Michigan

How Michigan universities’ lobbying changed amid threats to higher education

Published

3 weeks ago

November 30, 2025

How Michigan universities’ lobbying changed amid threats to higher education

When President Donald Trump took office in January, he promised to fundamentally reshape higher education by cutting research funding, restricting international students, ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and taking other actions that higher education leaders scrambled to handle.

Behind the scenes, university government relations, along with private lobbying firms, visited lawmakers to plead their cases. The University of Michigan spent nearly $1.2 million on lobbying this year, more than three times what it spent in total in 2024, public lobbying disclosures show. UM is the largest research university in Michigan, with research spending that totaled $2.04 billion in 2024.

The cuts have affected the state’s three largest research institutions in UM, Michigan State University and Wayne State University the most.

This wasn’t entirely surprising, said Jesse Crosson, an associate professor of political science at Purdue University who studies legislative politics and money in politics, partly focused on how partisan competition has influenced the way interest groups operate. Not only was the university advocating for itself as it always had, but it was pushing back against a Republican White House that was deeply skeptical of higher education’s mission.

“You have to imagine (UM and other universities) are pretty nervous,” Crosson said. “I would say there’s something to the fact they’ve increased their spending.”

Michigan State University has also increased spending on lobbyists this year to $370,000, 15% more than at this time last year.

The job hasn’t changed much amid the change in leadership and money spent, said Rebecca DeVooght, Michigan State University vice president of government relations. It has required her team to move faster, however.

“The pace of federal action has required deeper coordination across campus and a more proactive engagement in Washington,” DeVooght said.

The way universities use their time with lawmakers has also changed slightly, DeVooght said. She said she’s found that policymakers are more receptive to specific real-world examples of MSU’s impact, something Michigan Association of State Universities CEO Dan Hurley said he encourages advocates for the universities to do.

“No matter how positive facts and figures are, it’s often the individual stories of students and graduates that have the most positive impact on legislators,” Hurley said.

How coalition saved $5M for MSU

The Nos. 1, 2 and 3 things on the minds of lawmakers are whether they’ll have a job in the next few years, Crosson said. Anything that can help them secure reelection is something they’ll take seriously, and universities should target that, he said.

Ezemenari Obasi, Wayne State University’s vice president of research, has visited Washington, D.C., alongside Relations Officer Melissa Smiley and the university’s hired lobbying firm, Lewis-Burke Associates. He said he’s found members of Congress are more receptive to stories about how the university has affected people.

“What we found to be most effective is less about dollar amounts, but more around: How would the city of Detroit be impacted if these programs were ended?” Obasi said. “And so we spent a lot of time using case statements to show the value of higher education and the value that the research done has on our local communities.”

In conversations with lawmakers, he said he’s pointed to research and work done by Wayne State’s Karmanos Cancer Institute as an example of the real-world impact.

“We talk about how 60% of cancer patients (in Michigan) will have a touchpoint with Karmanos,” Obasi said. “And so, if you begin to remove funding like that, we have a hard time dealing with prevention and various treatment modalities that are actually saving lives. And I think that story is impactful, because most people can relate with someone who’s experienced cancer.”

These one-on-one conversations with lawmakers are crucial, he said.

“I think oftentimes it’s easy for us to paint our lawmakers with a brush, based on what we see in the media,” Obasi said. “And what I have found is that having these one-on-one conversations are really an excellent opportunity to work through any kind of misunderstandings.”

DeVooght said the conversations have a real impact. She pointed to earlier this year, when it wasn’t clear if the Flint Lead Exposure Registry would be funded for the 2026 fiscal year because the funding was held up due to layoffs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A bipartisan coalition of 12 Michigan lawmakers and four others signed a letter calling for the registry, which is administered by MSU, to be fully funded.

“It was all hands on deck,” DeVooght said. “(Rep.) Lisa McClain (R-Bruce Township), Tom Barrett, everyone in the state was saying, ‘This is our priority.’”

Through the work of MSU and the bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, the Flint Registry was approved in August for nearly $5 million through 2026.

U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, who represents MSU, has always had “a positive and productive working relationship” with MSU, Barrett spokesman Jeremiah Ward said in an email.

