The Center for Social Solutions | University of Michigan

Leveraging knowledge through collaboration to advance diversity and equity

About Us The Center for Social Solutions (CSS) fosters research and collaborations that diagnose and solve critical social problems. We believe these solutions rely on diverse perspectives that account for the multi-faceted root causes of these issues.

Our four founding initiatives—diversity, slavery, water access, and the future of work—approach different aspects of the equality that we believe is necessary to advance as a prosperous democratic society.

OUR VISION

We envision a world without social inequity and systemic disenfranchisement, where opportunities and resources are more evenly distributed.

OUR VALUES

Our Compelling Interests Series At a time when society is swiftly transforming, the Our Compelling Interests book series lays out the premise that for a democracy to thrive, diversity is critical. Its next planned volume will discuss the failure of colorblind solutions to unequal education in the U.S

The Center sees diversity—and further, equity and inclusion—as necessary components for a better, more democratic society. Our Diversity and Democracy initiative amplifies the work of underrepresented practitioners, experts, and thinkers.

Academic Leadership Institute The Academic Leadership Institute, founded in a partnership between the University of Michigan and The New School, aims to increase the representation of rising leaders committed to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Russell Sage Grant: Defining Dignity in Labor This 24-month long project documents and interprets whether and how such workers express a sense of dignity for the kind of work that they do, and whether they report that their sentiments have changed over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and the year(s) following this occurrence.

Dignity, value and labor are intricately intertwined. In a world where automation can replace industries within months or years—instead of decades—how do workers, especially minimally skilled, find and define personal value in a rapidly changing environment?

The Future of Work Directory An open-access, geographically-tagged list of organizations created with the goal of facilitating collaboration between researchers, employers, educators, politicians, economists, activists, and other parties with a vested interest in the changing employment landscape.

Equity in Flood Risk Equity in Flood Risk seeks to advance equitable policy, programming, and funding for flood response in underserved communities. Through high resolution risk and vulnerability modelling, the project seeks to densify existing flood gauge networks, starting with a pilot area of SE Michigan.

Climate change does not impact all equally. Though flooding may indiscriminately destroy homes, response time and relief is highly dependent on access to resources. Our water initiative focuses on those at the intersection of risk and vulnerability to better inform decision makers around issues of response and resilience.

Flint Justice Partnership (FJP) FJP's mission is to serve and connect with the Flint community and educate U-M students about the Flint water crisis. Researchers at the Center for Social Solutions act as advisors, giving project management and technical advice, as well as promoting the partnership's events and work.

Crafting Democratic Futures The project creates and leverages a national network of college and university-based humanities scholars working in partnerships with community-based organizations to develop research-informed reparation plans for each location.

Although the 13th Amendment was ratified in 1865, the legacy of chattel slavery is still very much present in our society. Our slavery initiative looks at culturally sensitive, placed-based solutions to racial inequities, as well as understanding “The Third Slavery”, our reframing of contemporary forms of servitude.

The Third Slavery A multi-pronged, multi-layered, coordinated initiative for locating solutions to the present-day problems of involuntary servitude, forced labor, human trafficking, and other contemporary forms of slavery-like practices which we conceptualize as the Third Slavery.

Keep in touch!

Subscribe to our newsletter!

Follow us @UMSocSolutions

Learn more with #CenterforSocialSolutions

Thank You! Contact Us: 505 South State St. 600 Haven Hall Ann Arbor, MI 48109 https://lsa.umich.edu/social-solutions (734)-647-9707