Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

10/11/2026

Where can we look to better understand global democratic backsliding?

At the Democracy Week event, “Democracy in global-historical perspective, Professor of Public Policy Don Moynihan moderated a discussion with Ford School faculty Megan Stewart, Yousif Hassan, and Yusuf Neggers, and Harvard Business School professor Vincent Pons considered what cross-national and historical research reveals about democratic resilience and erosion.

“Democracy is not just something given to us by government. It is something that is upheld and protected by individuals and civic institutions,” Moynihan said.

Read more of our faculty’s insights: https://myumi.ch/X8Q5r

10/10/2026

October 12-13, the Weiser Diplomacy Center is hosting “Shifting tides: the U.S.-Africa relationship amid global competition”

The conference features 5 policy discussions:
🏛️African voices on global governance, international law, and institutional reform.
☀️Climate, innovation, and human capital: navigating Africa's green transitions.
🌍Geopolitics and great power competition: Africa's strategic positioning.
🔒Peace and security in an age of uncertainty.
💲Africa's economic future: trade integration, investment, and growth pathways.

Event details: https://myumi.ch/9JJW1

10/10/2026

Interested in joining our Alumni Board? The self-nomination period is open!

Submit your nomination by October 14 at 11:59 pm (ET): https://myumi.ch/NXbey

10/10/2026

Did you miss the Michigan Secretary of State debate on 10/8? Check out this YouTube playlist of each question and each answer: https://myumi.ch/gknA6

10/09/2026

Alumni, don’t miss all of the events we have planned when you return to Ann Arbor next week! 〽️

Event info & schedule: https://myumi.ch/Axwwx

10/09/2026

Nearly 4 million people live in U.S. territories. Who gets to decide their political future?

At the Democracy Week event, “Decolonizing imagination: Narratives, memory and political possibility in the U.S. Territories,” Associate research professor Mara Cecilia Ostfeld led panelists in examining democracy from places whose residents are U.S. citizens or nationals but lack full representation in the federal government.

The conversation gave concrete form to the political possibilities Ostfeld and her collaborators are documenting in residents’ own understandings of governance, belonging, and freedom.

Read more: https://myumi.ch/Z8N7J

10/08/2026

The debate between Michigan Secretary of State Candidates, Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II (Dem) and Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini (Rep), is underway!

Watch the livestream:

The campaigns of Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II (Dem) and Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini (Rep) have agreed to a one-hour debate, to be held in the Annenberg Auditorium at the Ford School's Weill Hall in Ann Arbor.

10/08/2026

The University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy will host a debate between the Democratic and Republican candidates for Michigan secretary of state, on October 8, 2026, 6:30-7:30 pm.

The campaigns of Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II (Dem) and Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini (Rep) have agreed to a one-hour debate, to be held in the Annenberg Auditorium at the Ford School's Weill Hall in Ann Arbor.

Bridge Michigan will serve as the lead media and editorial partner for the debate, with correspondent Jordyn Hermani serving as lead moderator. Gongwer | State Affairs will serve as a media partner, and Gongwer Michigan President Zach Gorchow will serve as co-moderator.

Student representatives from the Michigan College Democrats and Michigan College Republicans will also have an opportunity to ask questions.

10/08/2026

The stage is set for tonight’s Michigan Secretary of State candidate debate between Anthony Forlini (Rep) and Garlin Gilchrist II (Dem).

Watch live at 6:30 pm (ET):

The campaigns of Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II (Dem) and Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini (Rep) have agreed to a one-hour debate, to be held in the Annenberg Auditorium at the Ford School's Weill Hall in Ann Arbor.

10/08/2026

Join us at the Weiser Diplomacy Center’s U.S.-Africa Conference keynote address featuring Chidi Blyden, Executive Director of the Harvard Center for African Studies.

Blyden will explore Africa's place in a changing global order and the importance of African agency in shaping the continent's relationships with the United States and other global powers.

Register to attend and find out more about the conference: https://myumi.ch/G7DXp