Skip to main content

Past Events

wave
Nov 13, 2023 6:00 pmVirtual

The 2023 Mayors Forum will focus on topics particular to Big Ten college cities including development of infrastructure that promotes social cohesion, challenges and opportunities of creating an infrastructure for urban technology, and campus and community participation in local elections. Join us for a conversation with Mayor Fazlul Kabir of College Park, MD; Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway of Madison, WI; and Mayor Christopher Taylor of Ann Arbor, MI moderated by Jim Throgmorton, Professor Emeritus University of Iowa School of Planning and Public Affairs and former mayor of Iowa City. This annual event brings together mayors virtually to timely topics of national importance that manifest at the municipal level and insights on how leadership at the city level shapes our national approaches to some of the most pressing issues of the day.

This virtual event will have a live watch party for the University of Michigan community at Taubman College Art and Architecture Building Auditorium (Room 2104), 2000 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor. Portions of the event will be filmed and live-streamed from the watch party. All are welcome to attend; dinner will be provided.

Sponsors:

  • Big Ten Collaboration: Democracy in the 21st Century
  • Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, University of Michigan (CLOSUP)
  • Democracy & Debate 2023-’24, University of Michigan
  • Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
  • Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Michigan
Oct 6, 2023 1:00 pmVirtual

Are you passionate about:

  • Criminal Justice Reform
  • Voting Rights
  • Equity in Democracy

Democracy is a Verb, are you ready to:

  • Step into the shoes of a senator - no experience required
  • Grapple with the complexities of democracy in action
  • Explore the implications of different state policies on voting rights

The Democracy Restoration Act:

Students from across the Big Ten are invited to participate in this virtual policy simulation on a bill that aims to establish a federal mandate that restores voting rights to all individuals upon their release from incarceration in an attempt to address the disparities in felony disenfranchisement laws across the nation.  – the Democracy Restoration Act of 2023 (S. 1667). 

Making a Difference Together: 

Worried you won’t understand policy talk? Unclear about a policy simulation? Don’t be! This is a learning experience for everyone, and democracy thrives when diverse backgrounds participate. You will have the opportunity to play the role of a senator working to move a bill out of committee. This event is for anyone who’s curious about how policies are created and want to have a say in shaping the future. 

Guided by Experts:

Led by University of Michigan’s Elisabeth Gerber, the Jack L. Walker, Jr. Professor of Public Policy and director of the Program in Practical Policy Engagement at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, this event will allow students to come together and engage in the process of creating legislation. 

Gain Recognition:

Students who complete the policy simulation will receive a digital badge that recognizes their participation and skills developed in this learning experience.

Shape Democracy - Join Us:

We encourage U-M students from all areas of study to participate! To take part in this event, please fill out the form below by DATE. Questions? Contact Catherine Carver (cmccurra@umich.edu).

Oct 11, 2022 4:00 PMHybrid: In person Honigman Auditorium, 100 Hutchins Hall 100, with live stream available

Big Ten Collaboration: Democracy in the 21st Century

Join a conversation between Jeffrey Minear, counselor to Chief Justice John Roberts, and the Hon. Jeffrey Sutton, chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, about the constitutional roles and responsibilities of the U.S. federal courts to the American government and its democratic institutions. Mark West, Dean of the Michigan Law School, will deliver opening remarks.

This event is sponsored by the Big Ten Collaboration: Democracy in the 21st Century. Students and members of the Big Ten community will have an opportunity to ask the speakers questions regarding judicial branch governance. Email your questions to Professor Stephanie Newbold(stephanie.newbold@rutgers.edu) by September 30.

Sponsored by the Big Ten Collaboration: Democracy in the 21st Century, Democracy & Debate, the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, and U-M Law.

Oct 1, 2022 virtual

The Big Ten Collaboration: Democracy in the 21st Century, in partnership with Northwestern University, invites you to participate in the Big Ten Friends & Family Climate Change Discussion Project.

Do you know someone whose beliefs about climate change are nearly opposite to your own?

If so, you are both invited to participate together in a 4-week research program about opinions on climate change. 

You are key to moving toward an improved national conversation on climate change!

Select participants will receive a free, best-selling e-book, and ALL participants will receive a Tango gift card for EACH WEEK they participate – with weekly opportunities to win more!

Enrollment is limited, and only pairs of participants will be eligible for the program. To ensure your spot, contact your potential partner today!

For more information and to enroll, please contact Professor Mary McGrath mary.mcgrath@northwestern.edu

Sep 12, 2022 4:00 PM (EDT)Virtual

The tumult of the first years of this decade – a global pandemic, an unprecedented presidential election, movements for social and racial justice, impacts of climate change, pressures on urban infrastructure – has played out in our nation’s cities and thrust the challenges and opportunities for mayors and their leadership into the spotlight. This special virtual event brings together four mayors from major cities across the states of the Big Ten in a discussion about how leadership at the city level shapes our national approaches to some of the most pressing issues of the day.

Participating Mayors

  • Mike Duggan, Mayor of Detroit, MI
  • Lori Lightfoot, Mayor of Chicago, IL
  • Aftab Pureval, Mayor of Cincinnati, OH
  • Bruce Teague, Mayor of Iowa City, IA

Welcoming Remarks

  • Jonathan Massey, Dean, Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Michigan
  • Christopher Taylor, Mayor of Ann Arbor, MI

Moderated by Paul Helmke, Director, Civic Leaders Center, Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University and former Mayor of Fort Wayne, IN

This virtual event will have a live watch party for the University of Michigan community in the Art & Architecture Building (2000 Bonisteel Blvd., Ann Arbor), Classroom 1360. Portions of the event will be filmed and live streamed from the watch party. All are welcome to attend. Click here to register.

Sponsored by

  • Big Ten Collaboration: Democracy in the 21st Century
  • Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, University of Michigan
  • Democracy & Debate 2022-’23, University of Michigan
  • Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
  • Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Michigan

Special thanks to our colleagues from the following Big Ten partners:

Jun 28, 2022 6:00 PM

The University of Michigan’s Alyssa Donovan and Rutgers University’s Ethan Block lead an organized collaborative discussion with students across the Big Ten on preventing gun violence in America.

The recent string of mass shootings has once again captured the American public’s attention about gun violence in our country. Each time these tragedies occur, we see passionate pleas for regulation of guns and the raising of familiar questions about the role mental health, social media, socio-economic factors, race, and current policy play in escalating violence. Join this student-led conversation with students from the Big Ten schools to discuss what can be done to prevent gun violence.

Jun 21, 2022 4:45 PM

What does the Russian attack on Ukraine, and the response of the Ukrainian people and the global community mean for democracy at home and abroad? How might the current crisis in Ukraine and its possible trajectories impact today’s students of higher education?

Join students and community members from across the Big Ten Conference for a live virtual conversation Ukraine: Implications for Democracy in the U.S. and Globally, with Senate Foreign Relations Committee members Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Senator Rob Portman (R-OH). The event is sponsored by the Big Ten Collaboration: Democracy in the 21st Century and moderated by Dr. Nancy Gallagher, Director of the Center for International Security Studies at Maryland, and Dr. Charles Wise, Founding Director of the John Glenn School of Public Affairs. Students will have an opportunity to submit questions to Senators Cardin and Portman both before the event and after the roundtable discussion.

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact Elaine McLoughlin-Overholt at 614-247-6369 or mcloughlin-overholt.1@osu.edu.

Registration Link: https://osu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Nbyhs2vOSjC7rbIdOknfAA