State & Hill fall 2024

Welcome, changemakersThe Ford School’s Center for Racial Justice proudly welcomes its third cohort of Visiting Fellows: writer, filmmaker, and community organizer Charlene Carruthers; racial justice lawyer, historian, and organizer Amanda Alexander;...

For 25 years, Sue Johnson has been a driving force behind successful fundraising efforts at the University of Michigan, first supporting Rackham Graduate School, then the University’s Museum of Art, and the Law School. Since 2016, the Ford School...

David Rivait (MPP ’84) was appointed by Governor Pritzker to the State of Illinois’ eight-member Budgeting for Results Commission. The Commission advises on an annual performance-based budget and provides oversight and guidance for assessments of...

Mental health and marriage timing Decades of research document powerful associations between parents’ characteristics and children’s marital behaviors. “Parental mental health strongly shapes or disrupts family life and long-term opportunities for...

Celebrated, Emmy Award-winning TV producer (Queer Eye), bestselling author, and host of the popular podcast Getting Curious, Jonathan Van Ness, who identifies as non-binary, has used their platform to champion a range of social issues close to their...

  We looked at other countries to get a sense of the range and then compared it to what we had in the state. Then we looked at a number of different ways that it's administered. I think if you’ve seen one single-payer system, you’ve seen one...

Donald Moynihan joined the Ford School this year as the next J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy. His research seeks to improve how government works by studying the administrative burdens people encounter in government, and he...

The Ford School recently celebrated the extraordinary careers of longtime core faculty members who have retired from the University of Michigan in recent years: Paul N. Courant, Alan V. Deardorff, Edie Goldenerg, Barry Rabe, Carl Simon, Susan Waltz,...

 “Most likely the perception within the Israel Defence Forces and at the political level within Netanyahu’s war cabinet is that they have the momentum. . . . when one side believes it has the momentum against its adversary, you don’t want to give it...

Before becoming an academic, Ford School Lecturer Amy Beck Harris worked in international development and foreign assistance implementation across Latin America with Chemonics International, the largest international development firm that implements...

As the 2024 elections approached, former governors Steve Bullock (D-MT) and John Kasich (R-OH) modeled speaking and listening across political and policy fault lines. The talk was organized by the Ford School with support from the University of...

Rusty Hills has taught nearly 1,000 students in the 20 years he's been teaching the art and science of political campaigning. Winning campaigns require strategy, voter insight, compelling communication, and a well-executed plan, he tells students. A...

In the days following the 2024 elections, we sought insights from Ford School faculty members: How did we arrive at this point? And where do we go from here?>>Jenna Bednar, professor of political science and public policy: “The election raised the...

Dear Fordies, IPPSters, and friends,As I write, it’s been less than a week since the U.S. election and Fordies were deeply engaged in the process: knocking on doors, serving as poll workers, registering people to vote, and inspiring participation on...