Happening @ Michigan https://events.umich.edu/list/rss RSS Feed for Happening @ Michigan Events at the University of Michigan. Rescheduled: Representatives Debbie Dingell and Fred Upton: Voices from across the aisle (February 18, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/60585 60585-14910402@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, February 18, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Free and open to the public. Reception to follow.

The event will be webstreamed. Please check website for viewing details.

Join the Ford School and WeListen for a Conversations Across Difference event with U.S. Representatives Debbie Dingell (link is external) (D-MI 12th District) and Fred Upton (link is external) (R-MI 6th District) moderated by Brendan Nyhan, professor of public policy at the Ford School. The conversation will consider the opportunities for and obstacles to bipartisan cooperation, while also tackling in thoughtful dialogue some of the most pressing issues currently dividing the two parties, such as immigration policy, the government shutdown, and health care.

Hosted by the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and co-sponsored by WeListen and the Program in Practical Policy Engagement.

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Lecture / Discussion Tue, 29 Jan 2019 14:44:02 -0500 2019-02-18T16:00:00-05:00 2019-02-18T17:20:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Lecture / Discussion Event Picture
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS): Minority Serving Institutions and Student Loans (February 20, 2019 8:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/58694 58694-14544797@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, February 20, 2019 8:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 11 Feb 2019 09:54:18 -0500 2019-02-20T08:30:00-05:00 2019-02-20T10:00:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
Donia Human Rights Center Panel. Human Rights in North Korea: Crimes Against Humanity, Advocacy for Change, and Future Prospects (February 20, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/60102 60102-14838287@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, February 20, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Donia Human Rights Center

As negotiations for denuclearization continues between the US and North Korea, the severe state of human rights situations in North Korea has again been de-emphasized by the international community. Yet the persecution of real or imagined dissenters continue, as do the systematic human rights abuses of the Kim regime, which has been classified by the United Nations as crimes against humanity. Activists in South Korea and abroad have advocated for these concerns to be given top priority but those calls have largely been unheeded by leaders engaging with North Korea. What exactly is happening in North Korea, what kinds of activism has emerged to address these concerns, and what might be the ways forward to improve the lives of the North Korean people? This panel features three prominent experts of human rights in North Korea who will share their perspectives on these questions as a legal expert, an NGO advocate, and a defector who survived one of North Korea’s infamous prison camps, respectively.

This event is co-sponsored by: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, International Policy Center, Law School, and Nam Center for Korean Studies.

Panelists:

Kang Cheol Hwan
Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors, North Korea Strategy Center

Kang Cheol Hwan is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of North Korea Strategy Center U.S., Inc. and the founder of North Korea Strategy Center (“NKSC”) in Seoul, South Korea. Mr. Kang is a journalist, author, and North Korean defector. Born in 1968 in Pyongyang, North Korea, at the age of nine, he and his entire family were imprisoned in the Yodok concentration camp by the government of dictator Kim Il Sung after Kang’s grandfather was accused of treason. For ten years, Mr. Kang was subjected to the brutal conditions of the camp, where he and some members of his family endured starvation, torture, and the threat of execution. After he was released from the camp, Mr. Kang bought an illegal radio receiver to listen to broadcasts from South Korea. In 1992, he made the decision to defect and escaped North Korea by crossing the Yalu River into China, eventually immigrating to South Korea. In 2000, he published “The Aquariums of Pyongyang,” a description of his experiences and the very first survivor account of North Korea’s concentration camps. Mr. Kang is a staff writer for the South Korean newspaper, the Chosun Ilbo. In 2003, he was awarded the National Endowment for Democracy’s “Democracy Award” and in 2006, he was selected as one of Times’ “Asian Heroes”. After years of North Korean human rights activism, Mr. Kang came to the conclusion that expecting change from the North Korean government was not feasible. Without change and enlightenment of the North Korean people, without bridging the gap between the two Koreas, peaceful unification is not possible. Based on this belief, in 2007, Mr. Kang founded NKSC with the goals of disseminating uncensored information in North Korea, empowering North Korean defectors to become advocates of democracy, and raising awareness on North Korean human rights issues.

Jared Genser
Managing Director, Perseus Strategies

Jared Genser is Managing Director of Perseus Strategies, a public interest law firm. Referred to by the New York Times as “The Extractor,” he is also Founder of Freedom Now, a non-governmental organization that works to free prisoners of conscience worldwide. Genser was previously a partner in the government affairs practice of DLA Piper LLP and a management consultant with McKinsey & Company. He has taught at Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Michigan and University of Pennsylvania law schools. His pro bono clients have included former Czech Republic President Václav Havel and Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Aung San Suu Kyi, Liu Xiaobo, Desmond Tutu, and Elie Wiesel. He holds a B.S. from Cornell University, an M.P.P. from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he was an Alumni Public Service Fellow, and a J.D. cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School. Genser is author of "The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention: Commentary and Guide to Practice" (Cambridge University Press, Forthcoming 2019). In addition, he is co-editor of "The UN Security Council in the Age of Human Rights" (Cambridge University Press, 2014) and "The Responsibility to Protect: The Promise of Stopping Mass Atrocities in Our Times" (Oxford University Press, 2011). He is the recipient of the American Bar Association’s International Human Rights Award and the Liberty in North Korea’s Freedom Fighter Award.

Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett
President, Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice

Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett serves as President of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, established in 2008 to continue the legacy of her father, the late Congressman Tom Lantos, who served as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and was the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to the US Congress. Congressman Lantos was the founder of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and was widely acknowledged as one of our nation’s most eloquent and forceful leaders on behalf of human rights and justice. Under her leadership, The Lantos Foundation has rapidly become a distinguished and respected voice on key human rights concerns ranging from advancing rule of law globally and fighting for Internet freedom in closed societies to combatting the persistent and growing threat of antiSemitism and Holocaust denial. Dr. Lantos Swett is the former Chair and Vice-Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and teaches Human Rights and American Foreign Policy at Tufts University. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Board of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) and the Budapest based Tom Lantos Institute. Dr. Lantos Swett also serves on the Advisory Board of UN Watch, the annual Anne Frank Award and Lecture, The Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership, and Public Policy, and the Brigham Young University Law School. Lantos Swett earned a Political Science degree from Yale University at the age of 18, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and a PhD in History from The University of Southern Denmark.

Moderator:
Kiyoteru Tsutsui
Professor, Sociology
Director, Donia Human Rights Center

Kiyoteru Tsutsui is Professor of Sociology, Director of the Donia Human Rights Center, and Director of the Center for Japanese Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His research on globalization of human rights and its impact on local politics has appeared in American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Social Forces, Social Problems, Journal of Peace Research, Journal of Conflict Resolution, and other social science journals. His book publications include "Rights Make Might: Global Human Rights" and "Minority Social Movements in Japan" (Oxford University Press 2018), and a co-edited volume (with Alwyn Lim) "Corporate Social Responsibility in a Globalizing World" (Cambridge University Press 2015). He has been a recipient of National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, National Science Foundation grants, the SSRC/CGP Abe Fellowship, Stanford Japan Studies Postdoctoral Fellowship, and other grants as well as awards from American Sociological Association sections on Global and Transnational Sociology (2010, 2013), Human Rights (2017), Asia and Asian America (2018), and Collective Behavior and Social Movements (2018).

If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation to attend this event, please reach out to us at least 2 weeks in advance of this event. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. Please email: umichhumanrights@umich.edu

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Lecture / Discussion Fri, 08 Feb 2019 10:30:32 -0500 2019-02-20T16:00:00-05:00 2019-02-20T17:30:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Donia Human Rights Center Lecture / Discussion banner
Building a Movement: Climate Action on Campus (February 20, 2019 7:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/60720 60720-14948315@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, February 20, 2019 7:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: ClimateBlue

The University of Michigan and the City of Ann Arbor must work together in the pursuit of a clean energy future. This is where we start. Come join the conversation about the future of University of Michigan climate action!

This event is intended to yield specific and direct climate actions items that individuals, groups, and the whole community can take together. This event is taking the place of back-room event planning and allows the entire community to have a voice in dictating the future of climate action on campus and in the city!

The first half an hour of the consists of an expert panel consisting of 3 panelists talking about Ann Arbor Climate Policy, UM Climate Policy, and Environmental Justice. These speakers will talk about their opinions on the direction of climate action and climate policy on the UM campus and in the city of Ann Arbor.

Next, there will be a small group breakout session to allow for individual and small group brainstorming on the direction for AA/UM climate action.

Finally, there will be a whole group/community-wide brain storming session to map everyone's suggestions on the direction of future climate action. This should culminate in specific action items we would all like to get behind and take together as the next step in building the campus climate movement!

Join Us!! Food provided!!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1196147480543811/?active_tab=about

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Meeting Tue, 05 Feb 2019 14:35:05 -0500 2019-02-20T19:00:00-05:00 2019-02-20T20:30:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) ClimateBlue Meeting
2019 NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition: GLOBAL MIGRATION (February 23, 2019 8:00am) https://events.umich.edu/event/60209 60209-14849112@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Saturday, February 23, 2019 8:00am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Weiser Diplomacy Center

2019 NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition takes place in 12 competition sites around the globe. This year, Ford School is one of them. 2019 simulation theme Global Migration is based on real-world data. This simulation tests participants' ability to balance their budgets and their humanity. Will you sacrifice one for the other?

Ford School, Weiser Diplomacy Center and International Policy Center look forward to hosting 60 graduate students from 12 schools in the north central region. Ford School's hosting team of students: Aprisal W Malale (Indonesia), Jessica Taketa (USA), Jonatan Vega-Martinez (USA), Yusuke Namiki (Japan) and Lingling Peng (China). Our judges for the simulation are associate professor John Ciorciari, ambassador Melvyn Levitsky and associate professor Ann Lin.

WHAT IS THE NASPAA-BATTEN STUDENT SIMULATION COMPETITION?

The NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition is a day-long event that allows graduate students in public policy and related fields to test their skills on real-world data. This year, using a turn-based, participatory simulation developed for the competition by the Center for Leadership Simulation and Gaming, student teams will take on cabinet-level positions of a virtual country. Participants enter policy decisions in the simulation software to see how their policies affect their citizens, their economy, and the migrants themselves.

As part of the competition, teams will be expected to put together a policy memo and presentation. Evaluations of student performance will be based on two factors: 1) Their team’s simulation scores, and 2) Observations by subject matter experts serving as judges at each host site. 

WHAT HAPPENS ON THE COMPETITION DAY?

The competition is an all day event. Teams will travel to their host site, where they will undertake three rounds of the simulation: twice in the morning, plus once after lunch. Each round will last approximately one hour. After the three rounds, student teams will be given time to put together a policy memo and presentation. Experts in related fields will serve as judges. The experts will evaluate the policy memos and the presentations. Following the presentations, a short debriefing will explain the logic and data behind the simulation. Winners will be announced at the end of the day.

NASPAA 

Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration or NASPAA is the global standard in public service education. It is the membership organization of graduate education programs in public policy, public affairs, public administration, and public & nonprofit management. Its over 300 members – located across the U.S. and in 24 countries around the globe – award MPA, MPP, MPAff, and similar degrees.

NASPAA is the recognized global accreditor of master’s degree programs in these fields.

NASPAA’s twofold mission is to ensure excellence in education and training for public service and to promote the ideal of public service.

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Workshop / Seminar Fri, 08 Feb 2019 13:01:20 -0500 2019-02-23T08:00:00-05:00 2019-02-23T20:00:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Weiser Diplomacy Center Workshop / Seminar
Conversation with Lou Fintor, new U.S. State Department Diplomat in Residence, North Central Region (February 25, 2019 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/61417 61417-15099329@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, February 25, 2019 11:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Weiser Diplomacy Center

Join us for a Meet and Greet session with Lou Fintor, the Ford School’s new Diplomat in Residence (DIR), a U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officer offering State Department career, internship, and fellowship information.

