Age: 52

Party: Republican

Current Position: CEO and co-founder of Ardesta, a microtechnology firm in Ann Arbor

Résumé: president and COO of Gateway from 1991-97; founded Avalon Investments Inc. in Ann Arbor in 1997; co-founded Ardesta in 2000

Running Mate: state Rep. Brian Calley, R-Portland

In his words: “(The higher education budget) shouldn’t just be about writing checks and funding things. It should be about getting outcomes and results. So, I really want to change the dialogue and say, ‘Let’s work with the universities on defining what outcomes and results we can help them achieve and then what’s the proper funding to go with that.’”

Virg Bernero

Age: 46

Party: Democratic

Current Position: Mayor of Lansing

Résumé: served in state House of Representatives from 2000-02; served a partial term as state senator from 2002 until elected as Lansing mayor in 2005

Running Mate: Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence

In his words: “My goal is to provide stable and predictable support to maintain our great institutions of higher education. Obviously, I want to fund them at a level that they can remain competitive and be on the cutting edge of technology. … (But) I also want to see a level of fiscal responsibility at our universities.”

Third Party Candidates:

Harley Mikkelson and Lynn Meadows, Green Party

Stacey Mathia and Chris Levels, U.S. Taxpayers Party

Ken Proctor and Erwin J. Haas, Libertarian Party

MSU Board of Trustees

Brian Breslin

Party: Republican

Current Position: retired

Résumé: MSU basketball player; senior vice president of Meijer

In his words: “In a world that is getting smaller and smaller, we use the term ‘global economy.’ Our graduates have to know how the rest of the world works.”

Mitch Lyons

Party: Republican

Current Position: financial adviser

Résumé: MSU and NFL football player

In his words: “A lot of people in the agricultural community are not happy with the course MSU is taking. (We’ve) turned our backs or lost our focus. I’m committed to being a voice in that community that’s a huge part of our state.”

Dennis Denno

Age: 40

Party: Democratic

Current Position: chief of staff for state Sen. Buzz Thomas, D-Detroit; partner in polling firm Denno Noor LLC

Résumé: former communications director for Michigan House of Representatives; former communications director for Michigan Democratic Party

In his words: “One of (MSU’s) goals and objectives is to make college affordable to working, middle-class families. I think we’re kind of failing (at) that right now.”

Colleen McNamara

Age: 61

Party: Democratic

Current Position: MSU Trustee

Résumé: member of MSU Board of Trustees since 1995

In her words: “We need to encourage our university faculty and students to get out in the world. We need to recognize that is who we are.”

Third Party Candidates:

Surjit Singh Dulai, Green Party

Bob Czak, U.S. Taxpayers Party

Christine C. Schwartz, U.S. Taxpayers Party

Dan Johnson, Libertarian

Michael H. Miller, Libertarian

State Senator, 23rd District

Kyle Haubrich

Age: 30

Party: Republican

Current Position: student at MSU College of Law

Résumé: veteran of U.S. Air Force

In his words: “I want to make sure the higher education institutions don’t get any more cuts. I want to put a budget freeze on, two year freeze, temporary, in exchange for a freeze on tuition and fees.”

Gretchen Whitmer

Age: 39

Party: Democratic

Current Position: State Senator, 23rd District

Résumé: served in Michigan House of Representatives 2000-06; served in Michigan Senate since 2006

In her words: “(Freezing tuition and freezing appropriations) doesn’t make sense because you’ve frozen all of the ability of the school to run their budget. We have to increase how much money comes from the state to universities.”

State Representative, 69th District

Susan McGillicuddy

Age: 57

Party: Republican

*Current Position: *Meridian Township Supervisor

Résumé: 10 years as Meridian Township Supervisor, Meridian Township trustee 1996-2000

In her words: “I’m really upset with how many unemployed young people there are when they come out of college and graduate school and (about) all the empty commercial spaces and business spaces we have in Meridian Township.”

Mark Meadows

Age: 63

Party: Democratic

Current Position: State Representative, 69th District

Résumé: mayor of East Lansing 1997-2005, two terms as state Representative

In his words: “I still think there’s an opportunity to make a difference for the people in the state of Michigan. I feel like experience is important down there, (and) I’ve got four years under my belt.”