Apprentices across Michigan could soon fast-track their way to college degrees, thanks to a state-led effort to expand programs that award academic credit for registered trade training.
The College Credit for Apprenticeship initiative, created in conjunction with the Michigan Workforce Development Board, is aimed at putting more people on a path to an associate degree or certificate. READ MORE
The final budget passed by state lawmakers early Friday includes a short range of support for financial aid that college advocates say should help make higher education more accessible to Michigan students. But the budget’s higher education plan, which also marginally increases operational funds for all 15 of Michigan’s public universities and more than two dozen community colleges, may also fall short of some priorities that industry leaders stumped for as state budget talks rolled on this fall. READ MORE
Michigan education leaders say many students are giving up on the idea of college, not because they aren’t interested, but because they don’t believe it’s an option.
The conversation comes as the state works toward its “60 by 30” goal: getting 60 percent of working-age adults a degree or certificate by the year 2030. READ MORE
Renato Recillas always knew he would go to college. Though his parents didn’t graduate from high school, he found a path that led him to getting accepted into the incoming class this fall at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Unlike other freshmen, Recillas will start with 61 college credits — and will only need to attend U-M for two years to earn a bachelor’s degree. READ MORE
Today, the Michigan College Student Basic Needs Task Force, a statewide coalition of higher education and community leaders, released a new report outlining 12 bold, actionable recommendations to work toward eliminating basic need barriers for college students. READ MORE
AI is becoming more and more popular in schools and the workplace as community colleges, national experts, and state leaders look to embrace the new technology. READ MORE
Students and professors seek to learn how to utilize AI in the classroom. READ MORE
"The goal of the task force is to collect ideas or opportunities that we could take better advantage of, in hopes of being able to propose policy changes that better support students by design instead of by coincidence, or happenstance," Precious Miller, the Michigan Community College Associations director of basic needs and belonging said. READ MORE
Brandy Johnson, president of the Michigan Community College Association, said the state deserves applause for its progress.
"Michigan should be proud of it’s year-over-year consistent increases in our state’s postsecondary educational attainment rate," said Johnson, who previously served as Whitmer's education policy adviser and worked in the state's Office of Sixty by 30, in a statement. "We must continue to accelerate our collective efforts towards making college more affordable, through successful programs like Michigan Reconnect and the Michigan Achievement Scholarship. Now is the time to work together to make sure that we are doubling down on our Sixty by 30 goal by clearly communicating the absolute necessity of formal education beyond high school to have a shot at the middle class. " READ MORE
Brandy Johnson who heads the Michigan Community College Association celebrated the proposal, saying it would remove financial barriers to accessing higher education opportunities: "There is no doubt that good-paying jobs require a degree or credential beyond a high school diploma," she said. READ MORE
Governor Whitmer proposed a tuition-free path towards an associate's degree for all high school graduates in Michigan. Guy, Lloyd, and Jamie talk with Henry Ford College President Russ Kavalhuna about the value of a community college education. READ MORE
It's a program heralded by the president of Grand Rapids Community College, Dr. Charles Lepper.
"This helps remove that barrier to the access piece, but also helps students complete, because they don't have to worry about the additional burden of paying college tuition while also paying for rent and cars and childcare and utilities and food, which all have gone up significantly in the past few years," Lepper said. READ MORE
During last year's State of the State Address, Governor Whitmer prioritized access to community college by temporarily lowering the age for free tuition from 25 years old to 21.
At this year’s State of the State, the governor plans to urge lawmakers to pass legislation that will provide free community college tuition for everyone. READ MORE
Brandy Johnson, president of the Michigan Community College Association, praised the governor’s proposal, saying in a statement that it would help remove financial barriers that “make attaining a postsecondary education seem impossible,” for many high school graduates. READ MORE
Brandy Johnson, president of the Michigan Community College Association, said the proposal would help simplify messaging around the affordability of getting a college degree.
“It sends a clear message to families that you don’t need to know how the sausage gets made, that in the background, it’s braiding of federal, state and local dollars but at the end of the day, we can say clearly to families ‘you have a tuition-free path to an associates degree.’” READ MORE
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