New U-M Ford School building: More programs, vibrant learning environment

October 17, 2006
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ANN ARBOR—The new Joan and Sanford Weill Hall at the University of Michigan is more than an address change for the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

Long recognized as one of the top public policy schools in the nation, the school now occupies a facility that enables it to offer more courses, new programs, public lectures and public discussions, while encouraging the interaction of faculty and students that makes for a vibrant research and learning environment.

” This building reaffirms the Ford School as one of the nation’s top policy programs. It provides space for teaching, public events, and research centers, and gives the Ford School great visibility on campus,” said Rebecca Blank, the Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of Public Policy.

An invitation-only building dedication is 10:30 a.m. Friday. Among those who are expected to attend are former President Gerald R. Ford’s family; Joan and Sanford Weill; U-M President Mary Sue Coleman; and U-M Provost Teresa Sullivan.

” President Ford is highly respected because he personifies the ideal of noble public service. With a school that carries his name and the opening of Weill Hall, we are providing our students, faculty and staff with an exceptional environment for promoting public policy and civic leadership of the highest order,” Coleman said.

The 85,000-square-foot building, on the northeast corner of State and Hill streets, offers state-of-the-art classrooms and more areas for student-faculty interaction. Weill Hall’s highly visible location at a gateway to campus enhances the school’s role as a central venue for public discussion on current national and international policy issues, and serves to attract new students and top faculty.

” Betty and I are so pleased with the generous support that Joan and Sandy have provided to the Ford School, as well as the gifts of many other donors,” President Ford said. ” With their help the school will now be able to improve on its already impressive accomplishments.”

The Weills, long-time friends of the Fords, contributed $5 million to the building’s construction. President Ford asked the University to name the building in their honor for their generous donation.

” Joan and I are honored to support the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan,” said Sanford I. Weill, chairman emeritus of New York-based Citigroup. ” President and Mrs. Ford are very dear friends of ours and we could not think of a more fitting way to show how much we respect and value our special relationship with them.”

The Ford School’s curriculum emphasizes the value of social science techniques in understanding, developing, implementing and evaluating public policies. Students are involved in rigorous coursework and hands-on, practical policy experience.

Several dynamic research centers operate at the Ford School, giving students access to policymakers and researchers from around the world. The centers include the National Poverty Center; the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy Research; the International Policy Center; and the Nonprofit and Public Management Center.

” The school is large enough to offer a wide diversity of intellectual and political interests, but small enough to be friendly and comfortable,” Blank said.

But the school’s recent unprecedented growth” it currently has 220 students and 45 faculty members” and dated office and classroom space made the need for a new building a high priority for Blank, the school’s dean since 1999. The school had 130 students and about 30 faculty in 1999.

In December 2001, the U-M Board of Regents approved the new building, which was designed by the internationally recognized firm of Robert A.M. Stern Architects. When construction began at the site in 2004, Ford School officials set up a Web camera so visitors to the Ford School’s web page could see daily progress on the project.

” It’s been a treat for mom and dad to see the construction of the Joan and Sanford Weill Hall through the Web cam,” said Steven Ford, their son. ” They can’t wait to see the new building in person, as well as their close friends and University leaders, when they return to campus.”

With its stately massing, facades of variegated decorative red brickwork and bright stone, Weill Hall complements the composition and material palette of other U-M buildings such as the Michigan Union, the Michigan League, Lorch Hall, and Hatcher Graduate Library.

Weill Hall’s three primary wings are arranged in a U-shape to maximize the amount of natural light received by the spaces within and to embrace an east-facing courtyard on the second level. Throughout the building, alcoves and lounges of various shapes and sizes at every intersection of its corridors, provide the informal meeting spaces that are crucial to the interaction of the faculty and students.

” We need to interact with each other on a regular basis to benefit from each other’s expertise and perspective,” said Edie Goldenberg, a professor of public policy and political science. She served as Ford School director from 1987 to 1989.

The building features a 200-seat auditorium, as well as conference rooms and classrooms with the latest technology, such as video teleconferencing.

” Weill Hall is a state of the art learning center that encourages the exchange of ideas between faculty and students and invites the public in for lectures and policy discussions,” U-M Provost Sullivan said. ” Students, faculty, and policymakers will find it a wonderful location for study, research, and debate. We are pleased that the Ford School now has a home that can fully support its rich curriculum and distinguished scholarly work.”

That rich curriculum will soon be offered to undergraduates. In fall 2007, the school, which currently offers doctoral and masters degrees, will add an undergraduate program starting with 50 students. The school also will have new certificate programs, including one in science and technology policy.

Ford, a Grand Rapids native, received his Bachelor of Arts from the University in 1935. He was a member of Michigan’s national championship football teams in 1932 and 1933.

Ford’s lifetime of public service includes 25 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. He also was a member of the Presidential Commission that investigated the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He succeeded Spiro T. Agnew as vice president in 1973 and served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974-77.

Before he left the presidency, Ford donated to the U.S. government all of his congressional, vice-presidential, and presidential historical materials, including the files of his White House staff. The donation became part of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, which opened on U-M’s North Campus in 1981. The library is part of the presidential libraries system administered by the National Archives and Records Administration.

The Ford School began in 1914 as the Institute of Public Administration (IPA)” one of the first of its kind nationwide. The IPA reorganized in 1968 as the Institute of Public Policy Studies, with an expanded curriculum to include economic analysis, political analysis and quantitative methods. In 1995, it was given school status within U-M and named the School of Public Policy. The school officially was named after President Ford in 1999.

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