Gerald R. Ford Leadership Forum

Event Write-Ups

Ordinary Virtues and Splendid Vices: Should a Community Tolerate Bad Character?

What, exactly, is vice, and why does it captivate our attention and capture our character the way it does? What kinds of vices contribute to good order and what kinds detract? How do we figure out how to tolerate vice while respecting the demands of community, complexity, and freedom itself? On Saturday, April 1, Ford …

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The Black Intellectual Tradition with Angel Parham

Dr. Angel Adams Parham demonstrates the importance of the Black intellectual tradition in America and how much of its strength comes from its immersion in the great texts of the Western tradition. By drawing on students’ own experiences and placing them in “The Great Conversation,” we deepen their experiences of truth, beauty, and goodness – …

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Restoring Our Communities with Bob Woodson

A Black History Month Event, “Restoring Our Communities: Social Activism and Local Solutions” The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation and the Ford Leadership Forum welcome Robert Woodson of the Woodson Center, along with his associates, to Grand Rapids for a conversation on grassroots solutions to social problems, on how to reduce violence, and how we …

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Planning Your Financial Future

On January 11, 2023, students and young professionals heard from Alexander Velting, a Financial Advisor at Northwestern Mutual. He demonstrated the importance of planning for both short-term and long-term goals, such as paying down debt, wealth accumulation, and tax efficiency. This event helped to educate taking your financial practices to the next level with planning …

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“What is Courage? With Houston Christian University”

November 12th, 2022  “No man is a hero to his valet.” So goes the old saying, indicating in part that public displays of courage are often not what they seem to be. People might think they’re doing something courageous while not actually risking anything. Whatever else courage means, it has to include a response to …

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