Michigan Higher Education Policy Update | Fall 2024
The Institute for College Access & Success
Promoting affordability, accountability, and equity in higher education
Welcome to another new policy year with TICAS! Last year, we investigated strategies to make college more affordable for students and families, including how early credit programs, transfer pathways, and investments in institutions and financial aid all play a role in increasing college affordability for Michiganders. We found that while the state’s efforts have improved college affordability, there is more progress to be made for students and the state, as well as a range of program and policy considerations that continue to need our attention.
Our 2023–2024 Student Advocacy Fellows also focused on improving college affordability. They researched and surveyed over 175 Michiganders on the impact of non-tuition costs (housing, food, transportation, etc.) on their postsecondary education. They found that non-tuition costs pose a tremendous barrier to students pursuing, paying for, and completing a higher education. To help the state reach its 60 by 30 goal and boost college attainment, they proposed it invest in a grant to specifically cover non-tuition costs.
The state listened, creating a $1000 award for Pell grant and Michigan Achievement Scholarship (MAS) recipients enrolled at community colleges and stretching the MAS award towards the full cost of attendance. These policy wins will help to bring down the true cost of pursuing a postsecondary education for thousands of students across the state. It will hopefully encourage more students to pursue and complete a degree or skilled certificate, helping them to earn a high demand, high wage job in Michigan.
2024-2025 Theme: From Pipe Parts to Pipeline
Building on these themes, this year we will be looking more closely at the K-12 to postsecondary to workforce pipeline – or, in reality, pipe parts that do not always line up well. While students and families anticipate the education sectors to seamlessly link up, there are many complexities that inhibit smooth pipeline navigation, contributing to students getting lost among the disconnected pipe parts.
As always, we are open to your feedback and collaboration! Please let us know what you think about this theme and if you would be interested – or know someone who would be interested – in collaborating with us on identifying related barriers impacting our communities. We are especially interested in finding partners who work closely with Native American/Indigenous and Rural communities and can help illuminate and elevate the unique barriers these communities face in navigating the education to workforce pipeline.
Please contact Manon Steel at msteel@ticas.org if interested in these opportunities.
What’s Next?
Community Feedback Survey
We appreciate your continued commitment to your communities and all the great insights you have provided us over the years. We want to continue to learn from you all about how we can best serve as a partner and what barriers in your communities need to be addressed for students and families to thrive. By completing the following survey you can let us know how we can expand our resources to best support you, help us uplift your great work to our other partners, and let us know what we should work on this upcoming policy cycle. This survey should take less than 5 mins to complete.
We would particularly like to receive feedback from community leaders and students from:
Please complete the survey and/or share this survey with a colleague or student who would be interested by October 20th 11:59p ET. Your input is greatly appreciated.
Federal Policy Highlight: SAVE Plan Disruptions
As you may have heard, implementation of the Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE income-driven repayment plan for federal student loans, has been paused. Income-driven repayment (IDR) plans are plans to repay federal student loans that calculate monthly payments based on an individual’s income and family size. The goal of IDR plans, like SAVE, is to ensure individuals are able to affordably pay on their loans and avoid the devastating consequences of default. It also protects individuals and families who fall into hard economic situations. Individuals enrolled in IDR plans have much lower default rates than individuals enrolled in non-IDR plans.
SAVE was unique in that it provided students and families with the strongest protections yet against ballooning balances due to interest rates, paying on loans for decades, and the punitive consequences of defaulting on student loans. SAVE was paused following two court rulings. At the end of August, the Supreme Court rejected the Biden administration’s request to reconsider the pause, suggesting the future of the program may be much less generous than intended. Eight million people were enrolled in the SAVE program and are currently in limbo, their payments on pause, until a final ruling has been issued. The Department of Education has provided guidance to borrowers in the meantime which can be found here.
Did You Know?
September 15-October 15 was National Hispanic Heritage month! As support to our partners working with Latino students, we are spotlighting data driving community-based efforts for postsecondary attainment for Michiganders who identify as Hispanic and/or Latino. In highlighting this data, we hope the awareness of key facts regarding community identified challenges encourages continued support and considerations for Latino barriers when developing and designing resources.
The Hispanic/Latino state population in Michigan is 6% but makes up 9% of K-12 enrollment, reflecting a growing population within the state. As this population grows, we should consider how we create support systems to foster their success and work toward broader state educational attainment goals. Michiganders who identify as Hispanic/Latino are over-represented in low-paying, precarious industries in the state and under-represented in management and professional occupations. Bachelor’s degrees are an indicator for economic stability and power, but only 22% of Hispanic/Latinos in MI ages 25+ have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Half of the counties with the largest Hispanic/Latino communities have attainment rates below the Michigan average (see chart below). Increasing postsecondary attainment across the Hispanic/Latino population could help close racial income gaps across the state, especially given that the current poverty rate for Hispanic/Latino Michiganders is 21%.
Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). American Community Survey 2022 5-year estimate: S1501
Community Resources
We are celebrating the wins of our partners and uplifting their hard work to serve our communities. Here are just some of the achievements our partners had over the summer:
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TICAS Michigan Resources:
This year TICAS is proud to work with another 10 Student Advocacy Fellows from across the great state of Michigan. They represent seven out of the ten TICAS regions; they attend a range of educational institutions including public 2-year and public and private 4-year institutions. You can meet our newest fellows here!
To better understand the barriers students are facing, we asked applicants “What is something that would have helped you to transition from high school to higher education?” They told us not only was their educational path forward after high school unclear, but they weren’t sure where to go for help. For them, successfully transitioning to postsecondary education means easily accessible, systemic support systems. Our fellows highlight how we must do more to help students have better early awareness of their options, teach them adult skill sets like financial literacy, and connect them with mentors, bridge programs, and other support systems before and after they enroll in a college program. Read their thoughts on transitioning to higher education here.
Student, Career, and Development Opportunities
Great Lakes Invitational Conference Association (GLICA) Meet & Greet - GLICA is hosting a fun educational event for teachers and students in Southeast Michigan who are interested in Model United Nations simulations for high school students. Model United Nations (MUN) is a simulation where students represent different countries, discuss global issues, and debate potential solutions. These simulations are fun opportunities for students to learn about international affairs, practice public speaking, engage in diplomacy, and develop their writing and leadership skills. This is a great opportunity for educators and young people interested in international affairs and diplomacy! Community leaders who would like to start a MUN program for students from local high schools are also encouraged to attend. The event is Saturday, October 26 from 11:00 – 2:00 at Fitzgerald High School (Warren, MI). Register for free by October 18, 2024.
Partner Events and Resources
Fall Conferences and Events
Headlines
Consistent Resources
New Partners, Welcome!
Partnership is a great opportunity not only for the purpose of collaboration and alignment of shared interest, but it also allows our team at TICAS to learn how we can best advocate for the needs of Michigan students and families in policy by learning from community partners.
Please join us in uplifting community partner organizations impacting students on their postsecondary journeys across the state.
If you are interested in sharing with us how we could best support your community and partners alike in policy, please use and share the form below on “How to Get Involved.” This form is not a commitment form but rather an opportunity for us to learn more about the needs in supporting Michigan communities in higher education policy and resources needed.