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President Martin makes EMU's case for state funding at House Appropriations Subcommittee for Higher Education hearing

Eastern Michigan University has been a staple of Michigan's higher education system for 160 years with more than 105,000 EMU graduates currently living and working in Michigan. To continue that contribution to the state, Eastern Michigan University President Susan Martin urged state legislators to provide more funding for higher education.

A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE: Eastern Michigan
University President Susan Martin discusses the
positive impact EMU makes on the state and the
fact that more than 105,000 EMU alumni work and
make their home in Michigan. Martin gave
testimony before the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on Higher Education Feb. 27. The
University hosted the hearings, which included
testimony from the presidents of Central Michigan
and Oakland universities, at the Student Center.

"We really strongly recommend that higher education support be increased," said Martin during House Higher Education Subcommittee on Appropriations hearings that took place in room 310 of the Student Center Feb. 27.

Higher education funding in the state of Michigan has been cut for most of the past seven years, going back to 2002. In the 2009-2010 budget proposed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, universities are scheduled to take a 3 percent cut from FY 2008-09 state appropriations. Granholm simultaneously is calling for universities to hold the line on tuition. Under that scenario, Martin said EMU would be facing a $12 million hole in its budget.

The state currently faces a $1.6 billion deficit, but it is expected that federal stimulus dollars will close that gap and provide some dollars for universities. Even if the 3 percent proposed cut to higher education is made up through stimulus dollars, EMU still faces a $9 million deficit in next year's budget that has to be balanced.

"Higher education will play a critical role in Michigan and this nation's economic recovery," Martin said, pointing to herself as a product of Michigan's educational system, having attended a one-room schoolhouse in Croswell during her formative years, and then receiving degrees from Central Michigan and Michigan State universities.