Detroit News: State must improve college graduation rate

By Cindy Heflin Associate news director

Posted on Tue, Sep 22, 2009 : 8:36 a.m.

In an editorial today, The Detroit News says Michigan needs to boost the graduation rate at Michigan colleges and universities.

The editorial says the state has rightly focused first on improving high school graduation rates, but says to really improve the economy, the state needs higher college graduation rates as well. The editorial says less-selective universities especially need to do a better job graduating students and puts Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti in that group.

"Take, for example, Michigan State University and Eastern Michigan University. MSU's graduation rate is 74 percent compared with Eastern Michigan's 39 percent, according to College Results Online," the editorial says.

The editorial says Gov. Jennifer Granholm needs to put real pressure on colleges and universities to improve.

"Granholm needs to play hardball with our public universities and use the carrots - and sticks - at her disposal to change this trend. Previously she has promised to do so, but we still have not seen her take such action, such as linking state budget allocations to college graduation rates."