Facing change in an evolving world of work
Recent newspaper headlines in Detroit confirmed that GM has produced 130 driverless Chevy Bolt cars at its Lake Orion plant, with GM CEO Mary Barra touting the announcement as proof that GM is gearing up to be the first mass producer of autonomous vehicles. For those for whom ideas about the future are driven by […]
Innovating to get more college students to degree
I learned a lot about emerging strategies for college degree completion at the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges’ National Conference on Trusteeship in Dallas last week. It should come as no surprise that the topic would hold value for me as a member of Wayne State University’s Board of Governors. As my […]
Cautionary manufacturing tales from Alabama
The Ford Rouge plant my great-grandfather toiled in in the early 20th century was a tough, dangerous, dirty place. There’s a reason the Rouge was one of the founding sites of the American labor movement: Workers organized because they were desperate for safety protections as well as job security. Today, the Rouge looks and operates […]
More and better parks can help position Detroit to attract more millennials
When my husband and I moved to a high-rise building near the Renaissance Center in Detroit in 2000, calling our new neighborhood “downtown” would be an aspirational description at best. The city center we moved to lacked amenities so basic that even our apartment’s stunning views of the Detroit River and Belle Isle barely made […]
How Michigan fails black college students
As a member of the Wayne State University Board of Governors, I have become very familiar with the various lists that organizations and publications compile to rank institutions of higher education. Many times when a new list is published, I tense up as I scan it looking for my school’s name. Recently, WSU was at […]
Cuban says the future is grim for workers who don’t learn how to out-human robots
NHL great Wayne Gretzky famously described the secret for his success on the ice as his ability to “skate to where the puck is going to be instead of where it has been.” As owner of the Dallas Mavericks, billionaire Mark Cuban is a basketball man who prides himself on keeping his eye ahead of […]
A strategy for diluting concentrated poverty in Detroit
Decades of research has shown that growing up in concentrated poverty can irreversibly limit a child’s prospects for future success and, sadly, no region has more concentrated poverty than metro Detroit. According to 2016 Brookings Institution report, metro Detroit has the highest rate of concentrated poverty among the top 25 metro areas in the U.S. […]
What’s the Matter with Kansas – and Michigan?
When called upon to write about Michigan policymakers’ approach to growing the state’s economy, it’s hard to not lapse into using clichés. Some that come to mind are: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, […]
Program helps students pay for college by building good habits
We at Michigan Future believe that if Michigan wants to be competitive in the 21st Century knowledge-based economy, our state’s leaders need to support policies that boost the number of Michiganders who hold four-year degrees. As my colleague Patrick Cooney pointed out in a recent blog, declining state support for public universities has led to […]
Time for Michigan’s corporate leaders to fight for 21st century education
As a former newspaper reporter, I reflexively cringe when I hear the words “sponsored content” connected to print media outlets. Often, “sponsored content” is essentially slightly- less-overt-than-typical advertising that vexes both journalists and readers alike because it is usually presented side-by-side with articles by professional news gatherers. Given my longtime aversion to sponsored content, I […]