Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy A community dedicated to the public good at the world-class University of Michigan. Leaders rooted in service, policy grounded in evidence. 〽️

We believe in the Ford School Difference:

Making a real and lasting difference in the world through game-changing discoveries; actionable policy solutions; rigorous, applied courses; and our powerful and growing network of alumni.

Mark your calendars! Democracy Week is September 14-19. 📅Over 5 days, conversations, workshops, and civic action opportu...
09/10/2026

Mark your calendars! Democracy Week is September 14-19. 📅

Over 5 days, conversations, workshops, and civic action opportunities will be happening across campus.

The lineup includes:
🎬Democracy on the diag – 9/14-9/17 on the Diag
📜 How to Disagree Better: A Forum with Governors Spencer Cox and Lujan Grisham – 9/14 at Rackham Auditorium
🌐 Democracy in Global-Historical Perspective – 9/15 in Weill Hall
🌎Decolonizing imagination: Narratives, memory and political possibility in the U.S. territories – 9/15 in Weill Hall
📋 Michigan elections: Local control, national scrutiny, and public trust – 9/17 in Weill Hall
🎨 We Hold These Truths: An Artist’s Talk with Holly Bass – 9/17 at Michigan Theater

Learn more about these events and additional on-campus activities: https://myumi.ch/d8QVR

Health care, education, economic security, housing. These systems shape everyday life, & they're deeply interconnected.J...
09/09/2026

Health care, education, economic security, housing. These systems shape everyday life, & they're deeply interconnected.

Join us on September 18 for the Kohn Social Policy Conference, which asks: What can a city do to promote human thriving?

Space is limited. Join the interest list: https://myumi.ch/Pbrbk

Interested in turning analysis into action? Our admissions team is hitting the road this fall!They will be attending gra...
09/08/2026

Interested in turning analysis into action? Our admissions team is hitting the road this fall!

They will be attending graduate fairs across the country, including New York City, Washington, DC, Urbana, and several locations here in Michigan. This is a great opportunity to learn about our programs and experience the vibrant community at the University of Michigan.

Find an event near you or register for an online information session: https://myumi.ch/X8XjP

Happy Labor Day! On this day, our namesake President Gerald R. Ford celebrated his first Labor Day in office by signing ...
09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day!

On this day, our namesake President Gerald R. Ford celebrated his first Labor Day in office by signing the Employee Retirement Security Act of 1974. This legislation established new standards for private pension plans, extending coverage for existing systems and providing safeguards to help ensure that workers receive their expected benefits upon retirement.

During his remarks, he said, “It is certainly appropriate that this law be signed on Labor Day, since this act marks a brighter future for almost all the men and women of our labor force.”

Photo courtesy of The Gerald Ford Presidential Library & Museum.

Congratulations to U-M PhD candidates Margarita Maria Rodriguez Morales (Public policy and sociology) and Fadilat Olasup...
09/06/2026

Congratulations to U-M PhD candidates Margarita Maria Rodriguez Morales (Public policy and sociology) and Fadilat Olasupo (Sociology) on receiving two of the three graduate research fellowships from the Social Science Research Council! 🏆

Rodriguez Morales received the Charles E. Lindblom Memorial Fellowship for her research that explores the use of algorithmic technologies in Latin American welfare policymaking and their impacts on how states relate to their poorest citizens. Olasupo received the William H. Janeway Fellowship for her research, which examines how Black immigrants interpret and navigate encounters with policing, criminalization, and immigration enforcement.

Read more about the fellowships: https://myumi.ch/qwgm3

University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

Multigenerational housing is on the rise, comprising 14% of the market in 2025. What is driving this increase? Natasha P...
09/05/2026

Multigenerational housing is on the rise, comprising 14% of the market in 2025. What is driving this increase?

Natasha Pilkauskas told The San Francisco Standard, “The increase is likely driven by a lack of affordable housing, childcare, and eldercare, and the increase in single parents, as opposed to an emotional drive to live as one big, happy family."

Read more here: https://myumi.ch/e7722

We are delighted to share that Hardy Vieux (MPP/JD '97) has won the 2026 Neil Staebler Distinguished Service Award, the ...
09/04/2026

We are delighted to share that Hardy Vieux (MPP/JD '97) has won the 2026 Neil Staebler Distinguished Service Award, the school's highest alumni honor for dedication to excellence in public service!

Vieux currently serves as executive vice president and chief program officer at Kids in Need of Defense, an international organization that works to protect the rights and well-being of children migrating alone in search of safety.

Vieux will accept his award on October 16 during our 2026 Homecoming celebration.

Read more about Vieux: https://myumi.ch/d884N

We’re pleased to announce Nicole Sherard-Freeman will join Luke Shaefer for a featured keynote conversation at the 2026 ...
09/03/2026

We’re pleased to announce Nicole Sherard-Freeman will join Luke Shaefer for a featured keynote conversation at the 2026 Kohn Social Policy Conference!

Sherard-Freeman and Shaefer will explore how leaders across sectors can work together to strengthen the systems that shape opportunity, stability, and well-being. It will connect directly to the conference's central question: What can a city do to promote human thriving?

Space is limited. Join the interest list: https://myumi.ch/Pbrbk

Science and technology scholar Shobita Parthasarathy says data centers are a proxy for broader concerns about artificial...
09/02/2026

Science and technology scholar Shobita Parthasarathy says data centers are a proxy for broader concerns about artificial intelligence and inequality and that the issue may drive some voters to the polls.

“People are just sort of increasingly alienated, fed up, and exercised by it in a way that I’ve never seen before. So I think it’s entirely possible that they could be motivated to go out to vote,” Parthasarathy told WAFB Channel 9.

Read more: https://myumi.ch/2jjJE

09/02/2026

In a project that aims to promote public awareness and understanding of food hardship, University of Michigan researchers Helen Levy and Natasha Pilkauskas will lead the collection of monthly data on food insufficiency from a national sample of U.S. households. The project will release quarterly issue briefs tracking food insufficiency rates overall and among key groups, including households with children and older adults.

The underlying microdata will be made publicly available at no cost, providing researchers, policymakers, and the public with an up-to-date picture of how vulnerable families are faring.

Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy University of Michigan

Address

Joan & Sanford Weill Hall, 735 South State St
Ann Arbor, MI
48109

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Monday 7:30am - 6pm
Tuesday 7:30am - 6pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 6pm
Thursday 7:30am - 6pm
Friday 7:30am - 6pm

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+17347643490

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