Joining the Foreign Service in 2002, Fintor served as U.S. Embassy spokesperson in the Middle East, South Asia, and Europe. As Diplomat in Residence, Fintor will offer information on State Department opportunities to students and professionals located throughout the North Central DIR region, which includes Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan. The Ford School serves as one of 16 regional DIR academic host institutions in the United States.

DIRs attend local career fairs for university students, alumni, and professionals, host career information sessions and speak with organizations and groups living in each of the population-based geographic regions they serve. They provide information about Department of State Foreign and Civil Service careers, internships, and fellowships.

In addition to scheduling regular travel to communities and recruitment events throughout assigned geographic areas, DIRs can provide background materials, resources, and referrals to those residing in their regions.

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Meeting Tue, 19 Feb 2019 13:52:00 -0500 2019-02-25T11:30:00-05:00 2019-02-25T12:50:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Weiser Diplomacy Center Meeting
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) (February 27, 2019 8:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/58695 58695-14544798@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, February 27, 2019 8:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 11 Feb 2019 09:58:31 -0500 2019-02-27T08:30:00-05:00 2019-02-27T10:00:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
"911, What is your prejudice?": Racial bias and call-driven policing (February 28, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/60882 60882-14981922@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, February 28, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Free and open to the public. Reception to follow.

A call to 911 from a Philadelphia Starbucks’ employee about two black men not making a purchase resulted in their arrest. A call from a Yale University graduate student on a black classmate who fell asleep in a common room led to unnecessary police contact. A call from a tenant in New York City on a former Obama aide moving into his own apartment resulted in a police dispatch. Incidents like these raise concerns about call-driven policing. Please join experts Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton; Professor of Law Barry Friedman, New York University; and Jessica Gillooly, PhD candidate of the Ford School, in a panel moderated by Ford School faculty David Thacher for a panel examining racial bias in emergency calls.

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Lecture / Discussion Wed, 27 Feb 2019 12:17:08 -0500 2019-02-28T16:00:00-05:00 2019-02-28T17:20:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Lecture / Discussion "911, What is your prejudice?"
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS): The Circuitous Journeys of Student Loan Repayment (March 13, 2019 8:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/58697 58697-14544799@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, March 13, 2019 8:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 11 Mar 2019 10:38:24 -0400 2019-03-13T08:30:00-04:00 2019-03-13T10:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
U.S. Military and Counter-Terrorism in Africa: Is Anybody Watching? (March 13, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/61171 61171-15045293@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, March 13, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Free and open to the public. This event will be live web-streamed.

About the event:
In 2017, journalist Christina Goldbaum’s on-the-ground investigation in Somalia exposed a U.S. military raid alleged to have resulted in the deaths of 10 Somali civilians. From a peacekeeping and nation–building force to troop build-ups, drone strikes and counter-terrorism operations, the U.S. rules of engagement are changing. Join Goldbaum, the Atlantic Council ‘s Bronwyn Bruton and the Ford School’s John Ciorciari for an examination of the U.S. military’s presence and role in Africa and the implications for civilian lives and global security.

About the speakers:
Christina Goldbaum is a reporter for The New York Times covering immigration. Prior to joining the Times, she was a freelance foreign correspondent in East Africa, where she spent a year in Somalia reporting on U.S. national security issues. Goldbaum received the 2018 Livingston Award for international reporting for her story of the U.S. military role in the massacre of Somali civilians (link is external). Goldbaum also broke stories on the build up of a secretive U.S. military post (link is external) and the details of the first two U.S. combat (link is external) deaths in Somalia since Black Hawk Down.

Bronwyn Bruton is director of programs and studies and deputy director of the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council. Recognized as an authority on the Horn of Africa, her articles and editorials about the region appear regularly in Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, Foreign Policy magazine and other publications. Bruton has held fellowships at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

About the moderator:

John Ciorciari is an associate professor of public policy, a director of the Weiser Diplomacy Center, and director of the Ford School’s International Policy Center. His research focuses on international law and politics in the Global South.

This Livingston Lecture event is co-sponsored by the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and the International Policy Center. Produced with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

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Lecture / Discussion Thu, 28 Feb 2019 13:27:09 -0500 2019-03-13T16:00:00-04:00 2019-03-13T17:30:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Lecture / Discussion Christina Goldbaum, reporter and 2018 Livingston Awards winner
Economic Development Seminar (March 14, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/58634 58634-14520016@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, March 14, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Economic Development Seminar

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Fri, 14 Dec 2018 15:36:10 -0500 2019-03-14T16:00:00-04:00 2019-03-14T17:30:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Economic Development Seminar Workshop / Seminar Economics
12th Annual Gramlich Showcase of Student Work (March 15, 2019 2:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/61172 61172-15045295@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, March 15, 2019 2:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Free and open to the public.

Join the conversation on Twitter: #fordschoolgramlich

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.

For students, the showcase is an opportunity to share their academic work and service engagement with the broader community – to teach others about major policy challenges, to respond to thought-provoking questions, and to engage in dialogue about complex problems. For guests, the showcase represents an opportunity to learn about contemporary domestic and international problems, and the policy interventions designed to tackle them.

Join the Ford School community for hors d'oeuvres and refreshments as we celebrate the insightful policy work of our talented students. You're sure to learn something new!

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Presentation Wed, 13 Feb 2019 15:46:09 -0500 2019-03-15T14:00:00-04:00 2019-03-15T16:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Presentation
American diplomacy in a disordered world: A conversation with Ambassador William J. Burns (March 18, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/61664 61664-15170111@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, March 18, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Free and open to the public. Reception to follow.

This event will be live webstreamed. Check event website right before the event for viewing information.

From the speaker's bio:

Bill Burns is president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the oldest international affairs think tank in the United States. Ambassador Burns retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2014 after a thirty-three-year diplomatic career. He holds the highest rank in the Foreign Service, career ambassador, and is only the second serving career diplomat in history to become deputy secretary of state.

Prior to his tenure as deputy secretary, Ambassador Burns served from 2008 to 2011 as under secretary for political affairs. He was ambassador to Russia from 2005 to 2008, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs from 2001 to 2005, and ambassador to Jordan from 1998 to 2001. His other posts in the Foreign Service include: executive secretary of the State Department and special assistant to former secretaries of state Warren Christopher and Madeleine Albright; minister-counselor for political affairs at the U.S. embassy in Moscow; acting director and principal deputy director of the State Department’s policy planning staff; and special assistant to the president and senior director for Near East and South Asian affairs at the National Security Council.

Ambassador Burns speaks Russian, Arabic, and French, and he has been the recipient of three Presidential Distinguished Service Awards and a number of Department of State awards, including three Secretary’s Distinguished Service Awards, two Distinguished Honor Awards, the 2006 Charles E. Cobb, Jr. Ambassadorial Award for Initiative and Success in Trade Development, the 2005 Robert C. Frasure Memorial Award for Conflict Resolution and Peacemaking, and the James Clement Dunn Award for exemplary performance at the mid-career level. He has also received the highest civilian honors from the Department of Defense and the U.S. intelligence community. In 2013, Foreign Policy named him “Diplomat of the Year”.

Ambassador Burns earned a bachelor’s in history from LaSalle University and master’s and doctoral degrees in international relations from Oxford University, where he studied as a Marshall Scholar. He is a recipient of four honorary doctoral degrees and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Ambassador Burns is the author of Economic Aid and American Policy Toward Egypt, 1955-1981 (State University of New York Press, 1985). In 1994, he was named to Time magazine’s list of the “50 Most Promising American Leaders Under Age 40” and to its list of “100 Young Global Leaders.”

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Lecture / Discussion Wed, 27 Feb 2019 13:48:02 -0500 2019-03-18T16:00:00-04:00 2019-03-18T17:20:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Lecture / Discussion Ambassador William J. Burns
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS): Estimating the Marginal Returns to Community College (March 20, 2019 8:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/58698 58698-14544801@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, March 20, 2019 8:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 28 Jan 2019 09:31:09 -0500 2019-03-20T08:30:00-04:00 2019-03-20T10:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
EITC Expansions, Earnings Growth, and Inequality: Evidence from Washington, DC (March 20, 2019 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/61067 61067-15027194@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, March 20, 2019 11:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP)

Betty Ford Classroom (1110)
735 S. State Street, Ann Arbor 48109-3091
11:30am-12:50pm (pizza lunch provided)
Free and open to the public

About the Lecture:
We use longitudinal administrative tax data from Washington DC to study how Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) expansions undertaken by the Washington DC affect income and inequality in the city. We find that federal and DC EITC credit expansions between 2001 and 2009 are associated with recipient pre-tax earnings growth of roughly 3-4 percent, primarily among single mothers. Together these credits reduce post-tax inequality for the 10th percentile relative to median household, however, composition changes in the city and growing overall inequality mitigates this inequality decrease towards the end of the period. Overall, these results complement existing research that shows the EITC has a positive effect on labor market outcomes and household well-being.

Professor Hardy is an Associate Professor of Public Administration and Policy and nonresident senior fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution. Currently, he is on leave from AU as a visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation. He also serves as a visiting scholar with the Center for Household Financial Stability at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. His research interests lie within labor economics, with an emphasis on economic instability, intergenerational mobility, poverty policy, and socio-economic outcomes. He examines trends and sources of income volatility and intergenerational mobility within the United States, with a focus on socio-economically disadvantaged families, and also conducts research on the role of anti-poverty transfer programs such as SNAP food stamps and the earned income tax credit for improving economic well-being among low income individuals and families. Before joining American, he served as a research fellow at the University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research. Prior to his doctoral studies, Hardy helped provide analyses of U.S. budget, tax, and income support policies as a researcher at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, DC. He currently serves on the executive board of the Society of Government Economists, and the editorial boards of the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management and the Review of Black Political Economy. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Social Insurance.


Sponsored by: University of Michigan Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP)
Co-sponsored by: Poverty Solutions

For more information visit www.closup.umich.edu or call 734-647-4091. Follow on Twitter @closup

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Lecture / Discussion Mon, 11 Feb 2019 15:00:39 -0500 2019-03-20T11:30:00-04:00 2019-03-20T12:50:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) Lecture / Discussion Bradley Hardy
Perspectives on the Future of Paid Family Leave (March 20, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/62077 62077-15284750@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, March 20, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Free and open to the public. Reception to follow.

This event will be live webstreamed. Check event website right before the event for viewing information.

Please join us for a Conversation Across Difference as Dr. Andrew Biggs of the American Enterprise Institute and Ford Professor Betsey Stevenson discuss their perspectives on Paid Family Leave.

From the speakers' bios:

Andrew G. Biggs, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), studies Social Security reform, state and local government pensions, and public sector pay and benefits. Before joining AEI, Biggs was the principal deputy commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), overseeing SSA’s policy research efforts. In 2005, as an associate director of the White House National Economic Council, he worked on Social Security reform. In 2001, he joined the staff of the President’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security. Biggs has published widely in academic publications as well as in daily newspapers such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. He has also testified before Congress on numerous occasions. In 2013, the Society of Actuaries appointed Biggs co-vice chair of a blue ribbon panel tasked with analyzing the causes of underfunding in public pension plans and how governments can securely fund plans in the future. In 2014, Institutional Investor Magazine named him one of the 40 most influential people in the retirement world. In 2016, he was appointed by President Obama to be a member of the financial control board overseeing reforms to Puerto Rico’s budget and the restructuring of the island’s debts. Biggs holds a bachelor’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland, master’s degrees from Cambridge University and the University of London, and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics.

