Sometimes you have to not just dream about what could be—you get out and push and you pull and you preach. And you create a climate and environment to get those in high places, to get men and women of goodwill in power to act.
Former U.S....
State & Hill, the print magazine of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, is a bi-annual publication featuring stories about the school's students, alumni, and faculty. Feature articles vary in each issue, and generally highlight noteworthy...
Sherry Suttles (MPP ’71) made history as the first Black woman city manager in the United States.
That was a goal Suttles had set for herself soon after graduating in the first class of Master of Public Policy degrees awarded by U-M’s Institute...
Axelrod's adventures
Robert Axelrod, William D. Hamilton Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, writes about the difficulties and rewards of interdisciplinary collaboration in his new autobiography, A Passion for Cooperation: Adventures...
A place-based view of the legacy of poverty in the U.S.
At first glance, there's not much in common among the spinach fields of Crystal City, Texas; the cotton mills near Greenwood, Mississippi; and the historic salt works in Manchester,...
State & Hill sat down with the Ford School’s new dean to reflect on her scholarship, her mentors, and Gerald Ford
State & Hill: Tell us about your intellectual journey to leading the Ford School.
Celeste Watkins-Hayes: What you see in my...
U-M researchers play role in reimagining social safety net in Ann Arbor and beyond
For the nearly three decades Kristin Seefeldt (MPP ’96, PhD ’10) has lived and worked in Ann Arbor, her professional life studying and teaching about poverty...
Of all of the recent headlines about U.S. government dysfunction, election denialism, and voter dissatisfaction, one in particular worries Ford School political scientist Jenna Bednar. The New York Times reported in October 2022, “Voters See...
Sociologist Jeffrey Morenoff, associate dean for research and policy engagement
Focus: neighborhood environments, crime and criminal justice, the social determinants of health, racial/ethnic/immigrant inequality, and methods for analyzing...
Susan D. Page and Kamissa Camara in discussion
An alarming number of countries in Africa have been experiencing coups over the past few years—a total of nine coups in three years—in Sudan, Burkina Faso (twice), Chad, Guinea, Mali (twice), and...
Expert on inequality and political violence now directs the Ford School’s International Policy Center
As an undergraduate, associate professor Megan Stewart took a class on Middle East politics and became interested in how a political movement,...
“Rather than a single terrorist attack, this was a complex operation that involved commando teams and rocket attacks against multiple targets. The fact that Israel appears to have lacked advance warning is surprising, given Israel’s excellence in...
Transmission impossible?
Current research suggests that the U.S. could reach net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 at a relatively low cost by utilizing currently available technologies, such as electric vehicles and zero-carbon...
Dr. Robert Goeckel (MPP ’74), distinguished SUNY professor of political science and international relations, retired in January 2023 after teaching for 40 years at SUNY Geneseo.
Judy Arnold (MPP ’83), Barb Birnbaum (MPP ’83), Winthrop...
“I believe that the NATO alliance serves [U.S.] interests because it spreads the burden of collective security across many member states and doesn’t just put the burden on the United States. I also believe firmly about the importance of U.S....
Warm greetings from Ann Arbor, where the first snow of the year has blanketed the campus. We’re enjoying the football team’s win over Ohio State—the 1,001st victory in Michigan’s history. (Our own Gerald Ford was part of sixteen of those wins...
Philadelphia Poet Laureate and educator Airea D. Matthews (MPA ’07) returned to the Ford School this fall to discuss her memoir-in-verse with writing instructor Molly Spencer at an event hosted by the Center for Racial Justice. The following day,...
What’s on the barbie?
Economists Justin Wolfers and Betsey Stevenson were on the guest list as the White House hosted a State Dinner for Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in October.
Skills match
More than fifty...
Coalition-building leads to good policy-making
By Daniel Rivkin
In 2014, Stephanie Chang (MPP/MSW '14) was approached by her community-organizing colleague, then-State Representative, now Congresswoman, Rashida Tlaib, to run for office. Chang...
"The Republicans are just in a really difficult situation, because their margin is so small and this bloc is so determined. They want to be able to stymie things if things are not going their way. This is an effort to wield as much power as they can...
A fractured superpower
States have driven important federal policy changes around voting, civil and reproductive rights, environmental protections, and more. What happens when states take it upon themselves to experiment with energy, trade, and...
Dominique Adams-Santos, Celeste Watkins-Hayes, and PhD candidate Kayonne Christy contributed a chapter, "Narratives in Context: Locating Racism and Sexism in Black Women's Health Experiences," to The Routledge Companion to...
Alan Miller (MPP '74) was a visiting adjunct professor in the School for Environment and Sustainability at U-M during the fall semester, teaching a half semester course on adapting to climate change.
Steven Mehlman (MPP/JD '80) retired at the end...
Happy spring from Ann Arbor!
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time serving as interim dean this past year, working closely with and learning so much from our community. U-M Provost Laurie McCauley's search for a new dean is ongoing, with the...
Deans on the Hill
The Ford School joined U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty, then-chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, to bring together policy deans Celeste Watkins-Hayes, Trevor Brown (Ohio State), and Maria Cancian (Georgetown) to talk to...
The FBI does have national security concerns about [TikTok]. Its parent company is controlled by the Chinese government…. It gives them the ability to control the recommendation algorithm, which allows them to manipulate content and—if they want...
To address our most pressing global challenges, we need professionals with the knowledge and skills to analyze complex problems, build policy coalitions, and advocate effectively"
John Ciorciari
The Ford School's two internationally-focused...
Lessons in restorative justice
By Miriam Wasserman
In spring 2019, Aprisal Malale (MPP '20) found himself at the side of an unmarked grave in Guatemala.
Malale, along with Towsley Policymaker in Residence Hardy Vieux (MPP/JD '97), and...
Ostfeld partners with the University of Puerto Rico to build social science infrastructure
By Miriam Wasserman
To say that Puerto Rico has faced profound and dramatic challenges over the past two decades is an understatement.
Even before...