A Michigan Rural Policy Director— A Cabinet Level Appointment By Governor. An Idea To Analyze

It might be a bold move for the incoming Governor to appoint a senior level, cabinet member, person to be her advisor on rural policy. This person would report directly to the governor and would work across and with all state departments and agencies.

We have all seen the national and state reports on the increasing number of citizens moving to urban and suburban communities, while rural areas are seeing drops in population. Employers like Amazon, Apple, etc., are also moving expansions to urban areas. While this is occurring we see the list of rural issues continuing to grow and become more complex.

In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula the state’s largest rural population area we know that issues like energy costs and access, road development and repair, internet/broadband access, access to economic development growth, health care availability, poverty related issues, education costs, etc., etc.. We have also watched as the outgoing Governor and lame duck legislature struggle with the water/environmental issues around the Enbridge gas line under the Mackinaw Bridge. This so-called Line 5 presents serious environmental protection issues it also is the major supplier of propane to the very rural Upper Peninsula which is very dependent on propane.

In the other rural areas of our state south western Michigan, northern Michigan struggle with policy issues and finding gubernatorial and legislative policy solutions for their concerns.

All of the above rural areas would benefit from the Governor’s appointment of a rural policy director and that person could take the lead on developing of a formal and informal rural policy agenda for the new administration. This cabinet level appointee could work with all department directors and community leaders to find policy issues and solutions to be taken to Lansing for resolution.

Over past years we have had formal and informal urban/suburban policy agendas, but we have never had a formal state rural policy agenda, much less a cabinet level appointee leading an effort for a rural policy. In addition this person could act as the “rural ombudsman” for the Governor and could craft solutions to issues brought to the “rural ombudsman”.

The two largest rural areas of Michigan are northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The Upper Peninsula accounts for 3% of the state’s population and approximately 30% of the state land mass.

While there are many possible individuals to fulfill this role, the ideal person would have legislative (elected or staff) experience and/or experience in the executive branch. One person such person who jumps up immediately from the Upper Peninsula is former state rep and state senator Mike Prusi. He has held legislative leadership roles, served on appropriations and has worked extensively with Governors of Michigan over the years. He is highly regarded in both parties and by state wide leaders—his skill set could be very useful to the incoming Governor.

Okay what are some of the other individuals around the state who could do this job and have a good working relationship with the Governor and with both sides of the aisle in the legislature? What are some of the other duties you would want this person to do and what powers would you like them to have in their new role?

More to come……

#ruralpolicy. #ruralpolicydirector. #governorwhitmer

Reorganizing State Government Agencies

It is rumored that Governor-elect Whitmer is thinking about splitting up the 14,000 employee Department of Health and Human Services. Chad Livengood does some good reporting on this in Crain’s Detroit. It is a good piece and worth a read.

He reports that the agency has a 160 page organization chart and the director has an annual salary of $175,000. He reports that there are many Detroit area non profit CEOs with smaller numbers of employees and budgets that make much, much more than that. Same would have to be true of some of west Michigan non profits.

This proposal by Whitmer is very interesting and deserves exploration by her and her policy team. That agency is too big and too diverse. Reorganizing it makes some sense.

I also think the salary issue must be investigated if you are going to attract big talent to run that organization or its replacements. This is a very important agency with life saving functions and it deserves to able to attract the very best talent available.

Interesting to note that I doubt there is a university president in Michigan with equal numbers of employees making that low of a salary. I know there are smaller universities and colleges paying their presidents a lot more salary and they deserve it. But so does a state agency director with huge numbers of employees and budgets.

Higher Education Budgeting in 2019

We will have a new Governor on January 1, 2019 and that means we will have new policy directions, including budgeting priorities next year. We will hear many of Governor Whitmer’s policy proposals in her first State of the State in January 2019 and in February 2019 her State Budget Address to the legislature which will reveal and discuss her budget proposals for all of state government.

We all remember Governor Snyder’s higher education budget cut of 15% in 2011 — as he attempted to balance the budget and deal with a large budget deficit. Some of that has been restored but by no means all of it.

I read a statistic (but have not verified it yet) that said Michigan state aid to public higher education has been cut 28% during the period of 2000-2017. We do know that in the 1970s state aid accounted for 70% of public universities budgets, while tuition accounted for 30% of the university revenue. In 2017 that is almost the direct opposite and that trend started decades ago . Also we know that over two-thirds of university graduates leave their campus with over $30,000 in student debt. That number goes even higher when we look at student debt by family income and issues like first generation students, Pell Grant recipients, etc., etc..

Finally we now see students dropping out of two year and four year colleges and universities because they just cannot afford the tuition, fees, books, rent, etc., etc.. Many of these young people need to work two jobs to just keep up with the basics of housing, food, medical, etc..

As a state we need to work to correct this situation. We need to assure that everyone has the opportunity to get vocational training, or a two year or four year college or university education without having huge debt load as they enter the full time job market. Lets work together to make this happen in a responsible and fair manner.

Michigan Higher Education Governance: Policy and Budgeting

A new governor brings with it new appointees to Michigan’s public universities. Governors get two appointments every two years at Michigan’s 13 public universities—unless there is a vacancy due to resignation, death, etc., during a given year. This year during his last month Governor Snyder is making appointments and the next round of appointments in December 2020 will be by Governor Whitmer (again unless there is an opening due to resignation or death during 2019 and early 2020).