Betsey Stevenson is an associate professor of public policy at the Ford School, with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Economics. She is also a research associate with the National Bureau of Economic Research, a fellow of the Ifo Institute for Economic Research in Munich, and serves on the board of directors of the American Law and Economics Association. Betsey recently completed a two-year term as an appointed member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers. She served as the chief economist of the U.S. Department of Labor from 2010 to 2011. Stevenson is a labor economist whose research focuses on the impact of public policies on the labor market. Her research explores women's labor market experiences, the economic forces shaping the modern family, and the potential value of subjective well-being data for public policy.

Hosted by the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and co-sponsored by the AEI Executive Council at Michigan and WeListen.

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Lecture / Discussion Wed, 13 Mar 2019 12:38:49 -0400 2019-03-20T16:00:00-04:00 2019-03-20T17:20:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Lecture / Discussion Perspectives on the Future of Paid Family Leave
Consumer Protection in an Age of Uncertainty (March 21, 2019 8:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/61458 61458-15108275@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, March 21, 2019 8:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Center on Finance, Law, and Policy

Keynote Speakers:
Rich Cordray, founding director of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Rohit Chopra, Commissioner, U.S. Federal Trade Commission

Opening Remarks:
Michael Barr, Joan and Sanford Weill Dean, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

This two-day conference will explore the status of consumer financial protection as it affects American borrowers, investors, small business owners and those planning for retirement. Rich Cordray, founding director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Rohit Chopra, commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission, will serve as keynote speakers. A full agenda is posted at http://financelawpolicy.umich.edu/consumer-protection-age-uncertainty

More than two dozen speakers will include researchers, policymakers, rule-enforcers, and consumer advocates -- with disproportionate numbers of speakers who have testified before Congress, organized coalitions, litigated class actions, and created new entities to protect consumers. If you have ever applied for a mortgage, refinanced a student loan, or used an app to send money to someone, this conference will cover something that directly affects you.

All sessions will take place in the Annenberg Auditorium at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, located at 735 S. State Street, Ann Arbor. All speakers and attendees must register online in advance. This event will be free and open to the media.

Co-sponsored by: The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, Affordable Michigan, Bankruptcy Law Society, Business Law Association, Consumer Advocacy and Financial Regulation Organization (CAFRO), Michigan FinTech

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Conference / Symposium Mon, 18 Mar 2019 17:36:23 -0400 2019-03-21T08:30:00-04:00 2019-03-21T17:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Center on Finance, Law, and Policy Conference / Symposium Logo
Economic Development Seminar (March 21, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/58636 58636-14520017@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, March 21, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Economic Development Seminar

The Political Economy of Health Epidemics: Evidence from the Ebola

Health epidemics represent a unique test of governmental accountability, as government’s response is crucial to limit the contagion and the ultimate costs to citizens. However, political motives may distort the allocation of governmental resources. Combining proprietary data on Ebola cases, novel surveys, and publicly available data on the government’s relief effort and post-outbreak Senatorial election, I study the response of the Liberian government to the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak, and the subsequent effects on citizens’ voting behavior and political perceptions. First, I provide evidence of limited governmental response before the arrival of foreign aid, in contrast to improved assistance after aid was provided. I then build a spatio-temporal epidemiological model to estimate the ex-ante optimal allocation of relief effort, and I find that the government misallocates resources towards politically swing villages affected by the contagion. Voters in turn react to the differential response: the incumbent party loses political support in areas hit in the first part of the epidemic, while it does not lose votes in areas hit in the second part and in swing villages. I conclude by discussing the costs to citizens of such politically-driven resource misallocation.

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Workshop / Seminar Wed, 13 Mar 2019 11:48:00 -0400 2019-03-21T16:00:00-04:00 2019-03-21T17:30:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Economic Development Seminar Workshop / Seminar Economics
Economic Development Seminar (March 21, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/58636 58636-15291270@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, March 21, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Economic Development Seminar

The Political Economy of Health Epidemics: Evidence from the Ebola

Health epidemics represent a unique test of governmental accountability, as government’s response is crucial to limit the contagion and the ultimate costs to citizens. However, political motives may distort the allocation of governmental resources. Combining proprietary data on Ebola cases, novel surveys, and publicly available data on the government’s relief effort and post-outbreak Senatorial election, I study the response of the Liberian government to the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak, and the subsequent effects on citizens’ voting behavior and political perceptions. First, I provide evidence of limited governmental response before the arrival of foreign aid, in contrast to improved assistance after aid was provided. I then build a spatio-temporal epidemiological model to estimate the ex-ante optimal allocation of relief effort, and I find that the government misallocates resources towards politically swing villages affected by the contagion. Voters in turn react to the differential response: the incumbent party loses political support in areas hit in the first part of the epidemic, while it does not lose votes in areas hit in the second part and in swing villages. I conclude by discussing the costs to citizens of such politically-driven resource misallocation.

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Workshop / Seminar Wed, 13 Mar 2019 11:48:00 -0400 2019-03-21T16:00:00-04:00 2019-03-21T17:30:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Economic Development Seminar Workshop / Seminar Economics
Consumer Protection in an Age of Uncertainty (March 22, 2019 8:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/61458 61458-15108276@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, March 22, 2019 8:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Center on Finance, Law, and Policy

Keynote Speakers:
Rich Cordray, founding director of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Rohit Chopra, Commissioner, U.S. Federal Trade Commission

Opening Remarks:
Michael Barr, Joan and Sanford Weill Dean, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

This two-day conference will explore the status of consumer financial protection as it affects American borrowers, investors, small business owners and those planning for retirement. Rich Cordray, founding director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Rohit Chopra, commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission, will serve as keynote speakers. A full agenda is posted at http://financelawpolicy.umich.edu/consumer-protection-age-uncertainty

More than two dozen speakers will include researchers, policymakers, rule-enforcers, and consumer advocates -- with disproportionate numbers of speakers who have testified before Congress, organized coalitions, litigated class actions, and created new entities to protect consumers. If you have ever applied for a mortgage, refinanced a student loan, or used an app to send money to someone, this conference will cover something that directly affects you.

All sessions will take place in the Annenberg Auditorium at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, located at 735 S. State Street, Ann Arbor. All speakers and attendees must register online in advance. This event will be free and open to the media.

Co-sponsored by: The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, Affordable Michigan, Bankruptcy Law Society, Business Law Association, Consumer Advocacy and Financial Regulation Organization (CAFRO), Michigan FinTech

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Conference / Symposium Mon, 18 Mar 2019 17:36:23 -0400 2019-03-22T08:30:00-04:00 2019-03-22T17:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Center on Finance, Law, and Policy Conference / Symposium Logo
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS): Charting How Wealth Shapes Educational Pathways from Childhood to Early Adulthood: A Process Model (March 27, 2019 8:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/58699 58699-14544802@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, March 27, 2019 8:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 11 Feb 2019 09:59:34 -0500 2019-03-27T08:30:00-04:00 2019-03-27T10:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
Economic Development Seminar (March 28, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/58637 58637-14520019@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, March 28, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Economic Development Seminar

Hierarchical Corruption

We present and explain the vertical organization of corruption in a traffic police agency. Police supervisors offer their protection to police agents so that agents can collect bribes. In exchange, police agents must escort a predetermined quota of drivers to their supervisors for the supervisor to take bribes, and occasionally make monetary transfers to the supervisor. 99% of supervisors’ income and 86% of police agents’ income is financed through hierarchical corruption, involving the quota system and institutionalized toll fees for police agents. We then use a simple model to explain this organizational form. Based on this model, we establish three results. First, consistent with maximization of corrupt revenue for supervisors, higher quotas are observed in locations where bribe taking by supervisors is relatively more effective, which amplifies mis-allocation of drivers’ rights to circulate. Second, through taxation of supervisors, the adjustment of the hierarchy reduces in half the effect of experimental increases in police agents’ income, which otherwise induce absenteeism, traffic congestion, and decrease harassment of drivers. Third, hierarchical corruption negatively affects social welfare. Experimentally decreasing the quotas decreases traffic congestion and harassment of drivers, and leaves police agent effort at collecting private bribes unaffected which, as suggested by the model, implies quotas reduce social welfare. These results have two implications. First, while agents’ revenues from bribes incentivize harassment, they also incentivize socially productive effort and decrease congestion. Second, supervisor-agent corrupt strategic interaction has a negative externality on social welfare that was previously ignored.

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Workshop / Seminar Wed, 20 Mar 2019 15:07:41 -0400 2019-03-28T16:00:00-04:00 2019-03-28T17:30:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Economic Development Seminar Workshop / Seminar Economics
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) (April 3, 2019 8:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/58700 58700-14544803@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, April 3, 2019 8:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 17 Dec 2018 13:07:23 -0500 2019-04-03T08:30:00-04:00 2019-04-03T10:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
U.S.Diplomacy Center Simulation (April 4, 2019 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/62594 62594-15407994@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, April 4, 2019 11:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Weiser Diplomacy Center

Participating students are required to attend both sessions:

April 4, 11:30 - 12:50 pm - Weill 1210, Introduction, role assignment, distribution of scenario and background readings
April 9, 11:30 - 3:00 pm - Weill 3240, Simulation
Interested students please contact Zuzana Wiseley to sign up at zwiseley@umich.edu

The Ford School’s Weiser Diplomacy Center (WDC) and Lou Fintor, the U.S. Department of State's Diplomat in Residence invite you to a timely diplomacy simulation exercise “Countering Violent Extremism: Balancing Civil Liberties and Security.” This simulation was developed by Department of State's U.S. Diplomacy Center and involves a hypothetical scenario based on a real global challenge: how to address violent extremism while at the same time respecting and protecting civil rights and liberties. As this exercise has not been previously used, Ford School students will be the first cohort in the nation to test this simulation. U.S. State Department's Diplomat in Residence Lou Fintor will lead the simulation here at the Ford School and supplement the exercise with examples drawn from his assignments in South Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.


Lou Fintor, U.S. State Department Diplomat in Residence

Lou Fintor is the Ford School’s new Diplomat in Residence (DIR), a U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officer offering State Department career, internship, and fellowship information.

Joining the Foreign Service in 2002, Fintor served as U.S. Embassy spokesperson in the Middle East, South

Asia, and Europe. As Diplomat in Residence, Fintor will offer information on State Department opportunities to students and professionals located throughout the North Central DIR region, which includes Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan. The Ford School serves as one of 16 regional DIR academic host institutions in the United States.

DIRs attend local career fairs for university students, alumni, and professionals, host career information sessions and speak with organizations and groups living in each of the population-based geographic regions they serve. They provide information about Department of State Foreign and Civil Service careers, internships, and fellowships.

In addition to scheduling regular travel to communities and recruitment events throughout assigned geographic areas, DIRs can provide background materials, resources, and referrals to those residing in their regions.

