(MI) The Detroit News - Five years ago, when Gov. Jennifer Granholm first asked me to lead the Cherry Commission on Higher Education, we could not have foreseen the global financial crisis that continues to unfold, or the toll it would take on our state’s economy.

But we knew then, as we know now, that our economy is in transition. Today, a college degree or professional certificate is no longer an option for every single student in Michigan — it is a necessity. And the only way to keep our kids in Michigan and prepare them for the jobs of the 21st century is to give them a clear path to higher education. More