In her weekly column, Crain's publisher Mary Kramer raises the question of whether the University of Michigan should become a private school. "Of the state's 15 public universities, UM relies on public dollars least," she writes. "The $318 million in state money it gets is less than 10 percent of its general operating budget." Kramer cites a published interview with Robert Beam, CFO of Western Michigan University, who reportedly said CFOs of the 15 universities think it is just a matter of time. "Privatizing could free UM from state tuition restraints," Kramer says, noting that the Ann Arbor university "long has been the 'affordable' alternative to Ivy League schools."