Learn more about the Diplomat in Residence program https://careers.state.gov/connect/dir/

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Workshop / Seminar Tue, 26 Mar 2019 15:03:46 -0400 2019-04-04T11:30:00-04:00 2019-04-04T12:50:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Weiser Diplomacy Center Workshop / Seminar
Economic Development Seminar (April 4, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/58638 58638-14520020@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, April 4, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Economic Development Seminar

Regulation by Reputation? Quality Revelation of Labor Intermediaries in International Migration

Abuse and contractual breach are commonplace features of international migrant labor. This may in part be due to asymmetries of information between local labor intermediaries, prospective migrants and foreign employers. This paper examines a government program in Sri Lanka that created reputational incentives for local labor intermediaries and then publicly revealed their quality. Using a difference-in-difference design with an eligibility cutoff, we find that the program announcement induced all eligible agencies, and especially low-quality ones, to invest in the rating criteria. Second, we find that eligible agencies experience more and higher quality foreign demand after the revelation of quality. A regression discontinuity design shows that otherwise similar agencies with higher ratings experienced higher foreign demand. We find that the program facilitated better matching between local agencies and foreign employers: reputable employers switch to using higher rated agencies, driving down future harassment complaint rates by migrants and improving the market outcomes of these agencies.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:51:00 -0400 2019-04-04T16:00:00-04:00 2019-04-04T17:30:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Economic Development Seminar Workshop / Seminar Economics
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS): Over-diagnosed or overlooked? Relative age and special education classification (April 10, 2019 8:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/58701 58701-14544804@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, April 10, 2019 8:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Tue, 02 Apr 2019 09:04:25 -0400 2019-04-10T08:30:00-04:00 2019-04-10T10:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
Economic Development Seminar (April 11, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/58639 58639-14520021@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, April 11, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Economic Development Seminar

The Legacy of Colonial Medicine in Central Africa

Abstract: Between 1921 and 1956, French colonial governments organized medical campaigns to treat and prevent sleeping sickness. Villagers were forcibly examined and injected with medications with severe, sometimes fatal, side effects. We digitized thirty years of archival records to document the locations of campaign visits at a granular geographic level for five central African countries. We find that greater historical exposure to the campaigns reduces trust in medicine -- measured by willingness to consent to a free, non-invasive blood test -- and decreases vaccination rates. The resulting mistrust is specific to the medical sector. We examine relevance for present-day health initiatives; we find that World Bank projects in the health sector are less successful in areas with greater exposure to the campaigns.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 08 Apr 2019 10:05:39 -0400 2019-04-11T16:00:00-04:00 2019-04-11T17:30:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Economic Development Seminar Workshop / Seminar Economics
US/Brazil Bromance: What's in Store for Us? (April 11, 2019 4:30pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/62689 62689-15425431@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, April 11, 2019 4:30pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Weiser Diplomacy Center

PUBLIC LIVE RECORDING OF THE PODCAST: AMERICAN DIPLOMAT

Join the Weiser Diplomacy Center and American Academy of Diplomacy for a live recording of the latest episode of the podcast American Diplomat: The Stories behind the news. Ambassador Peter F. Romero and writer Laura Bennett will host Ambassador Thomas A. Shannon and discuss about current issues in Brazil from the vantage point of two practitioners who have spent decades in this region of the world. What conditions in Brazil gave rise to the election of Jair Bolsonaro? Are there any parallels with the election of Donald Trump? What can we expect from the Trump/Bolsonaro bromance and does this threaten democracy in our two countries?

This event is free and open to the public. Check out the previous episodes of American Diplomat podcast here: https://www.amdipstories.org/ and post your questions in advance by clicking "Send a voice message to The American Diplomat".

Ambassador Thomas A. Shannon, Jr.
brings more than three decades of government service and diplomatic experience to his practice, providing strategic counsel to clients across a range of legislative, foreign policy, and national security issues. Most recently, Ambassador Shannon served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, the third highest ranking position at the State Department. Holding the personal rank of Career Ambassador, he was the highest ranking member of the United States Foreign Service, the country's professional diplomatic corps. During his tenure as Under Secretary, Ambassador Shannon was in charge of bilateral and multilateral foreign policymaking and implementation, and oversaw diplomatic activity globally and in our missions to international organizations. He managed the State Department during the presidential transition, led bilateral and strategic stability talks with the Russian Federation, worked with our allies to oversee Iranian compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and expanded US engagement in Central Asia, among other things.

Ambassador Peter F. Romero
For those that know him, Pete Romero delights in listening and telling stories, firmly believing that honing these skills can not only be professionally rewarding, but also life enriching. He was honored to have had a twenty five year career as a diplomat in the US Foreign Service. In his last three postings he was head of our embassy in El Salvador, US Ambassador in Quito, Ecuador and Assistant Secretary of the Western Hemisphere Bureau at the US Department of State. His achievements in some of the world's inhospitable "hot spots" earned him multiple awards for superlative leadership. While in the diplomatic service he initiated the highly successful Plan Colombia, assisted in ending the border war between Peru and Ecuador and was a key player in the implementation of the peace accords between the government and the guerrilla front in El Salvador. Mr. Romero advises private sector clients on problem-solving and winning strategies overseas. He lectures at several of the US military's post-graduate institutions and at the graduate school of foreign service at Georgetown University. He is sought after for his experience and expertise in counter-insurgency strategies and holistic approaches to national security threats. He is a die-hard Seminole, having graduated with a BS and an MA from Florida State University.

Laura Bennett
holds an MFA in film and television production at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she was awarded a merit-based Tisch School of the Arts scholarship. She has written, directed, produced and edited short films that have won 11 awards and screened at 35 festivals throughout the United States, including the New Directors/New Films series at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Laura has written feature scripts including a sophisticated international political thriller, a young-adult dog show crime comedy and a supernatural thriller about an amnesiac ghost on a disappearing island. Laura speaks Spanish, French and English and has traveled in five continents, often solo and working as a volunteer. In addition to filmmaking, Laura has an MBA from the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business and works as professor and as a strategy consultant on non-profit and government projects aimed at promoting the public good.

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Other Thu, 28 Mar 2019 14:08:09 -0400 2019-04-11T16:30:00-04:00 2019-04-11T18:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Weiser Diplomacy Center Other American Academy of Diplomacy
Economic Dignity (April 15, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/62638 62638-15416697@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, April 15, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

POLICY TALKS @ THE FORD SCHOOL

Free and open to the public. Reception to follow.

This event will be live webstreamed. Check event website before the event starts for viewing information.

Join the conversation: #policytalks

From the speaker's bio:

The only person to serve as director of the National Economic Council under two Presidents, Gene Sperling provides unique perspective and insights on the intersection between the U.S. and global economy and the most pressing economic policy issues of the day.

From serving as director of the National Economic Council (NEC) for both Barack Obama and Bill Clinton to consulting for four seasons on NBC’s award-winning political drama The West Wing, Sperling is widely respected across the political spectrum as one of the top White House economic advisors with a reputation for merging economic policy and economic analysis to get things done. As NEC director, Sperling was the President’s economic adviser responsible for coordinating economic policy and chairing policy meetings with the economic cabinet. The New York Times has called Sperling "a prolific idea generator." Under President Obama, he served as a key negotiator on fiscal issues and an architect of the payroll tax cut, expansions of tax credits for low-income Americans, the Small Business Jobs Act and the American Jobs Act. Under President Clinton, Sperling was a key architect of the 1993 Deficit Reduction Act and its major expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit and a top negotiator of the 1997 Bipartisan Balanced Budget Act, He also served as senior counselor to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, where he helped navigate the financial crisis and was a member of the President’s Auto Task Force and the Treasury’s point person for the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Currently, Sperling heads Sperling Economic Strategies and writes as a contributing editor for The Atlantic.

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Lecture / Discussion Wed, 27 Mar 2019 12:30:33 -0400 2019-04-15T16:00:00-04:00 2019-04-15T17:20:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Lecture / Discussion Gene Sperling
Children of the Dream: Why School Integration Works (April 17, 2019 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/62590 62590-15407991@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, April 17, 2019 11:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Free and open to the public. Lunch provided. Please RSVP to help us order food: https://goo.gl/forms/yS61hwJmjn88emi13.

Please join us for a book talk by Rucker C. Johnson (MA '97 Econ, PhD '02 Econ), Associate Professor & NBER, University of California, Berkeley & Goldman School of Public Policy.

About the book:

We are frequently told that school integration was a social experiment doomed from the start. But as Rucker C. Johnson demonstrates in Children of the Dream, it was, in fact, a spectacular achievement. Drawing on longitudinal studies going back to the 1960s, he shows that students who attended integrated and well-funded schools were more successful in life than those who did not — and this held true for children of all races.

Yet as a society we have given up on integration. Since the high point of integration in 1988, we have regressed and segregation again prevails. Contending that integrated, well-funded schools are the primary engine of social mobility, Children of the Dream offers a radical new take on social policy. It is essential reading in our divided times.

For more info, visit https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/rucker-c-johnson/children-of-the-dream.

About the author:

Rucker C. Johnson is an Associate Professor in the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and faculty research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. As a labor economist who specializes in the economics of education, Johnson’s work considers the role of poverty and inequality in affecting life chances.

Johnson was one of 35 scholars to receive the prestigious 2017 Andrew Carnegie Fellowship. His research has appeared in leading academic journals, featured in mainstream media outlets, and he has been invited to give policy briefings at the White House and on Capitol Hill. His forthcoming book, Children of the Dream: Why School Integration Works, will be published by Basic Books & the Russell Sage Foundation Press in April 2019.

Johnson is committed to advance his scholarly agenda of fusing insights from multiple disciplinary perspectives to improve our understanding of the causes, consequences, and remedies of inequality in this country. Johnson earned his Ph.D. in economics at the University of Michigan. At UC-Berkeley (2004-present), he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in applied econometrics and topical courses in race, poverty & inequality.

Hosted by the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and co-sponsored by Education Policy Initiative.

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Lecture / Discussion Wed, 27 Mar 2019 14:38:04 -0400 2019-04-17T11:30:00-04:00 2019-04-17T13:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Lecture / Discussion Rucker C. Johnson
Economic Development Seminar (April 18, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/58640 58640-14520022@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, April 18, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Economic Development Seminar

Pam Jagger will present the main findings from a comparative analysis of environmental income from approximately 8,000 households in 24 developing countries collected by research partners in CIFOR’s Poverty Environment Network (PEN) ) (Angelsen et al. 2014). Environmental income accounts for 28% of total household income, 77% of which comes from natural forests. Environmental income shares are higher for low-income households, but differences across income quintiles are less pronounced than previously thought. The poor rely more heavily on subsistence products such as wood fuels and wild foods, and on products harvested from natural areas other than forests. In absolute terms environmental income is approximately five times higher in the highest income quintile, compare to the two lowest quintiles. Analysis of the relationship between land tenure and environmental income will also be presented (Jagger et al. 2014). The main finding is that contrary to conventional wisdom, community forests (when compared with state and privately owned forests) do not yield high forest incomes for the poor. Work in progress leveraging the PEN dataset to explore the relationship between forest and energy transitions (Jagger et al. ) will be discussed.

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Workshop / Seminar Wed, 17 Apr 2019 10:03:58 -0400 2019-04-18T16:00:00-04:00 2019-04-18T17:30:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Economic Development Seminar Workshop / Seminar Economics
The Human Rights Crisis in Xinjiang (April 18, 2019 5:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/62851 62851-15483797@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, April 18, 2019 5:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Weiser Diplomacy Center

Conference hosted by the Weiser Diplomacy Center.

Over the past five years, a growing number of Xinjiang Uighurs have been sent to re-education camps by the Chinese government, most without trials or release dates. Estimates have reached as high as one million detainees. The Chinese government has framed these camps as schools that attack terrorist beliefs and give Uighurs the work and life skills necessary to thrive in a modern economy. It has received very little pressure or public condemnation from its Central Asian neighbors, from Muslim countries, or from its trading partners in the developed world. This human rights crisis raises questions central to the role and practice of diplomacy. What justification is there for bringing foreign diplomatic pressure to bear on issues that a country defines as central to its identity and existence? What do we know about the success of different types of advocacy, whether through diplomatic channels, pressure from international organizations, or NGO-led protest? To what extent does the crisis in Xinjiang affect the stability of Central Asia, or the fate of separatist movements in Tibet, Hong Kong, and Taiwan?

