Opinion: Invest in Michigan’s research universities to keep state competitive
By Britany Affolter-Caine
Britany Affolter-Caine, executive director of Michigan’s University Research Corridor, writes that business leaders from across the state are increasingly urging state officials to expand investment in Michigan’s universities – especially the state’s top research universities – so highly educated college graduates are available to keep up with Michigan companies’ growing demand for workers. She notes that the University Research Corridor, which includes Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University, each year grant nearly 12,000 degrees in high-tech areas, as well as nearly 13,000 degrees in high-demand areas such as business, computer science and engineering, and nearly 2,500 medical degrees. “The three URC institutions already enroll more than 139,000 students, and they have the capacity to enroll and graduate even more so business leaders have the employees they need. But they cannot do so on their own,” Affolter-Caine writes. “To meet this challenge, the state must invest more in higher education and students. The URC supports the substantial increases in higher education funding for the fiscal year 2022-23 proposed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Senate. It also supports a much-expanded financial aid program that would put students first by providing up to $6,000 a year towards a four-year degree and $3,000 towards a two-year degree at Michigan institutions…” She notes that neither step would reverse the past two decades of disinvestment in higher education that has been the trend in Michigan, but “they would help a lot.”