Rep. John Stewart, R-Plymouth, and the new chairman of the higher education subcommittee of House Appropriations, is lauded in this editorial as an "unabashed defender of our colleges and universities." Stewart said, "Our great universities are the jet fuel for Michigan's economic takeoff, and we simply cannot afford to let them run on empty." The editorial notes that, as part of the appropriations process, Stewart has scheduled a set of hearings on March 23 regarding the role of higher education in Michigan. Wayne State University President Irvin D. Reid is among the participants along with University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman, Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon and former Senate higher education appropriations chairman, and now U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz, R-Battle Creek. Stewart added that "these hearings should be a seminar for my colleagues about how vital our great universities are to the future of the state."