Michigan community colleges ask Legislature to sustain guarantees, boost operations and expand dual-enrollment funding

Leaders from Michigan’s community colleges urged the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education and Community Colleges on Oct. 12 to sustain and expand state programs that reduce tuition costs, shore up operations funding and remove barriers to dual enrollment.

"We are the Swiss army knife of institutions of higher education," Brandy Johnson, president of the Michigan Community College Association, told the committee. She asked lawmakers to continue funding the community college guarantee and other scholarships that reduce direct costs for students.

The request comes as community colleges argue they play a central role in statewide workforce development. Al Poshulka, vice president for enrollment marketing and government relations at Lake Michigan College, cited federal labor data to emphasize demand: "Michigan had on average, on an average day, 222,000 jobs open," he said, and asked the committee to treat college funding as an investment in talent pipelines.

Why it matters: Presenters said the state’s combination of the Michigan Achievement Scholarship (including the community college guarantee), Michigan Reconnect and Pell grants has sharply reduced tuition barriers for many students and increased enrollment. The community…