Participating speakers:
Tim Grose (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology )
Nury Turkel (Uighur Human Rights Project)
Sean Roberts (George Washington University)
Ann Lin (University of Michigan) as moderator

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Conference / Symposium Sun, 14 Apr 2019 14:07:19 -0400 2019-04-18T17:00:00-04:00 2019-04-18T19:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Weiser Diplomacy Center Conference / Symposium
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS): STEM Careers and the Changing Skill Requirements of Work (April 23, 2019 8:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/63110 63110-15576718@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Tuesday, April 23, 2019 8:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 22 Apr 2019 13:03:22 -0400 2019-04-23T08:30:00-04:00 2019-04-23T10:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Summer Kickoff Event (May 8, 2019 12:30pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/63420 63420-15692038@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, May 8, 2019 12:30pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 29 Apr 2019 09:50:07 -0400 2019-05-08T12:30:00-04:00 2019-05-08T14:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) (May 22, 2019 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/63407 63407-15692025@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, May 22, 2019 11:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 29 Apr 2019 09:21:23 -0400 2019-05-22T11:30:00-04:00 2019-05-22T13:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS): Income Changes and Achievement Gaps (June 5, 2019 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/63408 63408-15692026@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, June 5, 2019 11:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 29 Apr 2019 09:23:57 -0400 2019-06-05T11:30:00-04:00 2019-06-05T13:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS): How are Students Selected into and Affected by Late Entry into Kindergarten? Looking Beyond the LATE. (June 12, 2019 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/63409 63409-15692027@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, June 12, 2019 11:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Abstract:
Social, policy, academic, and media venues are alight with controversy over when children should enter kindergarten. Delaying entry (also called late entry or “academic redshirting”) is especially contentious because privileged parents may delay their children in an attempt to give them a competitive edge. Redshirted students do outperform their peers on average, but if there is enough positive selection, the causal effect of late entry could be small. Assuming a homogenous treatment effect, one could compare OLS estimates of the gains from older entry to IV estimates obtained using the cutoff instrument. Doing this would suggest that positive selection into late entry accounts for 23% of the OLS-estimated gains. Assuming treatment effect homogeneity, however, makes observed entry behavior rationalizable only by preferences. By allowing for treatment effect heterogeneity, I make two new findings: (1) students actually select negatively into late kindergarten entry (had they entered on time they would have performed worse in third grade than other on time entrants), and (2) older entry boosts the average late entrant’s third grade math scores by at least 0.42 SD (the gain to late entrants is at least double the gain to on time entrants). These findings suggest that, on average, parental redshirting decisions improve their child’s performance—at least in the short term. They also help resolve the puzzle of motivations for late entry: privileged families are more able to pay the cost but only do so if they think their child may not be “ready” for kindergarten.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 10 Jun 2019 09:09:26 -0400 2019-06-12T11:30:00-04:00 2019-06-12T13:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS): Student mobility in Detroit: an exploratory analysis of the extent and factors associated with voluntary school moves (June 19, 2019 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/63410 63410-15692028@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, June 19, 2019 11:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Details to come.

Light refreshments will be provided.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 17 Jun 2019 08:36:30 -0400 2019-06-19T11:30:00-04:00 2019-06-19T12:50:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) (July 10, 2019 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/63412 63412-15692030@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, July 10, 2019 11:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 29 Apr 2019 09:33:40 -0400 2019-07-10T11:30:00-04:00 2019-07-10T13:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) (July 17, 2019 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/63415 63415-15692033@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, July 17, 2019 11:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 29 Apr 2019 09:38:39 -0400 2019-07-17T11:30:00-04:00 2019-07-17T13:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) (July 24, 2019 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/63414 63414-15692032@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, July 24, 2019 11:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 29 Apr 2019 09:36:42 -0400 2019-07-24T11:30:00-04:00 2019-07-24T13:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS): The Causal Effects of Foster Care on Child Outcomes (July 31, 2019 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/63416 63416-15692034@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, July 31, 2019 11:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 29 Apr 2019 09:40:38 -0400 2019-07-31T11:30:00-04:00 2019-07-31T13:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS): Does Training Cooperating Teachers Impact Coaching Frequency and Practice? (August 7, 2019 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/63417 63417-15692035@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, August 7, 2019 11:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Tue, 06 Aug 2019 11:21:32 -0400 2019-08-07T11:30:00-04:00 2019-08-07T13:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) (August 14, 2019 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/63418 63418-15692036@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, August 14, 2019 11:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 29 Apr 2019 09:43:39 -0400 2019-08-14T11:30:00-04:00 2019-08-14T13:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) (August 21, 2019 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/63419 63419-15692037@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, August 21, 2019 11:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS)

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Mon, 29 Apr 2019 09:45:30 -0400 2019-08-21T11:30:00-04:00 2019-08-21T13:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS) Workshop / Seminar Economics
Board Fellows Information Session (September 9, 2019 5:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/64806 64806-16450927@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, September 9, 2019 5:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Business+Impact at Michigan Ross

Learn how you can prepare for mission-driven leadership with project management and executive skills as a board member of a nonprofit like United Way or Ann Arbor SPARK. Hear details about this year’s participating partner organizations, the fellowship, and the board-level strategic project you complete as a Board Fellow.

All applicants must attend one of the two scheduled information sessions at Ross (9/5) or the Ford School (9/9).

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Community Service Thu, 01 Aug 2019 10:33:57 -0400 2019-09-09T17:00:00-04:00 2019-09-09T18:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Business+Impact at Michigan Ross Community Service Board Fellows
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS): Findings from CIERS climate survey and discussion (September 11, 2019 8:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/66501 66501-16742866@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, September 11, 2019 8:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Department of Economics

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Fri, 06 Sep 2019 10:52:05 -0400 2019-09-11T08:30:00-04:00 2019-09-11T10:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Department of Economics Workshop / Seminar economics
Diplomacy in a New Transatlantic Era (September 13, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/66044 66044-16684603@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, September 13, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Free and open to the public. Reception to follow.

This event will be live-webstreamed. Check the event page right before the event for viewing details.

About the event:

Please join us to celebrate the launch of the Weiser Diplomacy Center with a conversation on U.S. foreign policy and the evolving Transatlantic relationship. Former National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, former Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried, and President & CEO of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition Liz Schrayer will analyze key challenges facing the United States and its partners in Europe and beyond. They will discuss how effective diplomacy can advance American values and interests in an era when nationalist and authoritarian currents are strong. They will also share insights on the implications for students pursuing careers in international affairs.

About the lecture series:

This event forms part of the series in celebration of the launch of the Weiser Diplomacy Center (WDC), housed in the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. WDC is a hub for practical training and policy dialogue on diplomacy and foreign affairs. WDC trains students for careers in international service, provides a meeting point for academics and practitioners, and serves as a bridge between U-M and the foreign policy community. WDC engages Professors of Practice and regular visiting practitioners and aims to be one of the country’s leading loci for the study of foreign affairs.

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Lecture / Discussion Tue, 03 Sep 2019 09:58:53 -0400 2019-09-13T16:00:00-04:00 2019-09-13T18:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Lecture / Discussion Stephen Hadley and Daniel Fried
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS): Attrition from administrative data: Problems and solutions with an application to higher education (September 18, 2019 8:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/67158 67158-16805233@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, September 18, 2019 8:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Department of Economics

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Fri, 13 Sep 2019 13:58:16 -0400 2019-09-18T08:30:00-04:00 2019-09-18T10:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Department of Economics Workshop / Seminar economics
Causal Inference in Education Research Seminar (CIERS): Scheduling conflict: Effects of overlap in the school and farming calendars on education (September 25, 2019 8:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/67159 67159-16805234@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, September 25, 2019 8:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Department of Economics

Details to come.

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Workshop / Seminar Fri, 13 Sep 2019 13:57:49 -0400 2019-09-25T08:30:00-04:00 2019-09-25T10:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Department of Economics Workshop / Seminar economics
"The Education of an Idealist," The 3rd Annual Vandenberg Lecture (September 25, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/66239 66239-16719619@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, September 25, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Free and open to the public. This event will be live-webstreamed, check event website right before the event for viewing details.
Reception and book signing to follow.


About the event:
Join us for an arm-chair conversation between Ambassador Samantha Power and Professor John Ciorciari, Director of the Weiser Diplomacy Center, as they discuss Ambassador Power’s distinguished career and her just-published book, The Education of an Idealist. This memoir traces Power’s distinctly American journey, from Irish immigrant to human rights activist to United States Ambassador to the United Nations. Power’s perspective on government is unique, as she takes us from the streets of war-torn Bosnia to the Situation Room and out into the world of high-stakes diplomacy.


About the Vandenberg Lecture Series:
The Meijer Family established the Vandenberg Fund to honor U.S. Senator Arthur Vandenberg, who served the State of Michigan in the U.S. Senate from 1928-1951. Senator Vandenberg forged bipartisan support for our country's most significant and enduring foreign policies of the twentieth century, including the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, NATO and the creation of the United Nations.


About the WDC lecture series:
This event forms part of the series in celebration of the launch of the Weiser Diplomacy Center (WDC), housed in the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. WDC is a hub for practical training and policy dialogue on diplomacy and foreign affairs. WDC trains students for careers in international service, provides a meeting point for academics and practitioners, and serves as a bridge between U-M and the foreign policy community. WDC engages Professors of Practice and regular visiting practitioners and aims to be one of the country’s leading loci for the study of foreign affairs.

Hosted as part of the Ford School's Conversations Across Difference Initiative.

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Lecture / Discussion Tue, 17 Sep 2019 11:49:50 -0400 2019-09-25T16:00:00-04:00 2019-09-25T17:20:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Lecture / Discussion Samantha Power
Honoring the Work of Robert Axelrod (September 26, 2019 5:30pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/61248 61248-15061057@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, September 26, 2019 5:30pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Department of Political Science

TBA

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Other Tue, 07 May 2019 14:40:51 -0400 2019-09-26T17:30:00-04:00 2019-09-26T19:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Department of Political Science Other
Governor Transition Leaders Panel (September 27, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/67557 67557-16892244@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, September 27, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP)

Want to learn more about how a successful campaign becomes a gubernatorial administration following an election? How Michigan government has evolved over a generation of leadership?

Join Domestic Policy Corps (DPC) and the Center for Local, State and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) for a panel discussion with a generation of Michigan governor transition leaders from 1991 to today. They'll come together to discuss transition process, Lansing's history, and the future of Michigan executive leadership.

The panel includes:

Mark Bernstein (Whitmer transition and UMich Regent)
John Burchett (Granholm transition)
Awenate Cobbina (Whitmer transition)
Rich Baird (Snyder transition)
Anne Mervenne (Snyder and Engler transitions)
Richard McLellan (Engler transition)

Food will be provided. We hope to see you there!

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Lecture / Discussion Mon, 23 Sep 2019 14:45:57 -0400 2019-09-27T16:00:00-04:00 2019-09-27T17:30:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) Lecture / Discussion Governor Transition Leaders
Wallace House Presents “Held Hostage: Ensuring the Safe Return of Americans Held Captive Abroad” (October 7, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/66390 66390-16734116@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, October 7, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Wallace House Center for Journalists

Each year, it’s estimated that hundreds of American journalists, humanitarian aid workers, business people and tourists are taken captive by foreign governments, terrorist groups and criminal organizations. How can we better understand U.S. hostage policy and the risks and challenges of bringing our fellow Americans home? Join us for a discussion on negotiating with hostile actors, growing threats to journalists and aid workers both at home and abroad, and the safety measures they should undertake.

Panelists:

Diane Foley is the mother of five children, including American freelance conflict journalist James W. Foley. She founded the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation in September 2014, less than a month after his public execution. Diane is currently serving as the President and Executive Director of JWFLF. Since 2014, she has led JWFLF efforts to fund the start of Hostage US and the international Alliance for a Culture of Safety. In 2015, she actively participated in the National Counterterrorism Center hostage review which culminated in the Presidential Policy Directive-30. This directive re-organized U.S. efforts on behalf of Americans taken hostage abroad into an interagency Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs and a White House Hostage Response Group. Previously, Diane worked first as a community health nurse and then as a family nurse practitioner for 18 years. She received both her undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of New Hampshire in Durham.

