Michigan must work harder at making college more affordable, especially since the state's economic success depends on sending its youth to college, according to a Detroit News editorial. The impetus behind the rising costs in Michigan's public universities is declining state investment. In the 1970s, Michigan invested $3 for every $1 a student invested. Now it's 70 cents. Greater access to low-cost loans, federal grants, and scholarships would also help before Michigan loses its competitive edge in the global economy.