University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
@fordschool
The official Ford School Bluesky account. A community dedicated to the public good at the world-class @umich.edu. Leaders rooted in service, policy grounded in evidence. #GoBlue 〽️ Check our starter packs for Ford School faculty and other policy schools.
Holly Bass, a multidisciplinary artist, choreographer, and writer, will join us this fall as a Towsley Policymaker in Residence! We are honored to welcome her to the Ford School community and are looking forward to learning from her expertise. Read more: https://myumi.ch/e7gXX
Michigan elections are often decided by a shockingly small number of votes. In a new @freep.com op-ed, Rusty Hills traces several of the state's closest races to make the case that turnout is often what tips the outcome. Read: https://myumi.ch/d8A8j
Today is Michigan’s primary election! 🗳️ Polls in Michigan are open from 7:00 am–8:00 pm. Find your polling location: https://myumi.ch/84Vjj
Congratulations to Professor @shobitap.org, incoming President-Elect of the Society for the Social Studies of Science, the leading international association for researchers in science and technology studies! 🎉 Read: https://myumi.ch/WD5D9
What can a city do to promote human thriving? 🏙️ Join us Sept. 18 in Detroit for the 2026 Kohn Social Policy Conference. Featuring research from #KohnProfessors Luke Schaefer, @weilanch.bsky.social, @pamherd.bsky.social, and @sbagen.bsky.social. Join the interest list: https://myumi.ch/Pbrbk
Why do public benefits arrive late? A new study by Ford School economist Yusuf Neggers points to a surprising factor: overworked officials trying to serve their communities without efficient tools. Full story: https://myumi.ch/pg7Az
It’s almost Michigan’s primary election! 🗳️ 📩 If you’re voting in person on August 4, polls will be open 7:00 am–8:00 pm. If you’re voting absentee, ballots need to be received by your clerk’s office by 8:00 pm on election day. More info: https://myumi.ch/84Vjj
A new study from U-M’s Puerto Rican Opinion Lab found 72% of Puerto Rico residents say the government has little power without U.S. federal intervention. Principal investigator @maraceci.bsky.social calls it a "sovereignty crisis." Read more: https://myumi.ch/pg7pA
The White House's new science blueprint calls for shifting hundreds of billions of research dollars from universities to industry, primarily tech & AI companies. Science and technology policy scholar @shobitap.org spoke with @statnews.com about why that’s a problem. Read: https://myumi.ch/WD2Wr
The Ford School is hiring a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow focused on international policy—climate, migration, conflict, global governance, tech policy & more. Especially interested in scholars whose non-traditional path brings new perspectives to the field. Apply: https://myumi.ch/DWwPw
We’re hiring a tenured faculty member (associate or full professor) in Democracy Policy—treating democracy as a policy domain with identifiable problems and actionable solutions. Part of a university-wide cluster on democracy, data & civic education. Apply: https://myumi.ch/Pbren
On July 1, the U.S. Department of Education began rolling out a test that aims to hold colleges accountable for the earnings outcomes of their graduates. Education economist Kevin Stange spoke with @cbsnews.com about what the test means for students & institutions alike. https://myumi.ch/RQpE2
ICYMI: The Supreme Court term just wrapped. #KohnProfessor @sbagen.bsky.social sat down with @slate.com to discuss the Court’s bad use of history and the demise of independent agencies. Listen: https://myumi.ch/RQWb6 Read the story: https://myumi.ch/G71np
ICYMI: 60% of Florida students tested at or above grade level in reading & math this year. Education economist Brian Jacob says to wait for NAEP data before celebrating. State exams can inflate gains via shifting test populations & teaching to the test. Read: https://myumi.ch/mVxDw
Dr. Joe Schwarz brought a rare combination of experience to the classroom. Check out the Battle Creek Podcast's "Community Matters" series featuring reflections from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer & others whose lives he touched. Listen: https://myumi.ch/pgZNy
Statewide, 60% of local officials say Michigan is on the "wrong track," according to a new Michigan Public Policy Survey from the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy. Details: https://myumi.ch/E7kR5
ICYMI: Gerald Ford is often remembered as the only U.S. president never elected to the office. Lecturer Rusty Hills makes the case he's also underappreciated—especially for how he led the country through its bicentennial year. Read his @freep.com op-ed: https://myumi.ch/WDJ4A
Our namesake, President Gerald R. Ford, ringing the Bicentennial bells in 1976, celebrating our nation’s 200th anniversary. Today we celebrate the 250th anniversary. Happy Independence Day. 🇺🇸 Watch: https://myumi.ch/Axwyw
High-quality preschool education does more than just prepare a child for elementary school, according to #KohnProfessor @weilanch.bsky.social. Weiland recently spoke about Washington’s state-funded pre-K program and how it can put a child on a path to success. Read: https://myumi.ch/J48yb
Political scientist Ann Lin will be speaking at St. Francis of Assisi’s ‘250 Years of American Independence’, reflecting on global immigration and its impact, and what the future holds. Register: https://myumi.ch/nV89x
Having an accessible voting machine isn't enough—election workers need to know how to use it. Madeleine Gibbons-Shapiro (MPP ‘27) partnered with Detroit Disability Power to develop best practices for Voter Assist Terminals. Read the @stpp-um.bsky.social brief: https://myumi.ch/jVw94
A new policy memo from Madeleine Gibbons-Shapiro (MPP ‘27) for @stpp-um.bsky.social pulls back the curtain on the vast surveillance infrastructure ICE uses to track, arrest, and deport people. Read the memo: https://myumi.ch/Pb6JD
Economist @deanyang.bsky.social is leading the launch of @ideadevecon.bsky.social—the International Development Economics Association—a first-of-its-kind global network to advance development economics research, teaching, and careers worldwide. 🌏 Learn more: https://myumi.ch/7JePx
@jennabednar.bsky.social, professor & founding faculty director of UMich Votes recently spoke with @michiganadvance.com about how she helped transform student voting at U-M, cutting Election Day wait times from 6 hours in 2022 to 20 minutes in 2024. Read: https://myumi.ch/WDQXW
Science and technology scholar @shobitap.org warns that allowing political appointees to veto grants will force changes in direction every 4 years, curtailing innovation. Read in @bloomberg.com: https://myumi.ch/6PrRj
ICYMI: Education economist Brian Jacob recently shared his research with @washingtonpost.com on the long-term decline in U.S. student math scores and its economic implications. Read more: https://myumi.ch/E7wZg
ICYMI: Professor @donmoyn.bsky.social provided insight to @npr.org on the new federal worker designation. Moynihan said that stripping civil service protections will harm institutional performance. Read the article: https://myumi.ch/xjQJ2
Congratulations to Paula Lantz on the 2026 @iaphs.bsky.social J. Michael McGinnis Leadership Excellence Award! 🏆 Her decades of work challenge the “medicalization” of health to reduce social inequalities. Proud of her legacy in health policy! Read: https://myumi.ch/8J5D3
North America is at a turning point—and a new policy brief following the Weiser Diplomacy Center's Convocation 5.0 offers a roadmap. 🗺️ The brief calls for a unified strategy linking security, trade, labor, energy, and innovation. Read: https://myumi.ch/zNrWd
We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of beloved lecturer Joe Schwarz. Schwarz’s legacy lives on in the students he taught. He encouraged taking government seriously & seeing public service as both a responsibility & a calling. Info: https://myumi.ch/39jGg