Joel Simon is the executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. He has written widely on media issues, contributing to Slate, Columbia Journalism Review, The New York Review of Books, World Policy Journal, Asahi Shimbun, and The Times of India. He has led numerous international missions to advance press freedom. His book, “The New Censorship: Inside the Global Battle for Media Freedom,” was published in November 2014.

Moderator:

Margaux Ewen is the executive director of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, a non-profit organization founded after the brutal 2014 murder of James Foley, an American freelance journalist, while he was held captive by ISIS in Syria. The foundation’s mission is to advocate for the freedom of all Americans held hostage or unjustly detained abroad and promote the safety of journalists worldwide. Prior to joining the Foley Foundation, Margaux was North America director for Reporters Without Borders. She has a demonstrated history of working in the broadcast media industry and advocating for media rights and has two law degrees from the Sorbonne in France and from The George Washington University in the U.S.

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Lecture / Discussion Mon, 07 Oct 2019 09:19:40 -0400 2019-10-07T16:00:00-04:00 2019-10-07T17:30:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Wallace House Center for Journalists Lecture / Discussion Wallace House Presents “Held Hostage: Ensuring the Safe Return of Americans Held Captive Abroad”
Critical Engagement with Transitional Justice: Perspectives from Africa and Latin America (October 10, 2019 5:30pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/67864 67864-16960525@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, October 10, 2019 5:30pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: International Policy Center

Colombia and South Africa experienced two of the longest civil conflicts since the Second World War. Both underwent intensive, tenuous and difficult negotiations in order to end their respective conflicts peacefully. What does it mean in such contexts to bring about “transitional justice?” What values and interests tend to drive transitional justice processes, and what aspects of justice tend to be overlooked? How can societies address key forms of injustice that formal transitional justice processes downplay or omit? What were the comparative successes, failures and difficulties that face societies after conflict in their quest for greater democracy, human rights and social justice? This interdisciplinary panel will offer a comparative cross-regional discussion of transitional justice. Leading scholars from Africa and Latin America will share insights about macro-level commonalities in transitional justice processes across diverse societies. They will also examine how those high-level dynamics have affected micro-level social, civil and political dynamics in the various countries they study, work and live in—and thus the experiences of ordinary survivors seeking remedies to continuing injustice.

Participating speakers:

Litheko Modisane(University of Cape Town)
Keith Vermeulen (Methodist Church of Southern Africa)
Alejandro Castillejo-Cuellar (Universidad de los Andes)
Gustavo Jose Rojas Paez (Universidad Libre de Colombia)

Yazier Henry (University of Michigan) as moderator

Hosted as part of the Ford School's Conversations Across Difference Initiative.

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Lecture / Discussion Wed, 02 Oct 2019 12:39:22 -0400 2019-10-10T17:30:00-04:00 2019-10-10T19:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) International Policy Center Lecture / Discussion
Listening to Strengthen Democracy (October 23, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/66775 66775-16776790@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, October 23, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP)

Free and open to the public. Reception to follow.

Our democracy suffers from a lack of listening and an overabundance of people not feeling heard. In her talk, Dr. Cramer will explain what she heard while inviting herself into the conversations of people in small communities in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. That project led to a collaboration with a team of technology experts at MIT and partner nonprofit, Cortico. Kathy will talk about the community-driven listening network they invented, the Local Voices Network, and share what they've learned so far from chapters in Wisconsin, New York, Massachusetts, and Alabama.

Katherine Cramer (B.A. University of Wisconsin-Madison 1994, Ph.D. University of Michigan 2000) is a Professor of Political Science and the Natalie C. Holton Chair of Letters & Science. During the 2018-2019 academic year she is a Visiting Professor with the Laboratory for Social Machines at the MIT Media Lab. She is an affiliate faculty member in the UW-Madison Elections Research Center, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, LaFollette School of Public Affairs, Institute for Research on Poverty, Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies, Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education, and Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems. Her work focuses on the way people in the United States make sense of politics and their place in it. She is known for her innovative approach to the study of public opinion, in which she uses methods like inviting herself into the conversations of groups of people to listen to the way they understand public affairs. Her award-winning book, The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker, brought to light rural resentment toward cities and its implications for contemporary politics, and was a go-to source for understanding votes in the 2016 presidential election (University of Chicago Press, 2016). She has also published as Katherine Cramer Walsh and is the author of Talking about Race: Community Dialogues and the Politics of Difference (University of Chicago Press, 2007), and Talking about Politics: Informal Groups and Social Identity in American Life (University of Chicago Press, 2004). She was named a Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters in 2018 and is the recipient of the 2018 APSA Heinz Eulau Award for the best article published in Perspectives on Politics (with Benjamin Toff), the 2017 APSA Qualitative and Multi-Method Research section Giovanni Sartori Award for the best book developing or using qualitative methods published in 2016; a finalist for the 2017 APSA Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award for the best book on government, politics, or international affairs; the 2012 APSA Qualitative and Multi-Methods Research Section award for the best qualitative or multi-method submission to the American Political Science Review; a 2006 UW-Madison Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award; a 2012-2014 UW-Madison Vilas Associate Award; a 2015-17 Leon Epstein Faculty Fellowship; and a 2017-2022 UW-Madison Kellett Mid-Career Faculty Researcher Award. In 2019 she was elected into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Sponsored by The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy and The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

For more information contact closup@umich.edu or call 734-647-4091.

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Lecture / Discussion Tue, 10 Sep 2019 11:08:25 -0400 2019-10-23T16:00:00-04:00 2019-10-23T17:30:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) Lecture / Discussion Kathy Cramer
Science, Technology, and Public Policy Graduate Certificate Info Session (October 23, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/67933 67933-16969022@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, October 23, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) Program

Join us for an information session about the Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) Graduate Certificate!

Wednesday, October 23rd, 4:00pm-5:00pm
5240 Weill Hall
There will be SNACKS!

Do you want to learn how science and technology policy is made? Are you interested in the social and ethical implications of developments like gene editing and autonomous vehicles? Are you concerned about the increased politicization of science and research funding?

In the STPP graduate certificate program, graduate students from across the University analyze the role of science and technology in the policymaking process, gain experience writing for policymakers, and explore the political and policy landscape of areas such as biotechnology, information technology, energy, and others. Graduates of the STPP certificate have gone on to a range of policy-engaged scientific roles in government, NGOs, and academia.

More information about the program is available at: http://stpp.fordschool.umich.edu/graduate-certificate/

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Presentation Wed, 02 Oct 2019 13:21:49 -0400 2019-10-23T16:00:00-04:00 2019-10-23T17:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) Program Presentation Information Session promotional slide
Entering, Engaging & Exiting Communities in Detroit (October 23, 2019 5:30pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/64820 64820-16452975@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, October 23, 2019 5:30pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Ginsberg Center

This interactive workshop introduces principles and practices for thoughtfully engaging with communities, including motivations, impact of social identities, and strategies for engaging in reciprocal, ethical, and respectful ways--with an emphasis on working with communities in Detroit.

This workshop is open to all students, including ones in small classes or student organizations with less than 10 students.

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Workshop / Seminar Fri, 23 Aug 2019 10:36:59 -0400 2019-10-23T17:30:00-04:00 2019-10-23T19:00:00-04:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Ginsberg Center Workshop / Seminar Learning in Community logo
Documentary Screening “The Jewish Underground” (November 4, 2019 2:30pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/68734 68734-17147121@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, November 4, 2019 2:30pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Wallace House Center for Journalists

In the early 1980s, a network of right-wing settlers plotted to blow up the Dome of the Rock, the oldest existing Islamic monument situated on the most volatile site in the Middle East, the Temple Mount. Arrested in 1984 by the Israeli secret service Shin Bet, the conspirators were found to be responsible for several other attacks against Palestinians, including a series of car bomb attacks against West Bank mayors and schemes to blow-up civilian buses at rush-hour. Shai Gal’s documentary recounts the events surrounding their case and reveals the ties between the convicted plotters and leaders of the current Israeli government. Join us for a viewing and stay for a conversation with the documentary’s filmmaker, Shai Gal, and U-M’s director of screenwriting program, Jim Burnstein.

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Film Screening Wed, 23 Oct 2019 12:06:47 -0400 2019-11-04T14:30:00-05:00 2019-11-04T16:30:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Wallace House Center for Journalists Film Screening Shai Gal
In a Distracted World, Solitude is Practice for Tomorrow’s Leaders (November 6, 2019 7:30pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/65923 65923-16670251@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, November 6, 2019 7:30pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Barger Leadership Institute

Michigan Leadership Collaborative (MLC) Speaker Event: In a Distracted World, Solitude is Practice for Tomorrow’s Leaders
with Mike Erwin

Introduction by Saddi Washington, U-M Basketball Assistant Coach

The volume of our communication, and our unfettered access to information and other people, have made it more difficult than ever to focus. Despite this reality, there is another truth: Opportunities to focus are still all around us. But we must recognize them and believe that the benefit of focus, for yourself and the people you lead, is worth making it a priority in your life. In other words, before you can lead others, the first person you must lead is yourself.

MIKE ERWIN was born and raised in Syracuse, NY. He has dedicated his life to serving the nation---and empowering people to build positive relationships.

A 2002 graduate of The U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, Mike was commissioned as an Intelligence Officer, deploying three times between 2004 and 2009. Following his third deployment, Mike attended the University of Michigan from 2009-2011, where he studied positive psychology and leadership under the tutelage of Drs. Chris Peterson and Nansook Park. He went on to serve as an Assistant Professor in Psychology & Leadership at West Point from 2011-2014.

While in graduate school in 2010, Mike founded a non-profit organization named Team Red, White & Blue (Team RWB). Team RWB’s mission is to enrich the lives of America’s veterans by connecting them to their communities through physical and social activity.

Mike is the co-author of LEAD YOURSELF FIRST by Bloomsbury Press (2017). The book focuses on how solitude strengthens people’s ability to lead with clarity, balance and conviction. The book profiles leaders including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Winston Churchill and Jane Goodall, and how they used solitude in some of their most pivotal moments.

Currently, Mike is leading another non-profit organization that he co-founded in 2015: The Positivity Project. Its mission is to empower America’s youth to build positive relationships through a deeper understanding of positive psychology’s 24 character strengths. Currently partnered with over 625 schools in 24 different states, The Positivity Project is helping over 400,000 students to see the good in themselves---and in other people---which is giving them the foundation to build stronger relationships.

EVENT NOTE: Please enter the building at State and Hill, 735 S. State Street.

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Lecture / Discussion Tue, 22 Oct 2019 17:34:43 -0400 2019-11-06T19:30:00-05:00 2019-11-06T21:30:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Barger Leadership Institute Lecture / Discussion event poster
Michigan Leadership Collaborative Speaker Event (November 6, 2019 7:30pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/65658 65658-16627872@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, November 6, 2019 7:30pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Department of Psychology

In a Distracted World, Solitude is Practice for Tomorrow's Leaders

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Presentation Fri, 23 Aug 2019 12:02:30 -0400 2019-11-06T19:30:00-05:00 2019-11-06T21:30:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Department of Psychology Presentation Michael S. Erwin Presentation
Conversation on National Security, Service, and Policy (November 11, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/68562 68562-17096962@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, November 11, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Please join the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy for a conversation with LTG James Clapper (USAF, ret.), LTG Michael Nagata (USA, ret.), and Representative Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) on national security, service, and policy. This wide-ranging discussion in honor of Veterans Day will cover current national security issues, as well as the importance of public service. The conversation will be moderated by Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence Javed Ali.

