Please remove me from your email lists. Thanks.
Quoting "Redmond, Rudy (DLEG)" <[log in to unmask]>:
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Matlock [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2008 10:32 AM
> To: John Matlock
> Subject: Editorial: Diversity matters to Michigan's economy by Mary Sue
> Coleman The Michigan Chronicle
>
>
>
> Colleagues - FYI
>
>
>
> <http://www.umich.edu/>
>
> Newsclips Home <http://newsclips.vpcomm.umich.edu/listall.php> | Search
> <http://newsclips.vpcomm.umich.edu/search.php>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> Editorial: Diversity matters to Michigan's economy
>
> by Mary Sue Coleman
> The Michigan Chronicle
> June 4, 2008
>
> ________________________________
>
> Earlier this spring I spoke at Detroit's Charles H. Wright Museum of
> African American History, as part of a forum hosted by this publication.
> Many of the engaged and vibrant people I spoke with that evening were
> concerned about the future of our state and its citizens.
>
>
>
> Whether in the heart of Detroit or on the steps of Mackinac Island's
> Grand Hotel, my message then and now is straightforward: If this state
> is to prosper and take a leadership role in the knowledge-based economy,
> we must ensure more of our citizens obtain the best possible education
> beyond high school. A highly educated, diverse workforce is among the
> most critical resources our state will need to compete in the global
> marketplace, where knowledge-based industries are essential to success.
>
> We cannot afford to leave anyone behind. Yet Michigan is still well
> below most other states in the percentage of the total population with
> four-year degrees.
>
> Our citizenry and our policymakers share the vision of a state with a
> broad range of high-tech companies in fields such as alternative energy
> and nanotechnology. We believe we can make enormous strides in advanced
> manufacturing based on our traditional strengths. We hope to lift
> ourselves out of Michigan's economic crisis on the shoulders of
> university research and development, which sparks new companies and new
> products and which draws existing business to our state. In fact, the
> University of Michigan has formed an alliance with Michigan State
> University and Wayne State University focused on these very issues: to
> accelerate economic development by harnessing the collective strength of
> our powerful university based R&D.
>
> All of these aspirations require a skilled and diverse workforce. Our
> transforming economy brings with It new ways of doing business. The
> state's workforce needs the best possible higher education and must know
> how to work effectively across racial, ethnic and social backgrounds.
>
> In the wake of Proposal 2 banning affirmative action, I asked our
> university community to develop ways to maintain and expand diversity on
> campus within the parameters of the new law. In the past 18 months, we
> have implemented a range of programs and initiatives, including our new
> Center for Educational Outreach and Academic Success. The Center's
> mission is to strengthen partnerships between U-M and K-12 school
> systems and communities across the state.
>
> We learned a great deal from peer institutions in states where
> affirmative action was no longer available, including the need to
> develop robust pipelines between higher education and the K-12 system.
> When we work in tandem with our K.12 colleagues, we can promote academic
> achievement, improve educational opportunities, and continue to identify
> and recruit a diverse student body representative of all Michigan
> communities.
>
> Our Center for Educational Outreach and Academic Success will work to
> connect our resources with communities, focusing on long term
> partnerships that can strengthen over time. We will work with students,
> parents, teachers, community leaders, and school administrators in these
> efforts.
>
> We also are working closer with all 31 community and tribal colleges
> across our state, from nearby Wayne County Community College to Keweenaw
> Bay Ojibwa Community College in the Upper Peninsula and Lake Michigan
> College in western Michigan. We are encouraging community college
> students to continue their education at U~M. and are strengthening our
> transfer programs in hopes of seeing more of these students on our
> campus.
>
> The leaders of the University of Michigan will continue to do personal
> outreach as well. The University's vice presidents have joined me in
> calling prospective students, talking with their parents and sharing the
> message that a college degree is absolutely essential in today's
> economy.
>
> I believe our state must have a collective aspiration for every one of
> its young people to achieve some form of secondary education whether it
> "is a community college, specialized technical program, a degree from
> the University of Michigan or one of many other excellent universities
> in this state. Our citizens deserve' a high quality of life and economic
> security. We can help our state's youngest citizens understand that
> these hopes and dreams are realized through education and we can provide
> the support necessary for them to achieve their dreams.
>
> And when we accomplish that we will create the diverse workforce to fuel
> our state's economic revival and enduring prosperity. '
>
>
> Mary Sue Coleman is the President of the University of Michigan.
>
> ________________________________
>
> Newsclips Home <http://newsclips.vpcomm.umich.edu/listall.php>
>
>
|
