Ford School Public Events

The Center for the Study of Complex Systems, The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, and the Department of Political Science will be hosting a two day conference on the Evolution of Cooperation and The Framing of Peace. This conference will focus on the past and current research of Robert Axelrod, who has made substantial contributions to all three units. Professor Axelrod is a MacArthur Fellow, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. His work on the evolution of cooperation, complexity, and on the framing of peace has had enormous impact.

The Center for the Study of Complex Systems, The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, and the Department of Political Science will be hosting a two day conference on the Evolution of Cooperation and The Framing of Peace. This conference will focus on the past and current research of Robert Axelrod, who has made substantial contributions to all three units. Professor Axelrod is a MacArthur Fellow, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. His work on the evolution of cooperation, complexity, and on the framing of peace has had enormous impact.

This year marks the 100th Anniversary of President Gerald R. Ford's birth. To honor President Ford's legacy, the Charge to the Class will be delivered by Paul H. O'Neill, 72nd U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and deputy director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget under President Ford.

From the speaker's bio

Paul H. O'Neill was the 72nd Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, serving from 2001-2002.

Prior to his tenure at the Department of Treasury, O'Neill was chairman and CEO of Alcoa from 1987 to 1999, and retired as chairman at the end of 2000. Prior to joining Alcoa, O'Neill was president of International Paper Company from 1985 to 1987, where he was vice president from 1977 to 1985.

He worked as a computer systems analyst with the U.S. Veterans Administration from 1961 to 1966 and served on the staff of the Budget Bureau from 1967 to 1977. During this period, the Nixon administration reorganized the Budget Bureau into the Office of Management of Budget. President Gerald R. Ford nominated O'Neill to serve as deputy director of OMB from 1974 to 1977.

He received a bachelor's degree in Economics from Fresno State College in
California, and a master's degree in Public Administration from Indiana University.

Students, family, and friends are invited to meet the faculty and staff of the Ford School and tour the classrooms, public spaces, and suites of Weill Hall, which opened its doors in 2006!

Please join us for a public reception on April 16th, when we welcome General Brent Scowcroft (ret.) to deliver remarks at the installation of a scaled model of the statue of President Ford from the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.

The Charity Auction team is selling tickets through 5:00 pm this Friday, March 29. To reserve a place, look for one of the team members or stop by the table in the Great Hall

The Ford School's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) will discuss findings from the Michigan Public Policy Survey, which asked leaders from 1,329 of Michigan's local governments to report on the future of public services in their jurisdictions in the aftermath of the Great Recession.

Each spring, Ford School faculty and staff nominate dozens of outstanding student research and service projects for recognition at the Gramlich Showcase of Student Work. Established in 2008 to honor internationally renowned economist and former Ford School dean, Ned Gramlich, this event features exceptional student work on a broad range of local, national, and international policy challenges.

During the conference, students will discuss coordinating Canada-U.S. Arctic Sea policy through four lenses: natural resource extraction, international trade, environment and security.

Dr. Henry Pollack, Professor Emeritus of Geophysics at the University of Michigan, and Tom Clynes, contributing editor at Popular Science, will deliver the keynote speech for the Fourth Annual U.S.-Canada Policy Conference, hosted by the Domestic Policy Corps and the International Policy Students Association. The 2013 conference, entitled "Planning for 2050: North American Policy for the Future of the Arctic," will focus on U.S. and Canadian Arctic policy, including issues related to the environment, national security, energy, and commerce. The keynote address will be followed by a panel discussion with faculty from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. Conference participation is by application only, however the keynote address is open to the public.

A leading figure in the racial justice movement, Rinku Sen has positioned the Applied Research Center as a national home for media, research and activism for social change.

Helene D. Gayle is president and CEO of CARE USA. An expert on humanitarian issues, Dr. Gayle previously held senior positions with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Dr. Gayle serves on several boards, including the Rockefeller Foundation, Colgate-Palmolive, ONE and the U.S. Department of State's Foreign Affairs Policy Board. She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, chaired the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, and currently serves on the President's Commission on White House Fellowships.

Considered the University's highest honor for a senior member of its active faculty, the Ford School's James House will deliver the 13th Henry Russell Lecture, titled: "Beyond Obamacare: Social Determinants and Disparities in Health and America's Paradoxical Crisis of Health Care and Health."

This Ford Policy Union event will feature a debate on the effectiveness of international agreements on cyber security. Professor John Steinbruner, a noted international security scholar, will argue that the U.S. interest in prohibiting destructive attack on critical infrastructure assets is evident and urgent, and that direct multilateral negotiations are necessary to pursue that objective. Dr. Steven Bucci, a former military officer and government official, will argue that only after the U.S. establishes how to best address cyber security from the standpoint of purely American interest, should the U.S. push for international agreements on cyber security.

Free and Open to the Public

Frank J. Thompson, Professor, School of Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers University-Newark. Author of Medicaid Politics: Federalism, Policy Durability, and Health Reform

With Commentary provided by:
Scott L.Greer, Associate Professor of Health Management and Policy at the Univeristy of Michigan School of Public Health, and Senior Research Fellow at LSE Health, London School of Economics

Please join us as Kenneth Lieberthal returns to the University of Michigan for a lecture on current U.S-China relations under President Obama's new foreign policy team.

Join us for an interactive panel discussion featuring Rick Lord, President and CEO of Associated Industries of Massachusetts; Michael Widmer, President of Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation; Thomas Buchmueller, Waldo O. Hildebrand Professor of Risk Management and Insurance, U-M Ross School of Business; and Helen Levy, Research Associate Professor, U-M Ford School of Public Policy

A conversation with Ted Truman, Marina v.N. Whitman, and Susan M. Collins as part of the Ford School's annual DC event/reception on Feb. 7. Alums, RSVP by Feb. 5.

The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and the Center for Public Policy in Diverse Societies will host a screening of the documentary titled Black and Blue: The Story of Gerald Ford, Willis Ward, and the 1934 Michigan-Georgia Tech Football Game, followed by a panel discussion featuring former Senator Buzz Thomas (grandson of Willis Ward) and Steve Ford (son of President Gerald R. Ford) on Wednesday, January 23, 2013 in conjunction with the Martin Luther King Day events.

Please join us as Chairman Bernanke visits the University of Michigan for a conversation with Ford School Dean Susan M. Collins on monetary policy, recovery from the global financial crisis, and long-term challenges facing the U.S. economy.

Chairman Bernanke will also take questions from the audience and from Twitter.