In an op-ed piece, President Irvin D. Reid, President Mary Sue Coleman of the University of Michigan and President Lou Anna Simon of Michigan State University, write that the state should approach funding for higher education as an investment. "Michigan must increase total funding for higher education with strong support for all 15 public universities," they write. They also point out that, while the three research universities have many things in common with the other universities, the trio has even more in common with each another. Over the past six years, they have applied for more than 1,300 patents and helped launch 97 new companies using technologies created on their campuses. This has a direct and immediate impact on the state's economy. The three presidents emphasize that, while they continue to support increased funding for all 15 public universities, a separate appropriation for WSU, MSU and U-M is an important step in facilitating their ability to produce the technologies required for Michigan's economic transformation. Individual photos of the presidents accompany the piece.