A new report from the Michigan Association of State Universities says its member schools have had a roughly $45 billion impact on the state’s economy. That number accounts for university jobs, projects they’ve funded, and the money their students and alumni spend and earn.
School leaders argued that’s a reason for Michigan lawmakers to invest more in higher education in the next state budget.
Dan Hurley, the president of the Michigan Association of State Universities, said money spent on higher education would come back around for the state.
“It is in the self-interest of Michiganders who have dreams and ambitions in terms of jobs and careers. It’s about the entire state’s employer community having that workforce talent pipeline. And ultimately, to the numbers in this report, generating dollars,” Hurley said Tuesday morning during a press conference to announce the report.
The latest state budget gave public universities a one-time 3% funding boost after some proposals had suggested slashing funding for larger schools. Speakers at Tuesday’s press conference frequently highlighted estimates that public universities and the people associated with them collectively paid around $7 billion in various state taxes in fiscal year 2024.
Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz said the data helps correct misinformation and negative narratives around higher learning.
“It is about how so much of what we do improves quality of life across the various sectors, and there is great data to support that. We have to tell our story better,” he said.
Undergraduate enrollment in Michigan’s colleges and universities is still down from the 2019-2020 school year, according to state data. Despite polling from Gallup and the Lumina Foundation showing relatively fewer people see a two- or four-year degree as necessary for a career, more than half of people are interested in earning a college degree.
School leaders said capitalizing on that interest and the benefits laid out in their report could help the state with other longstanding issues, including stagnating population growth.
Grand Valley State University President Philomena Mantella said as part of that effort, schools need to do more to make college accessible to graduating high school students, reach out to adult learners, and bring in people from out of state.
“It’s looking at all of those individual types of learners and being sure we have an approach to each in order to increase it. Because if you look at the demographics alone, how many 18-year-olds are here in the state, it’s a declining market,” Mantella said.
State numbers predict Michigan will lose population across the next 25 years if it stays on its current path.
