 2021

“It was really transformational. I really feel like it changed my life, at least my career trajectory. It exposed me to new career paths that I wasn't aware of. It gave me skills and competencies for a number of different roles. In a lot of ways, it...

Event panelists appear on a laptop computer screen

News

ViewPoint policy simulation software again a mainstay for PPIA

Aug 2, 2021

The use of facial recognition technology by law enforcement has caused controversy, as authorities balance the benefits of an additional resource with concerns over false accusations and racial profiling. 60 students grappled with the public policy...

On a teal background, two Macbooks shown open displaying the Viewpoint homepage

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...

Alumni spotlight

Farouk Ophaso (MPP '06) breaks down barriers at Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, honored as PPIA Changemaker

Jun 4, 2021

Farouk Ophaso was honored by the Public Policy & International Affairs Program (PPIA)—a program designed to build diversity in public service—as one of their 40 Changemakers to mark their 40th anniversary. The University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford...

News

Ford School student wins prestigious Schwarzman Scholarship

Dec 8, 2020

Karuna Nandkumar (BA ‘21) is an aspiring diplomat and has a deep interest in China. She will be able to pursue that interest after winning a prestigious Schwarzman Scholarship, which will fund a multidisciplinary one-year master's degree at Tsinghua...

News

Hampshire receives PIT-UN challenge grant to create knowledge network, expand student opportunities

Nov 20, 2020

The field of Public Interest Technology is growing — putting technology to the use of social justice, the common good, and the public interest. Ford School professor Robert Hampshire has just received his second grant from the Public Interest...

News

PPIA innovates as it heads to its 40th year

Nov 9, 2020

The Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute (JSI) is entering its 40th year after a summer of adjustment and innovation. The intensive seven-week summer program focuses on preparing diverse undergraduate students for...

Alumni spotlight

Latesha Love-Grayer (MPP ‘02) brings fact-based analyses for better government decision making

Aug 17, 2020

For 17 years, Latesha Love-Grayer (MPP '02) has informed decision making and monitored practices by the U.S. government at the Government Accountability Office (GAO). She says it’s the opportunity to influence legislation and improve implementation...

News

A virtual warm welcome to the 2020 PPIA fellows!

Jun 23, 2020

The Ford School Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute (JSI) normally takes place on campus in Ann Arbor for an intensive six-week program. In its 39th year, the University again welcomes 24 undergraduate students for...

Ford School reopens fall 2020 masters application in wake of pandemic

Apr 30, 2020

Given the unusual public health and economic dislocations facing many service-oriented professionals, including returning Peace Corps Volunteers and Fulbright Fellows, the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy is pleased to...

Ford School welcomes 2019 PPIA Fellows

Jun 18, 2019

This month the Ford School welcomed 24 undergraduate students as part of the 2019 Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) fellows. Over the seven-week program, students take courses on microeconomics, statistics, and policy writing, along...

Broderick D. Johnson to serve as winter 2019 Towsley Policymaker in Residence

Jan 16, 2018

Broderick D. Johnson (JD '83) will join the Ford School as the winter 2019 Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence, teaching a course on "Lobbying and Mass Incarceration." He follows Dudley Benoit (MPP ‘95) who taught...

State & Hill

Catch up on Ford School faculty news in the Fall 2017 edition of State & Hill magazine

Dec 29, 2017

Tamar Mitts and Robert Axelrod participated in a trilateral workshop on the roots and trajectories of violent extremism. Mitts spoke about the radicalization of Islamic State supporters on social media; Axelrod about the strengths and weaknesses of...

News

Welcome, and welcome back, to the Ford School: A message from the dean

Sep 5, 2017

My warmest greetings to the Ford School community on this, the first day of our new academic year. My congratulations to the Wolverines on their decisive victory in the first game of the year. Go Blue! I am deeply honored and incredibly...

Welcome to the Ford School's 2017 Public Policy and International Affairs Fellows

Jun 5, 2017

Please join us in welcoming the Ford School's 2017 Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) fellows to Ann Arbor. The PPIA program, which the Ford School has participated in each year since 1983, aims to promote diversity in public service....

State & Hill

35 years on, next-gen leaders reflect on public policy, international affairs prep school

May 3, 2017

Angela Banks (MPP '97) is a senior attorney for the U.S. Social Security Administration. Latesha Love-Grayer (MPP '02) is a senior policy analyst at the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Farouk Ophaso (MPP '06) serves on the minority staff of...

State & Hill

Au revoir: Susan M. Collins reflects on a decade of service and the years ahead

Apr 27, 2017

"I'm Susan Collins, the Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of Public Policy." It's been ten years since Susan M. Collins joined the Ford School as "the Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of Public Policy," a phrase she has repeated, with no small amount 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...

Cortney Sanders wins Michigan Difference graduate student leadership award

Mar 31, 2017

On March 29, Cortney Sanders (MPP ’17) won the Michigan Difference Student Leadership Award for “Graduate Student of the Year” in recognition of her outstanding achievements in academics, leadership, and service.Sanders is a second-year MPP student...

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...