The New and Improved Michigan Promise

Last November, the Michigan Congress voted to eliminate funding for the Michigan “Promise” Scholarship in the 2010 budget. The Promise scholarship was supposed to provide up to $4000 (based on merit) to Michigan residents who attended an in-state college. It was offered to about 96,000 students across the state, including over 6,000 University of Michigan students. Ambreen Sayed, MSA Chief of Staff and College of Engineering junior, says of the scholarship, “[it] was a great way to reward good students and encourage them towards pursuing higher education.”

The MSA has been actively fighting cuts to the Promise as well as lobbying for better funding of higher education. MSA is also collaborating with the Student Association of Michigan in planning a higher education rally in Lansing later in March. Michael Rorro, MSA Vice President and LSA Senior, said, “Sixty-percent of Michigan students are in state and may receive the scholarship; they deserve a group lobbying for their interests.”

Governor Jennifer Granholm has made numerous public statements regarding her disapproval of Congress’s decision to cut the Promise Scholarship. During her State of the State address, Granholm announced a new plan for funding higher education. Instead of receiving the $4,000 during college, students would be eligible to receive that money after college, as long as they work in Michigan for at least one year after graduation. Granholm failed to mention how the new plan would be paid for, leaving many to speculate. Abhishek Mahanti, MSA President and Engineering senior, states, “the ‘new’ Promise may prove to be less expensive, but it will still put a strain on the government.”

Besides failing to mention how the new scholarship would be paid for, the fact that Michigan has the highest unemployment and the worst economy in the United States also went unsaid. For most students, finding a job in Michigan after graduation is not very realistic, and the $4,000 being offered is simply not enough to entice graduates to remain in-state.

“There are only a few high paying jobs for recent college graduates in Michigan, in comparison to the rest of the US,” said MSA Vice-President and LSA Senior Michael Romo. “If I was offered a high-paying job elsewhere, $4000 would not be enough to keep me in the state.”

Sayed agrees, stating, “I do not see it being a hugely significant reason that students will stay in-state.”

A major concern that has been voiced in regards to the new plan is that it will go disproportionately to wealthier students, since it will be granted after graduation, not before. One of the main purposes of the original Michigan Promise was to increase the number of students pursuing higher education after high school, but the revised version will do little to aid students in paying for college. According to Mahanti, the original Promise did not take financial need into account. He adds, “The scholarship may have been more effective at getting students to attend college in Michigan had it placed an emphasis on students who are in financial need.”

The revision still fails to take this issue into account. It actually seems to be even less useful in helping students in need of money for tuition than the original Promise.

Another flaw of the original Michigan Promise, according to Mahanti, is that “there was no incentive on using the money to effectively better the state of Michigan.”

Mahanti believes the revision will better address this issue, assuming it works in getting students to stay in Michigan. 

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2 comments

J.Kinney

Tue Apr 6 2010 18:38

So to get this "scholarship" I have to complete 4 years of school. How am I suppose to afford it without that money that was promised to me. Little hint, I cant. Is Granholm that ignorant to see that no one will receive it, since they can't afford school, or better yet is that part of the plan so the state does not haveto pay out what is due to the hard working and financially struggling students.

Anonymous

Fri Mar 19 2010 07:33

Excellent article about yet another liberal pipe dream that wasn't properly funded.

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