A new program at University of Michigan aims to boost opportunities for faculty and students to work on real-world problems with people and groups in the state and beyond. The Program in Practical Policy Engagement launches in the Ann Arbor school's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
Goals include turning research into policy actions and providing students greater understanding about how their work can be valuable to the broader public.The program is financially supported by $1.5 million from longtime university donors Philip and Kathy Power through the Power Foundation. Philip Power says in a release the program is intended to be practical, not theoretical, and spur the university to "improve our society."
Elisabeth Gerber, the Ford school's associate dean for research and policy engagement, will lead the program.
