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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
My colleagues and I have written extensively about the mounting evidence that a bachelor’s degree is an essential educational credential for job security in the 21st century workforce, but whenever we do I brace for caustic feedback from skeptics in…