Ford School of Public Policy

  1. Q&A: Alum José Lemus shares his experience working with the city of Detroit

    José Lemus, who earned his Master’s of Public Policy from the University of Michigan Ford School in 2022, works as a senior advisor for the Jobs and Economy Team in the city of Detroit’s mayor’s office. He is focused on public-private partnerships to support the city’s infrastructure and economic development objectives. 

  2. Engage Detroit Workshops showcase brings community and U-M together

    The Engage Detroit Workshops grant program will support eight teams of U-M faculty, staff, students, and community partners in organizing workshops that will strengthen partnerships between the University of Michigan and Detroit. The 2023 round of funding is supporting projects through August 2024. The projects range from one that helps parents become more involved in their children’s education to another that explores the range of fatherhood experiences.

  3. U-M expert: Implications of restrictive abortion policies on maternal health, social welfare

    “Restrictive abortion policies will further exacerbate health and economic inequality in the U.S. unless public safety net programs and social welfare systems are adequately resourced and reformed to meet the increase in demand from significantly fewer abortions.”

    ~ Paula Lantz, a health policy professor at U-M’s Ford School of Public Policy and professor of health management and policy at the School of Public Health.

  4. Q&A: DeAndré Calvert continues family legacy with work uniting students and community partners

    “The pandemic shined a light on the fact that digital access is both a real requirement for modern living, and a cause of inequity for those who don’t have it. With so many aspects of our lives taking place remotely, that digital divide seemed to get bigger.”

    ~ DeAndré Calvert

  5. Race and racism at U-M is Inclusive History Project’s initial focus

    U-M joins a number of other institutions, including Brown, Emory, Georgetown, Harvard and Johns Hopkins universities, as institutions working to lead their campus communities toward a more universally shared understanding of their historical past.

  6. From industrial wasteland to urban lure, Detroit’s Riverwalk sees 3 million visitors a year

    The conservancy was started in 2003 with the leadership of U-M alums Faye Alexander Nelson, former president and CEO of the conservancy, and Matt Cullen, the current chairman of the board.

  7. Youth Policy Lab study calls for mental health training and support of Detroit school staff

    Staff indicated that they wanted to learn about the best practices for supporting students affected by depression, anxiety, trauma, or PTSD. But, only 38% of staff reported knowledge of a protocol to screen or identify students in need of mental health services. 

  8. Two-directional learning helps small businesses and students thrive

    Lily Hamburger says that DNEP’s presence in Detroit has generated trust and new projects, such as the DNEP+Impact Studio for Local Business, which helps entrepreneurs pivot in the post-pandemic economy.

  9. Detroit unemployment rate sits at 20%

    Nearly one of every four parents who are not in the labor force (23%) reported they stopped working within the past year—three times the rate of other Detroiters who are out of the labor force.