“That relationship recently led to the congressman securing $3 million for MSU to support the innovative agricultural research happening on campus,” Ward said. “We look forward to keeping lines of communication open as we work together to deliver results for the university and the greater mid-Michigan community.”

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, said her relationship with UM has fluctuated over the last decade. She said she feels her role is to consider all aspects of the university as a major constituent — both the things she likes that it’s doing and the things she doesn’t.

“My job is to understand their perspectives on issues that impact them, the students, the faculty, the athletes,” Dingell said.

U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, a Detroit Democrat who represents Wayne State in his district, said the Detroit urban university has been “a model for higher education everywhere.”

“I am proud to represent the school in Congress, and have an open door policy with them, for anything they need,” Thanedar said in a statement. “Achieving fully funded college for all students is a goal of mine, and making sure to secure as much federal funding as possible for Wayne State is a top priority for me.”

Rising costs of lobbying

The costs of lobbying are rising. In UM’s case, the amount of representation is too.

In 2023 and 2024, Michigan State spent the same amount of money on in-house government relations: $340,000. In 2025, MSU has reached $310,000.

In 2023, UM spent $300,000 on in-house government relations and $260,000 in 2024. This year, it has spent $520,000.

UM officials did not respond to questions from The Detroit News, but disclosures show Michigan has retained the Alston and Bird Law Firm and, in 2024, brought on Strategic Marketing Innovations. This year, the university hired Ballard Partners and BGR Group as additional lobbying groups.

Michigan State University retains Bose Public Affairs Group as a partner, specifically to lobby for “issues related to funding for the Department of Energy’s nuclear physics program,” disclosures show. This is primarily used to get contracts or grants for the campus’ Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, spokesperson Amber McCann said.

MSU hasn’t spent considerably more on outside lobbying compared with the last two years, a consistent rate of $20,000 every quarter and $80,000 annually. UM spent $25,000 on outside representation in 2023 and $95,000 in 2024. This year, UM officials have spent $660,000.

Wayne State only retains outside counsel. Like MSU, Wayne State is on pace with 2024 spending at $50,000 a quarter or $200,000 for the year.

Crosson said the practice of retaining both in-house and outside, multi-client lobbyists isn’t unusual. The number of organizations with “hired gun” lobbyists acting on their behalf is the highest it’s been since at least the mid-1990s, he said.

These organizations hire lobbyists for two things, Crosson said: their specialized expertise on a topic, such as nuclear energy programs, and their ability to get access to a lawmaker.

“The advantage (of an in-house lobbyist) is you can look out for MSU’s or UM’s interests, and their interests alone,” Crosson said. “They only have one client to care about. On the other hand, you may hire a contractor because they specialize in something. Maybe they’ve spent their career inside the Department of Energy and know what they’re looking for in a grant application, or what they’re looking for in a contract like the back of their hand. So they’re more specialized than you can ever hope to be.”

As Congress has become less autonomous and more decisions are made by party leadership behind closed doors, it’s even more important to know who can get a university official in the room with a lawmaker, he said.

University networks

Universities don’t always need to rely on firms or government relations executives to get their points heard by lawmakers. Institutions can lean on their alumni, especially those who hold seats in Congress or roles in legislative offices, to help get their message heard. Former longtime U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, was a UM graduate.

“Lobbyists do have the impression that sharing an alma mater can improve access, either with an individual staffer or with the legislator themselves,” Crosson said. “There’s 20,000 lobbyists in Washington and only 535 legislator offices. Competition for access is pretty steep, and you’re looking for any sort of advantage you can find to make a connection with that office.”

But the real influence of universities is hard to quantify through just the information on lobbying disclosures, Crosson said. Prominent alumni often are influential with lawmakers, particularly the ones to whom they’ve donated, and universities sometimes tap into these informal relationships to advocate their causes, he said.

“Asking a prominent alum who happens to be a big-time businessperson or a big-time media influencer or whatever, who lives in the district of a member of Congress to talk to them on (the university’s) behalf, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that,” Crosson said. “And (the alum) would not need to register to do that because it’s just an American exercising their First Amendment right to petition one’s government.”

Michigan State has started tapping into its student and parent base, along with alumni and faculty, for its “Spartan Advocate” initiative.

