Battling the past

Michigan’s governor, Jennifer Granholm,  sees doubling the number of college degrees awarded in the state by 2015 (an increase of 222000) as a priority for returning the state to prosperity.  However, public doubt about the value of higher-education poses a significant challenge for the governor’s plans.  Additionally, fiscal constraints will significantly slow the process down in a state where public policies have turned university campus into places for the rich.  James J. Duderstadt, former president of the University of Michigan, predicts it will be 20 to 30 years (as "the baby boomers pass on through") before state governments once again become more generous to higher education.

Governor Granholm's commission also recommended that the state:

• Set high expectations for high school students through rigorous standards and curriculum, focus on low-income communities, and help high school teachers become more effective in the classroom.
• Help and encourage wavering college students to stay with their studies and earn degrees. Reach out to prospective students in rural and remote areas, and build closer ties between the two-year colleges and the four-year universities.
• Increase postgraduate studies and business internships for students and faculty.
• Apply research and development talent to help existing industry expand, through new innovations, products and technologies. Align graduate studies with economic needs and opportunities, and organize and fund partnerships between business and campus.
• Develop a lifelong education tracking system.  (NS, 7/05)

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