FIND FUNDING BALANCE FOR ALL UNIVERSITIES

March 16, 2007

Gov. Jennifer Granholm's budget for the upcoming fiscal year includes a proposal that the state's three research universities—the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State—be funded through an appropriation separate from Michigan's other public universities.

The governor's proposal has created concern that the three research universities would receive increased funding while support for the other public institutions would be reduced. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Advertisement We believe that for Michigan to thrive, the state must approach funding for higher education as an investment. Michigan must increase total funding for higher education with strong support for all 15 public universities.

Whether at Northern Michigan, Central, Oakland University or Grand Valley State, our public universities prepare the highly trained workforce that is so critical to our state's economic future. Each has unique strengths and makes important contributions.

We will continue to work together, through the President's Council, to achieve common goals and advance new programs.

But while the three research universities share a great deal with the other 12 public universities, we have far more in common with one another. Together, we account for 95% of the research dollars brought to Michigan by public universities—more than $1.3 billion annually.

Over the past six years, Michigan's research universities applied for more than 1,300 patents and helped launch 97 new companies using technologies created on our campuses. Our research discoveries will be the foundation of tomorrow's new industries.

The results of our robust research activity have a direct and immediate impact on our state's economic development. A separate appropriation for the state's three research-intensive universities underscores this distinct mission and will better enable the state to measure the return on its investment.

Two years ago, the Legislature's appropriations process resulted in a new funding formula for the state's public universities. This formula attempted to measure the state's investment in higher education, and to hold institutions accountable for the way in which funds were spent.

We recognize and value the benefits of ensuring accountability. But as it turned out, under the adopted formula, Michigan's research-intensive universities were held to the same criteria as the state's other higher education institutions. This resulted in some unfortunate outcomes, such as arbitrary caps on research expenditures.

In the end, it simply did not make sense to use the same measures of accountability for 15 universities with vastly differing missions, activities and characteristics.

Last year, our three institutions created the University Research Corridor, an alliance to help transform, strengthen and diversify Michigan's economy. Each of us has worked in recent years to expand our university's technology transfer efforts, and through relationships created under the University Research Corridor we will be able to decrease the time required to move innovative ideas from research to reality. Working with partners from venture capitalists to major corporations, we are confident that we can accelerate Michigan's economic activity in the years ahead.

We believe a separate appropriations line would allow the state to consider its investment in our three institutions with accurate indicators of our productivity, effectiveness and impact. We expect the University Research Corridor to enhance our cooperation and our ability to deliver on our obligations to the state. The URC has committed to issue an annual report to provide consistent measures of our economic impact.

We will continue to support increased funding for all 15 public universities. As the Cherry Commission and other reports have noted, we must have a deeper commitment to research and education if we are to become economically competitive. A separate appropriation for the state's three research universities is an important next step: This facilitates our ability to produce the technologies required for Michigan's economic transformation, and better allows the state to measure the impact of its investment.

Mary Sue Coleman, Irvin D. Reid, and Lou Anna K. Simon

Mary Sue Coleman, Irvin Reid and Lou Anna Simon are the presidents of, respectively, the University of Michigan, Wayne State University and Michigan State University.