“We’re trying to mobilize thousands of Spartans; students, alumni, and now we’ve expanded it to employees and faculty to help tell the story better in D.C., in Lansing and across the state,” DeVooght said. “I think this is a modernized advocacy network that’s really grassroots-based and allows us to speak with a more unified voice.”

What universities are asking for

Although the job of a university government relations team hasn’t changed, the focus of the conversations has, Wayne State’s Obasi said.

“Last year, we were much more future-oriented,” he said. “We’d talk about how we can collaborate around shared interests and so forth. Whereas this year, we were in a more defensive posture around how we protect our interests.”

Wayne State’s disclosures show something similar. Along with what they’ve lobbied for in the past, the disclosures show the Detroit-based university lobbying specifically about “issues related to grant funding” and, before it was passed, lobbying on “issues pertaining to higher education policies, student aid, and taxes” that were part of the One Big Beautiful Bill signed by Trump on July 4.

Like Wayne State, Michigan State and Michigan both lobbied specifically on grant cancellations this year, something they haven’t had to do in the past two years, according to disclosures.

DeVooght and Obasi agreed that their relationships with lawmakers were one of the most important parts of their jobs and said they had good relationships, despite more scrutiny about higher education from Trump officials and Congress.

“Our delegation is exceedingly available, and they are beyond available to Michigan State,” DeVooght said. “We are lucky that we have individuals that are willing to pick up the phone, are willing to text.

“They’re busy people, and we’re busy people,” DeVooght continued. “But there’s not a time that we don’t have access to all of them.”

satwood@detroitnews.com

Source link

Click to comment

Michigan

Michigan football has shown interest in Louisville’s Jeff Brohm

Published

8 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Michigan football has shown interest in Louisville’s Jeff Brohm

The Michigan Wolverines are still looking for a head coach after they fired Sherrone Moore. They were connected to Arizona State’s Keny Dillingham and Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, but neither appears to be headed to Ann Arbor after Dillingham signed an extension and DeBoer publicly stated he was staying.

A new name has emerged in their search, with On3’s Pete Nakos saying that Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm “has emerged as a name of interest.” Brohm is from Louisville and played for the Cardinals before starting his coaching career. However, Nakos is also reporting that he has not yet signed a contract extension that Louisville has been working on since the fall.

“It’s unclear at this point how far along Brohm is in the process with Michigan, but he’s a clear name of interest,” Nakos added. “Other names that continue to come up in conversation with sources include Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and interim head coach Biff Poggi. Michigan would ideally like to make a hire for the long term, if it identifies the right target, sources said.”

Brohm has had success in the Big Ten, going 36-34 as Purdue’s head coach from 2017-22 before leaving to take over Louisville. He ended his time at Purdue on a high note, going 17-9 over and 12-6 over his final two seasons, winning the Big Ten West in 2022.

He is 27-12 in his three seasons at Louisville, guiding them to an ACC championship game appearance in 2023. Prior to taking over Purdue, he spent three seasons as Western Kentucky’s head coach, going 30-10. The Cardinals are set to play Toledo on Tuesday in the Boca Raton Bowl to close their 2025 season.

Contact/Follow@College_Wire on X and@College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.

Source link

Michigan

Wisconsin’s bench delivers in win vs Central Michigan, other takeaways

Published

20 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Wisconsin’s bench delivers in win vs Central Michigan, other takeaways

The Wisconsin Badgers defeated Central Michigan 88-61, fueled by a dominant 25-3 run in the second half.
Wisconsin’s bench players contributed a season-high 44 points.
The Badgers showcased strong ball movement, recording 25 assists on 29 field goals.

MADISON – Wisconsin frequently displayed a warm, inviting fireplace graphic on the Kohl Center video board, complete with brick around the fireplace, stacks of firewood on each side and “staying warm with Wisconsin basketball” text.

The play on the court was even more picturesque for much of the second half as the Badgers used a big run in the second half to blow past Central Michigan, 88-61, on Dec. 22 at the Kohl Center.

Wisconsin outscored Central Michigan in the second half, 48-33, and many of CMU’s second-half points came when the game was already well out of reach. The Badgers had a 25-3 scoring run, which quickly turned a 13-point lead into a 35-point lead.

The Badgers won with their bench players taking on bigger roles.

