In an op-ed piece, Peter Eckstein, former economist for the Michigan AFL-CIO, contends that a new proposal to change the way Michigan funds its public universities would harm many of the institutions. Calling the proposed formula "simplistic," he points out that research universities such as Wayne State, MSU, U-M and Michigan Tech have more students in expensive programs in medicine, engineering and laboratory sciences than do other schools and that cutting-edge university research contributes to the state's economic health. "The leveling of university support through uniform per-student grants is not 'conservatism,'" Eckstein concludes. "It is a surefire formula for Michigan 's economic suicide."