Michigan’s world-class universities are vital to our state’s comeback

by Tanya Baker

Gov. Rick Snyder joined university presidents, trustees and higher education organization representatives from across the state Thursday for the third annual State Universities Summit in Kalamazoo.

Hosted by Western Michigan University and organized with the help of the Michigan Association of State Universities, the summit was an opportunity for attendees to build on dialogue from previous summits and discuss the educational and economic challenges facing Michigan, develop shared priorities among institutions, and foster greater collaboration, learning and networking between institutional leaders, governing board members, government affairs representatives and the governor’s administration.

The summit kicked off with a warm welcome from WMU President Dr. Edward Montgomery and remarks from new university presidents. First Lady Sue Snyder also addressed attendees to provide an update on her campus sexual assault initiative and encourage the continued fight against campus sexual assault.

Following the First Lady’s remarks, Gov. Snyder took to the stage to share four trends that will undoubtedly impact Michigan’s universities now and into the future. Two of those trends he deemed as challenges, while the other two, he presented as opportunities.

Challenges:

1. The number of high school graduates is going to shrink over time. This will affect college enrollments.

2. Students are getting more credits before going to college through advanced placement courses, early/middle college, and dual enrollment. This means that a student can start college with a good portion of their degree already completed. This will affect college revenues.

Opportunities:

3. The economy is going to increasingly require more people with postsecondary skills, so people with degrees will be in higher demand.

4. The economy is changing so fast that many will be going back to school to retrain as technology changes their jobs. Universities can step in to fill this role and attract many non-traditional students.

“These changes are coming and we can either be proactive or reactive,” Snyder said. “If we are proactive, how great is it that we can change people’s lives for the better?”

The governor later attended a breakout session on governance and the importance of trustees’ leadership at the state universities of Michigan. He imparted that while higher education is facing many difficult challenges and it may be discouraging at times, he hopes that educational leaders are excited for the opportunities for change and growth that will continue Michigan’s comeback.

)