Austin Rapp had 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting along with seven rebounds. Braeden Carrington, three days after missing the Villanova game with an injury, had nine points off the bench.

The only two bench players who did not score were Isaac Gard and Riccardo Greppi, and they only played one minute and 23 seconds. UW’s 44 bench points were its most in a game since at least the 2006-07 season, according to UW sports information.

“This group needs to continue to do it by committee, and it was good to see a lot of guys step up,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said.

Here are three other takeaways from the Badgers’ 27-point win over the Chippewas:

Ball movement was strength again for Wisconsin offensively

Wisconsin’s ball movement has been quite the harbinger for success in 2025-26.

It has appeared to be a major strength for the Badgers at times, like when they had 15 assists on 17 field goals in the first half against Northwestern. But at the same time, Wisconsin had more turnovers than assists in three of its four losses this season. (Most recently, UW had 15 assists versus 16 turnovers in its Dec. 19 loss to Villanova in Milwaukee.)

The Badgers were back in sync against Central Michigan, racking up 25 assists on 29 field goals. It was Wisconsin’s first time since at least 2004-05 with 25-plus assists on fewer than 30 made field goals, and it was UW’s first game with 25-plus assists in general since its Jan. 3 win against Iowa.

“When we move the ball, we’re hard to guard, as probably anybody in the country is,” Gard said. “And when we don’t, we become much easier (to guard).”

UW guard Jack Janicki had nine assists off the bench, obliterating his previous career-high of three assists. He previously had seven in Wisconsin’s first 11 games combined.

“He got back to playing how he can play and we need him to play,” Gard said of Janicki, who also had four points, one rebound and one steal in 23 minutes.

Austin Rapp, Nolan Winter shine before Winter’s injury, but Winter will be ‘fine’

Wisconsin forward Austin Rapp had, as Gard put it, a “non-aggressive mindset” against Villanova as he finished with no rebounds and missed his two shots in 16 minutes.

Rapp bounced back in a big way against Central Michigan. His 18 points topped what he totaled in his previous three games combined, as did his seven rebounds. After shooting 1 of 10 from 3-point range in his previous three games, he was 4 of 7 from deep against Central Michigan.

“Obviously a few rough games,” Rapp said. “It happens. Obviously don’t want those games. But to bounce back tonight and see a few shots go down and kind of get a good win and see other guys contribute too was really cool.”

The Portland transfer also was a key part of the 25-3 run that removed any doubt, as he scored 13 of those 25 points.

Forward Nolan Winter also was productive against the Chippewas, totaling 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting and a team-high eight rebounds in 26 minutes. That was until he exited the game with an injury as he appeared to be grabbing toward his ankle.

He limped to the locker room and later could be seen standing in the tunnel. Gard said Winter was “walking around” after the game as well.

“I haven’t seen the film, if he stepped on somebody,” Gard said. “But he said he’d be fine. We’ll get some time off here where he can get himself feeling good again and fine. But he was about ready to be done anyway. I was ready to pull him. But you got to keep playing because things happen. He could tweak an ankle in the first five minutes or in the last five. So he’ll be fine.”

What to make of Hayden Jones’ first start, John Blackwell’s injury

Gard has talked a good talk about playing Hayden Jones more. Now, the freshman guard from New Zealand finally got his chance, making his first start against Central Michigan in place of the injured John Blackwell.

Jones said he found out about his start about 40 minutes beforehand.

“Kind of knew JB was going to be so-so,” Jones said. “But I was ready. Obviously had a bit of nerves going into it, but once I got in there, it was just another game of basketball.”

Jones had six points on 2-of-4 shooting, four rebounds and two turnovers in 24 minutes on the court. He had highlight-worthy moments, including a dunk in the first half. He also showed some areas where more improvement is needed, as evident by a turnover on a bad inbound pass that led to a CMU fastbreak opportunity.

“He has a really good feel for the game,” Gard said. “I got to get him to stop dribbling to the right wing and picking the ball up the first possession of every game, but I think he just has a really good feel and size. … He rebounds well for his size. He was going to play a lot tonight, regardless of where JB was at.”

