Legislative Priorities
Michigan Community College Association represents our state’s 31 community colleges. Together, we advocate with one voice to lead in student success, talent development, and community vitality.
Invest in Student Success
- Increase operational support by at least 4% to help keep up with rising costs and maintain quality, safety, and affordability.
- Extend Reconnect to residents ages 21 or older and adopt accountability metrics that increase application, enrollment, persistence, and completion.
- Dedicate funding for student mental health to improve wellbeing, academic performance, and outcomes.
Support Talent Development
- Increase opportunities for high school students to participate in dual enrollment and other programs to earn postsecondary credit from community colleges.
- Invest in Michigan’s highly successful workforce training programs such as Going Pro.
- Extend the sunset for the Michigan New Jobs Training Program to encourage collaboration between local employers and colleges to create new jobs and eliminate the skills gap through training opportunities.
Commit to Community Vitality
- Maintain strong local decision-making to connect programs to local community needs.
- Provide infrastructure, technology, equipment, and maintenance (ITEM) funding to ensure students have industry-current equipment and technology to pursue their goals and meet local workforce needs.
- Authorize capital outlay projects and reduce the matching requirement.