This event is free and open to the public. Reception to follow.

This event will be live streamed. Please check back to the event page just before the event for viewing details.

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Lecture / Discussion Fri, 08 Nov 2019 11:50:14 -0500 2019-11-11T16:00:00-05:00 2019-11-11T17:20:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Lecture / Discussion National Security, Service, and Policy
Human rights on the brink (November 14, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/68582 68582-17103246@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, November 14, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Free and open to the public. Reception to follow.

This event will be livestreamed. Check event website right before the event for viewing details.

From the speaker's bio:

Michael Breen is president and chief executive officer of Human Rights First, one of the nation’s leading human rights advocacy organizations. Established in 1978, Human Rights First’s mission is to ensure that the United States is a global leader on human rights. The organization works in the United States and abroad to promote respect for human rights and the rule of law. Breen leads a staff with offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Houston. Before joining Human Rights First, Breen served as president and CEO of the Truman National Security Project, a nationwide membership organization of diverse leaders inspired to serve in the aftermath of 9/11 and committed to shaping and advocating for tough, smart national security solutions.

Prior to his work at the Truman Project, Breen led soldiers in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan as a U.S. Army officer, including by serving for a year as a platoon leader in the Pech and Korengal Valleys with the 173rd Airborne. After leaving the military, he served in the Office of White House Counsel and co-founded the International Refugee Assistance Project, working with refugee families in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. Breen holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A. from Dartmouth, having also studied in Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the United Kingdom.

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Lecture / Discussion Fri, 18 Oct 2019 10:34:45 -0400 2019-11-14T16:00:00-05:00 2019-11-14T17:20:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Lecture / Discussion Michael Breen, President & CEO of Human Rights First
Desperate and Displaced: Ensuring NGOs Do Their Best to Help Those in Humanitarian Crises (November 18, 2019 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/68677 68677-17136736@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, November 18, 2019 11:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Weiser Diplomacy Center

We invite the Ford School students to a seminar with Ambassador Klosson from Save the Children.
The session will focus on the expanding number of people caught up in humanitarian crises around the world for increasingly protracted periods, and the role of International Nongovernmental Organizations (INGOs) in responding to these needs. What principles should guide how INGOs go about these responses? The session will provide for an interactive discussion of challenges and dilemmas NGOs must navigate, drawing on several short hypotheticals or case studies and Save the Children’s experience.

Ambassador Michael Klosson joined Save the Children in January 2007 after a career in international affairs and serves as the Vice President for Policy and Humanitarian Responses. He oversees the agency's public policy and advocacy work with the U.S. and foreign governments as well as its global emergency response work.

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/1VhvDhvhf59msADS9

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Workshop / Seminar Thu, 31 Oct 2019 12:50:33 -0400 2019-11-18T11:30:00-05:00 2019-11-18T13:00:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Weiser Diplomacy Center Workshop / Seminar Save the Children Organization Logo
"Communities of Interest" and Michigan's New Approach to Redistricting through an Independent Citizens Commission (November 18, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/64955 64955-16493258@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, November 18, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP)

Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, Annenberg Auditorium (1120)
735 S. State Street, Ann Arbor 48109-3091
4:00pm-5:30pm

Free and open to the public. Reception to follow.

Panelists:
-Jocelyn Benson, Michigan Secretary of State.
-Connie Malloy, Chair, 2010 California Citizens Redistricting Commission.
-Chris Lamar, Legal Counsel for Redistricting with the Campaign Legal Center.
-Christopher Thomas, former Director of Elections for the State of Michigan.
-Nancy Wang, Voters Not Politicians, Executive Director - will moderate the discussion.

In November, 2018, the citizens of Michigan passed Proposal 2, which amended the Michigan Constitution to place legislative and congressional redistricting in the hands of a 13-member Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. The amendment requires the Commission to draw Michigan's election district maps in a fair and transparent way using public input. Commission-drawn maps must meet strict, prioritized criteria listed in the amendment. "Communities of Interest" (COIs) are high on the list of priorities in drawing new districts, after equal population, compliance with the Voting Rights Act, and contiguity. However, COIs are a new concept for Michigan redistricting and are defined broadly in the amendment.

A panel of experts will share how COIs factor into the redistricting process, and how citizens can be involved in helping the Commission incorporate COIs in Michigan's next set of election district maps.

Panelists will discuss:
-- what are communities of interest (COIs)
-- how are they defined (some examples from Michigan and other states)
-- where do they factor into the redistricting process
-- why is it important for district maps to respect community boundaries
-- what is the actual process for drawing lines around communities, and
-- what to do with overlapping communities of interest

This panel discussion is part of a larger CLOSUP research and service project being conducted on behalf of the Michigan Department of State to advise the Department and the Commission on best practices for the implementation of the COI criteria.
Sponsored by: Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) and Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Co-sponsors: Voters Not Politicians, Ginsberg Center, Domestic Policy Corps, Detroit Public Television, Program in Practical Policy Engagement (P3E)

For more information contact closup@umich.edu or call 734-647-4091.

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Lecture / Discussion Wed, 06 Nov 2019 10:16:55 -0500 2019-11-18T16:00:00-05:00 2019-11-18T17:30:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) Lecture / Discussion poster
The U.S., Iran, and Security in the Persian Gulf (November 21, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/69009 69009-17213802@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Thursday, November 21, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Free and open to the public.

The Weiser Diplomacy Center is partnering with the American Academy of Diplomacy to bring seasoned U.S. diplomats to Ford School and discuss the U.S., Iran and Security in Persian Gulf. We invite all students and community to join us in conversation with Ambassador Deborah McCarthy, program chair and moderator, with Ambassador Gerald Feierstein, Ambassador Ronald Neumann, and Ambassador Patrick Theros.

Ambassador Deborah A. McCarthy (moderator) is an international security strategist with over 30 years of experience in Europe, the Western Hemisphere and the U.S. She is currently a consultant with the Transnational Strategy Group in Washington D.C. Before joining the private sector, Ms. McCarthy was a member of the U.S. Foreign Service. From 2013 to 2016, she was the U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania. Ms. McCarthy also served as Deputy Ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Greece and the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua.

Ambassador Patrick Nickolas Theros has served as president and executive director of the U.S.-Qatar Business Council for nearly 20 years. Throughout his 35-year Foreign Service career, Ambassador Theros held many honorable positions, including ambassador to the State of Qatar, advisor to the commander in chief, central command; deputy chief of mission and political officer in Amman; and deputy coordinator for Counter-Terrorism. Ambassador Theros was awarded the President’s Meritorious Service Award for career officials and the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service. He retired from the Foreign Service in 1998.

Ambassador Gerald (Jerry) Feierstein retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in May 2016 after a 41-year career. At the time of his retirement, Feierstein held the personal rank of Career Minister. Feierstein currently serves as the Senior Vice President of the Middle East Institute. Over the course of his career, he served in nine overseas postings, including three tours of duty in Pakistan, as well as tours in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Lebanon, Jerusalem, and Tunisia. As Deputy Coordinator and Principal Deputy Coordinator in the State Department’s Counter-Terrorism bureau, Feierstein led the development of initiatives to build regional networks to confront extremist groups as well as to counter terrorist financing and promote counter-terrorism messaging.

Formerly a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Ambassador Ronald E. Neumann served three times as Ambassador; to Algeria, Bahrain and finally to Afghanistan from July 2005 to April 2007. Before Afghanistan, Mr. Neumann, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, served in Baghdad from February 2004 with the Coalition Provisional Authority and then as Embassy Baghdad’s liaison with the Multinational Command, where he was deeply involved in coordinating the political part of military actions. He currently serves as the President of the American Academy of Diplomacy.

About the lecture series:

This event forms part of the series in celebration of the launch of the Weiser Diplomacy Center (WDC), housed in the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. WDC is a hub for practical training and policy dialogue on diplomacy and foreign affairs. WDC trains students for careers in international service, provides a meeting point for academics and practitioners, and serves as a bridge between U-M and the foreign policy community. WDC engages Professors of Practice and regular visiting practitioners and aims to be one of the country’s leading loci for the study of foreign affairs.

Hosted as part of the Ford School's Conversations Across Difference Initiative.

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Lecture / Discussion Mon, 18 Nov 2019 08:38:17 -0500 2019-11-21T16:00:00-05:00 2019-11-21T17:30:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Lecture / Discussion American Academy of Diplomacy
Who is Xi: A Chinese Political Saga of The New Era (November 22, 2019 5:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/69316 69316-17301845@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Friday, November 22, 2019 5:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Michigan China Forum

Who is Xi? What do we know about him beyond his bland title as the President of the People’s Republic of China? As the strongest Chinese leader in recent years, President Xi Jinping has overseen a multitude of changes affecting both China’s domestic sphere and the international community. Thus, how did he come to power? What role will he play in the history of our time? From the anti-corruption campaign to “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era,” how has he transformed the political climate within one of the last surviving parties with “anti-capitalist” principles? What about the economy? Though no longer based on communist principles, it is certainly not the liberal free-market western scholars envisioned it to be. Yet, it is nevertheless characterized by rapid urban development, consumer market growth, and technological breakthrough, though complicated by downward pressure in recent years. How have these domestic factors together challenged Sino-US relations? How can the two countries work together to prevent a downward spiral? With China’s rising global influence, it is never too early to be acquainted with the face of China in the new era. Come join us at a panel discussion moderated by professor Ann Chih Lin, with professors Mary Gallagher, Alan Deardorff, and WCED fellow Jundai Liu as panelists, on how President Xi Jinping has reshaped contemporary Chinese politics and its relations with the United States! The event will be followed by a light reception.

Please learn more and RSVP here: https://forms.gle/LoHvBW4yxyfnBk1k8

*If you are a person with a disability that requires accommodations, please note so in the Register link*

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Lecture / Discussion Tue, 12 Nov 2019 11:56:10 -0500 2019-11-22T17:00:00-05:00 2019-11-22T19:00:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Michigan China Forum Lecture / Discussion Official Poster
Entering Canada to Visit, Work, Study, or Live (December 4, 2019 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/66951 66951-16787743@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, December 4, 2019 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: International Center

Are you thinking about visiting Canada? Are you thinking about studying or working in Canada? Or perhaps you are interested in living in Canada?

Whether you are planning a short trip to Canada, are interested in working or studying in Canada, or would like to live there, there are specific requirements that you should understand.

Representatives from the Canadian Consulate General will talk about these requirements and will also be happy to answer questions. These representatives are experts on this topic; this is an excellent opportunity to get accurate information and to have your questions answered.

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Presentation Wed, 11 Sep 2019 15:32:24 -0400 2019-12-04T16:00:00-05:00 2019-12-04T17:30:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) International Center Presentation Entering Canada
Media, Information, and the U.S.-Russia Relationship: A Conversation with Yevgenia Albats and Amb. Susan Elliott (January 15, 2020 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/69579 69579-17368296@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, January 15, 2020 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Weiser Diplomacy Center

This event will feature a conversation between noted Russian journalist and scholar Yevgenia Albats and Ambassador Susan Elliott, a recently retired U.S. diplomat, on the role of media and information in the evolving relationship between Russia and the United States. Ambassador Melvyn Levitsky, professor of international policy and practice at the Ford School, will moderate.

