Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced some ambitious plans in her State of the State address Wednesday.
She asked legislators to give students $4,000 for completing two years of college as part of the Merit Award scholarship. She wants more students in college and more people staying in Michigan to help improve the struggling economy.
Although Granholm's ambitions are on target, her methods need work.
Granholm said good jobs in Michigan are going to require a college degree, which means higher education is important.
That's where the $4,000 Merit Award scholarship comes in.
Giving students money for college is almost always a good idea. With tuition rates rising, students need all the help they can get.
It's great that Granholm is acknowledging that there is a direct connection between college degrees and getting better jobs and improving Michigan's economy.
But by giving the money only after two years of college have been completed, students who can't afford the first two years are going to be at a disadvantage.
Those who can't manage to pay for the beginning of college might just decide they can't afford it at all and not even go.
Even if the new Merit Award Scholarship is implemented, it won't do much good if funding for higher education gets cut in this year's round of state budget battles.
Less funding from the state affects tuition rates, so if the state gives MSU less, college is going to cost students more.
And if funding for universities decreases this year, Granholm's plan to make Michigan the nation's leader for developing alternative energy might not happen. It's going to be harder for those engineering majors who might one day develop alternative energy, but who are also struggling to pay their bills, to get through college.
Even to get into college, there needs to be more focus on improving K-12 education in Michigan. If students aren't being taught the material on the MEAP test, which they need to make it through junior high, how can they be expected to get to college where they can work on improving technology in Michigan?
It all comes down to education.
Granholm is on the right track to helping Michigan. Making college more affordable is going to create a better-educated work force for the future.
But giving some students $4,000 isn't going to cut it.
If Granholm is serious about helping college students, she needs to remember it when the budget is released next month.
If she slashes funding for Michigan's public universities, then her speech was just that — talk with no serious dedication to making college accessible to everyone.
