Since 2008, the state legislature has cut funding for its 15 public universities by a whopping 32%, the 13th highest in the nation according to a report issued earlier this year by theCenter on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C.These cuts have forced Michigan’s public universities to make up the budget shortfalls in other ways, with a significant portion of the burden placed on students.
Michael Boulos is the executive director of the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan, which is the coordinating body for the state’s 15 public universities. He says this current model is unsustainable and threatens to price out middle and lower income students from our state’s public higher education system.
The council recently commissioned a study to look at the economic impact of the state’s universities to help make its case for significant budget increases.