About the Speakers:

Yevgenia Albats is a Russian investigative journalist, political scientist, author, and radio host. She is a 2019-20 Distinguished Fellow at the UM International Institute and Weiser Centers for Europe and Eurasia. Since 2007, she has been the Political Editor and then Editor-in-Chief and CEO of The New Times, a Moscow-based, Russian language independent political weekly. It went digital in June of 2017 when its distribution and sales were severed by the Russian authorities. Since 2004, she has hosted Absolute Albats, a talk-show on Ekho Moskvy, the only remaining liberal radio station in Russia. Albats was an Alfred Friendly Press Fellow assigned to the Chicago Tribune in 1990, and a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 1993. She graduated from Moscow State University in 1980, and received her PhD in Political Science from Harvard University in 2004. She is a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists since its founding in 1996. Albats taught at Yale in 2003-2004, and she was a full-time professor at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics, where she taught institutional theory of the state and bureaucracy until 2011 when her courses were cancelled at the request of top Kremlin officials. In 2017, she was chosen as inaugural fellow at Kelly’s Writers House and Perry House at the University of Pennsylvania. Albats is the author of the four independently researched books, including one on the history of the Russian political police, the KGB, whose graduates are running the country today.

Ambassador Susan Elliott (ret.) is President & CEO of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, a position she assumed in August 2018. Ambassador Elliott is an accomplished diplomat who held a variety of leadership positions at the U.S. Department of State during her 27 year career as a Foreign Service officer. From 2015 to 2017, Ambassador Elliott served as the Civilian Deputy and Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commander of the United States European Command. Ambassador Elliott was the U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan from 2012 to 2015. Prior to her Ambassadorial appointment, she served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Ambassador Elliott worked in a variety of overseas and Washington-based assignments. Her previous overseas assignments include Moscow, Russia (twice); Belfast, Northern Ireland; Athens, Greece; and Lima, Peru. In Washington, Ambassador Elliott worked on the staff of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Earlier in her career she reported on conflicts in the countries of the former Soviet Union when she worked in the Office of the Coordinator for Regional Conflicts in the New Independent States.

Ambassador Melvyn Levitsky (ret.), a retired career minister in the U.S. Foreign Service, is a professor of international policy and practice at UM’s Ford School of Public Policy. He also serves as senior associate of the school's International Policy Center, senior advisor to the Weiser Diplomacy Center, and faculty associate of the university's Center for Russian and East European Studies. Before joining the University of Michigan in the fall of 2006, Ambassador Levitsky taught for eight years as professor of practice in public administration and international relations at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. From 2003 to 2012, Ambassador Levitsky served on the International Narcotics Control Board, an independent body of experts headquartered in Vienna and responsible for monitoring and promoting standards of drug control established by international treaties. During his 35-year career as a U.S. diplomat, he was ambassador to Brazil from 1994-98 and before that held such senior positions as Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics Matters, executive secretary of the State Department, ambassador to Bulgaria, deputy director of the Voice of America, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights. Ambassador Levitsky also served as director of the State Department's Office of UN Political Affairs and as officer-in-charge of U.S.-Soviet Bilateral Relations. Earlier in his career he was a political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and a consul at U.S. Consulates in Belem, Brazil and Frankfurt, Germany.

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Lecture / Discussion Tue, 03 Dec 2019 11:33:11 -0500 2020-01-15T16:00:00-05:00 2020-01-15T17:30:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Weiser Diplomacy Center Lecture / Discussion Photo of US and Russian Flags
Susan Rice on Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For (January 20, 2020 12:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/69774 69774-17417492@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, January 20, 2020 12:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided beginning at 11:30 am: Please RSVP. Dessert reception to follow.

This event will be livestreamed. Please check fordschool.umich.edu just before the event for viewing details.

Join us for an arm-chair conversation between Ambassador Susan Rice and Michael Barr, Dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, as they discuss Ambassador Rice's distinguished career and her book, Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For. Recalling pivotal moments from her dynamic career on the front lines of American diplomacy and foreign policy—as National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations—Ambassador Rice's memoir delivers an inspiring account of a life in service to family and country.

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Lecture / Discussion Mon, 25 Nov 2019 15:59:42 -0500 2020-01-20T12:00:00-05:00 2020-01-20T13:30:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Lecture / Discussion Susan Rice
"Killing the Chickens, Scaring the Monkeys? Demonstration Effects from PRC Coercion and Its Limits" (January 27, 2020 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/71816 71816-17888057@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, January 27, 2020 11:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: International Policy Center

Ja Ian Chong will host a talk at the Ford School discussing his research on how China uses economic punishment to elicit desired behavior from other states. A common claim about PRC economic statecraft is that it aims to discourage states from engaging in behavior Beijing finds undesirable by visibly punishing third parties. However, there is limited evidence about how such third party punishment works, particularly when states are more or less sensitive to such indirect demonstration effects. This paper seeks to address this question by examining the cases of the United Kingdom, France, Malaysia, and Taiwan. We argue that states with experience of direct punishment tend to be more resistant to demonstrations of punishment toward third parties

About the Speaker:

Ja Ian Chong is an Associate Professor of political science at the National University of Singapore. He received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 2008 and previously taught at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. His research covers the intersection of international and domestic politics, with a focus on the externalities of major power competition, nationalism, regional order and security, contentious politics, and state formation. He works on US-China relations, security and order in Northeast and Southeast Asia, cross-strait relations, and Taiwan politics.

To read more visit: https://harvard-yenching.org/scholars/chong-ja-ian

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Workshop / Seminar Tue, 21 Jan 2020 15:23:37 -0500 2020-01-27T11:30:00-05:00 2020-01-27T12:50:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) International Policy Center Workshop / Seminar Photo of Ja Ian Chong
Emerging Drinking Water Contaminants Panel (January 29, 2020 11:30am) https://events.umich.edu/event/71811 71811-17888047@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, January 29, 2020 11:30am
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Environmental Policy Association

Join the Environmental Policy Association next week on Wednesday, 1/29 at 11:30 to 1 in 1110 Weill Hall for an Emerging Drinking Water Contaminants Panel. Panelist will discuss the challenges of emerging contaminants such as PFAS. The panel will feature UM professors from Public Health and SEAS as well as representatives from the State of Michigan and the Michigan Environmental Council. Lunch will be provided.

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Workshop / Seminar Tue, 21 Jan 2020 12:45:32 -0500 2020-01-29T11:30:00-05:00 2020-01-29T13:00:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Environmental Policy Association Workshop / Seminar Event Flyer
Wallace House Presents Davey Alba of The New York Times with Ceren Burdak of the School of Information and College of Engineering (January 29, 2020 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/70103 70103-17530519@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, January 29, 2020 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Wallace House Center for Journalists

In 2018, journalist Davey Alba traveled to the Philippines to investigate Facebook’s breakneck proliferation in that country and President Rodrigo Duterte’s rise to power. She revealed how the politician’s incendiary style aligned perfectly with the tech company’s algorithms that reward entertaining, inflammatory content. From maligning opponents to espousing hardline policies to combat the drug trade, Duterte’s operatives created memes, propaganda and egregious libel that flourished on Facebook. Join Alba and Ceren Budak, associate professor, University of Michigan, for an examination of how demagogic political campaigns worldwide have weaponized the social media platform.

About the Speakers:
Davey Alba is a reporter for The New York Times covering technology. Prior to joining the Times, she was a senior reporter at BuzzFeed News. She has been a staff writer at Wired and an editor at Popular Mechanics. Alba grew up in the Philippines and holds a B.A. degree from De La Salle University in Manila and an M.A. in science journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She received the 2019 Livingston Award for international reporting for her BuzzFeed investigation “How Duterte Used Facebook to Fuel the Philippine Drug War“.

Ceren Budak is an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Information and the College of Engineering. Her research interests lie in the area of computational social science, a discipline at the intersection of computer science, statistics and the social sciences. Previously, she was a postdoctoral researcher at Microsoft Research New York. Burdak received a PhD from the computer science department at University of California, Santa Barbara and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Bilkent University in Turkey.

This Livingston Lecture event is co-sponsored by the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and the Science, Technology and Public Policy Program

The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy is a co-sponsor of the event.

This event is produced with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

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Lecture / Discussion Mon, 16 Dec 2019 11:09:45 -0500 2020-01-29T16:00:00-05:00 2020-01-29T17:30:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Wallace House Center for Journalists Lecture / Discussion Davey Alba
POSTPONED: Media, big tech, and democracy: What happened? (February 5, 2020 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/71118 71118-17777084@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Wednesday, February 5, 2020 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED.
Visit fordschool.umich.edu in the fall for details.




Free and open to the public. Reception to follow.
This event will be livestreamed. Check the event webpage for viewing details.

From the speaker's bio:

From 2001-11, Michael Copps served as a member of the Federal Communications Commission, where his tenure was marked by a consistent embrace of the public interest. As a strong voice in opposition to consolidation in the media, he dissented in the FCC vote on the Comcast-NBC Universal merger. He has been a consistent proponent of localism in programming and diversity in media ownership. Though retired from the Commission, he has maintained a commitment to an inclusive, informative media landscape. In addition to his work at Common Causes, Michael sits on the boards of Free Press and Public Knowledge.

Before joining the FCC, Michael served as assistant secretary of commerce for trade development at the Department of Commerce and chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings (D-SC) from the early 1970s to 1983. He has a PhD in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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Lecture / Discussion Tue, 04 Feb 2020 09:52:25 -0500 2020-02-05T16:00:00-05:00 2020-02-05T17:20:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Lecture / Discussion Michael Copps
Opportunities and challenges of autonomous vehicles: Role of governments? (February 10, 2020 4:00pm) https://events.umich.edu/event/71249 71249-17794043@events.umich.edu Event Begins: Monday, February 10, 2020 4:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Free and open to the public. Reception to follow.

Automation has been significantly improving safety, efficiency, and throughput in aviation for decades. Automation in autonomous vehicles (AVs) offers similar improvement potential on our streets and highways. Automation on the ground, however, will be far more complex and challenging than in aviation. Given existing skepticism about AVs, crashes that could have been avoided by paying attention to lessons learned in aviation are particularly unfortunate because they will delay implementation of these life-saving technologies. In addition, the AV industry will face many automation challenges that were not encountered in aviation. The transformative changes from AVs will introduce major changes and challenges for federal, state and local governments.

Christopher A. Hart is the founder of Hart Solutions LLP, which specializes in improving safety in a variety of contexts, including the safety of automation in motor vehicles, workplace safety, and process safety in potentially hazardous industries.

Mr. Hart is also Chairman of the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, a three-jurisdictional agency (MD, VA, DC) that was created to oversee the safety of the Washington area mass transit subway system. He was also asked by the Federal Aviation Administration to lead the Joint Authorities Technical Review that was created bring together the certification authorities of 10 countries, as well as NASA, to review the robustness of the FAA certification of the flight control systems of the Boeing 737 MAX and make recommendations as needed to improve the certification process.

Until February 2018 Mr. Hart was a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). In March, 2015, he was nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate to be Chairman, which he was until March, 2017. Prior to that he was Vice Chairman, after being nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate in 2009 and 2013. The NTSB investigates major transportation accidents in all modes of transportation, determines probable cause, and makes recommendations to prevent recurrences. He was previously a Member of the NTSB in 1990, having been nominated by (the first) President Bush.

Mr. Hart’s previous positions include:
Deputy Director, Air Traffic Safety Oversight Service, Federal Aviation Administration,
Assistant Administrator for System Safety, FAA,
Deputy Administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Deputy Assistant General Counsel to the Department of Transportation,
Managing partner of Hart & Chavers, a Washington, D.C., law firm, and
Attorney with the Air Transport Association.

Mr. Hart has a law degree from Harvard Law School and a Master’s Degree and a Bachelor’s Degree (magna cum laude) in Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association, and he is a pilot with commercial, multi-engine, and instrument ratings.

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Lecture / Discussion Fri, 10 Jan 2020 13:18:40 -0500 2020-02-10T16:00:00-05:00 2020-02-10T17:20:00-05:00 Weill Hall (Ford School) Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Lecture / Discussion Christopher A. Hart