We hope that she and her policy team will spend time with their new potential appointees to assure that they will govern and support the new Governor’s higher eduction policies and budgets. I have always thought that an annual meeting of the governor’s higher education appointees would be very helpful to the Governor, the legislature and the higher education community. It would bring clarity and coordination to higher education policy setting and governance at each university and throughout higher education.

As Governor Snyder leaves office on January 1, 2019 he will have made 100% of appointments to the 13 university boards during his eight years in office. All the trustees are Snyder appointees and that will not change until Governor Whitmer gets to make her first university trustee appointment. Maybe it would be a good idea for Governor Whitmer and her policy team to meet with all the current university trustees early this coming year and discuss the major Michigan (and federal) higher education issues that are and will confront higher eduction policy makers in 2019.

The Whitmer team could discuss their outlook on higher education budgeting, free community college tuition, tuition rate increases, tuition caps, Title IX, campus safety, transparency, etc., etc.. The dialog would be healthy and might bring increased coordination and sharing between the universities and the public policy leaders in Lansing, Michigan.

Citizenship Demands National Service By All

We Americans all have our citizenship in common.  Citizenship should demand that, among other things, that we each provide service to our nation.  Service may occur in many different venues, opportunities and conditions.  This article provides one approach.  Worth a read.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2017/11/30/its-time-to-make-national-service-a-universal-commitment/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

Importance Of Faculty and Administration Collaboration

Interesting op ed by faculty member and then academic administrator--vice provost and then Provost.  Worth a read.

As higher education faces more and more scrutiny by policy makers, the public and as it faces greater enrollment losses and tuition increases we will need more collaboration between faculty and administrators, but also more collaboration with non profits and business leaders.  We will also need a better understanding that one size does not fit all as we try different innovation models at our institutions.  

https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2018/07/12/importance-collaboration-between-faculty-and-administrators-and-roadblocks-it?utm_content=buffer71499&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=IHEbuffer

Recommendation-- Don't Turn It Around. Change it.

This is an important call for governing bodies to start asking presidential candidates a different question then they do now during search interviews.  

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/confessions-community-college-dean/don%E2%80%99t-turn-it-around-change-it?utm_content=buffer1768e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=IHEbuffer

University of Chicago Drops SAT/ACT Requirement

Maybe we could have seen this as inevitable as the "big, small and influential" struggle with declining enrollment, retention and degree completion rates.

https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2018/06/14/university-chicago-drops-satact-requirement?utm_content=buffer48d8e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=IHEbuffer

 

Non Traditional Presidents Less Rare

The debate continues about whether this trend is good or bad for higher education.  This new study presents some new data that shows an increase in non traditional presidents, while an ACE study show a decrease.   

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/05/30/new-findings-cast-net-more-broadly-nontraditional-college-presidents?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=5e05024d7e-DNU_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-5e05024d7e-198145669&mc_cid=5e05024d7e&mc_eid=f34e796177

 

Where are College/University Declines the Highest-New Data

Enrollment declines continuing to trend down.  Mid sized privates have steeper declines than smaller privates.  Public institutions also continue to slide down according to this most recent data/survey.  New York and Michigan two highest declines in nation.  Tuition costs and continuing doubts among some that a college degree is not worth the investment--low ROI.  

http://insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2018/05/29/new-data-enrollment-and-where-declines-are-greatest?utm_content=buffer8cc94&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=IHEbuffer

A growing concern in Public Sector

http://www.governing.com/topics/finance/gov-government-costs-hacked.html?utm_term=As%20More%20Governments%20Get%20Hacked%2C%20Concerns%20Grow%20Over%20Mounting%20Costs&utm_campaign=Is%20%27Innovocracy%27%20Hurting%20the%20Public%20Sector&utm_content=email&utm_source=Act-On+Software&utm_medium=email

Survey of Presidents

This is one of several recent surveys that indicate some declining confidence in higher education.  Some drivers are believed to be concerns about increasingly unaffordable tuition and continuing increases.  Others see reduced state aid to public institutions leading to even more increases in the future. Also many are concerned that the employability rates of college graduates are declining, however, data still shows that college graduates are going to have substantially higher lifetime incomes that those with only a high school diploma.  Some scholars also believe that often entrance to more elite universities is only available to the wealthy elite and legacy alumni.  Often these institutions are not very diverse.  Violence in American society in and around campuses have contributed to a declining international student enrollments.  This survey of college presidents will add some interesting data to the above debate.  The question is are public policy and higher education leaders willing to make the necessary personal and institution commitment to these issues and to help make sure that a higher education opportunity is available and affordable for all those who want a two year and a four year college degree.  We can only hope. 

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/survey/survey-college-presidents-finds-worry-about-public-attitudes-confidence-finances

Too Small to Survive

In higher education it seems that it is not "too big to fail", but "too small to survive".  Another small, private college outside of Portland to close at end of year.  The list is getting bigger and bigger. Again, will we see any small public colleges close in next year?  What is limiting closures and mergers in the public college sector?  Is there a bubble to burst out there?

http://www.wweek.com/news/2018/05/17/marylhurst-university-abruptly-announces-its-closure-in-its-125th-year-of-operation/