The identifier-line at the end of this op-ed piece on education by Tom Watkins lists him as "former state superintendent of public instruction and a special assistant to Wayne State University President Irvin D. Reid." In the piece, Watkins makes several suggestions for improving the quality of education in Michigan and writes that "our biggest fear should not be the outsourcing of jobs to China but the fact that China 's education system is producing 10 times the number of engineers and other knowledge workers as the United States ." Among his recommendations is greater investment in higher education in the state. "The future belongs to those who invest in its people and in high-quality education," he says. "If Michigan is to prosper in the future, we must open our eyes."