As for Wisconsin’s preseason all-Big Ten guard, Gard said that Blackwell “will be fine.” UW did not disclose any details about the nature of the injury – including whether it was upper- or lower-body – but Blackwell was seen on the sideline in street clothes without any noticeable impediments.

“He tried to warm up a little bit with our pregame stuff and didn’t feel he wanted to or was able to go,” Gard said. “So we move on, and it was a good opportunity for Hayden.”

Source link

Michigan

Michigan interim coach Biff Poggi: Sherrone Moore situation ‘dead to me’

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Michigan interim coach Biff Poggi: Sherrone Moore situation ‘dead to me’

ANN ARBOR – Biff Poggi didn’t hold back Monday when asked about his thoughts on former Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore.

Poggi, 66, is serving as the Wolverines’ interim coach for the second time this season, but his current role has been vastly different than when he led the team to wins over Central Michigan and Nebraska in Weeks 3 and 4 when Moore was suspended.

Now he’s trying to mitigate a mess created by Moore, who is facing three criminal charges stemming from an incident after he was fired Dec. 10 for having an inappropriate relationship with a female staff member.

“That whole situation is dead to me,” Poggi said in his first news conference in Ann Arbor since being named interim coach after Moore’s dismissal. “I’m not spending one second thinking about that nonsense.”

Poggi, who served as an analyst at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh in 2016 and then associate head coach in 2021 and 2022, joined Moore’s staff this season in the same role. He has interviewed to become the Wolverines’ next head coach and wants to fix what he described as a “malfunctioning organization,” but his current job description entails so much more than just preparing the team for its Dec. 31 Citrus Bowl against Texas.

“To love and care for the kids,” Poggi said of his current role. “That’s it. And, we do know something about football. I’ve probably been the head coach for 300 games in high school and college. Football’s football.

“Right now, it’s not about winning a game, it’s not about auditioning. It’s not about anything. It’s about focusing on these kids and their families, and that’s it. That was my mandate, and that’s what I’m trying to do every single day.”

As successful as Michigan has been on the field over the past five seasons – a run that includes three Big Ten titles, a national championship and four wins over Ohio State – the program has also been ensnared in multiple scandals. Harbaugh and Moore both served suspensions and received show-cause penalties from the NCAA stemming from recruiting violations and repercussions for the sign-stealing saga.

The program itself was hit with hefty fines following the NCAA’s investigation into impermissible advances scouting. Two former offensive coordinators – Moore and Matt Weiss – are facing criminal charges, while other staff members also have been fired for incidents involving law enforcement.

Parents have expressed concern to Poggi behind the scenes, and he said his obligation is to be upfront and honest with them.

“These are hard talks to have because one thing you have to do with players and their families, the minute they think you’re lying to them, it’s over,” said Poggi, a former hedge fund manager. “I believe that’s why the portal is so big and it’s getting bigger every year… because kids are told things and their families are told things that aren’t true. If I don’t know an answer that is asked me from a kid or a parent, I’ll tell them I don’t know and I’ll do my best to find out. If I do know, I tell it to them whether I think they want to hear it or not.

“Look, let’s face it. The kids that have been here four and five years with their families, there’s been something kind of every year that’s been messy…whoever the next guy in this seat is, his mandate is going to be to fix it.”

Poggi, who went 6-16 at Charlotte from 2023-24 in his only stint as a college head coach, hopes to be the person to fix it. He has largely been able to keep Michigan’s roster intact, at least in the meantime. Only one player, backup quarterback Jadyn Davis, has announced his intention to transfer, while 25 of the 27 recently signed recruits remain in the fold.

Last week, Michigan players shared how they were “shocked” and “blindsided” by the Moore situation. Poggi said he and the coaches also were angered by what transpired.

In the aftermath of Moore’s departure, Poggi said he has changed “basically everything” about the day-to-day operations inside the program. Practices and meetings have been shorter but more up-tempo.

Enjoying football and having fun has been an emphasis.

“It’s been a blast,” he said. “It’s been a blast for the coaches; it’s been a blast for them (players). And the work has been outstanding. The level of practice has been outstanding. The concentration in meetings have been outstanding.

“We haven’t played a game in a long time, so we’ll see. Texas, I mean, come on, we’re all watching the CFP, and the fact that they’re not in it and some other (teams) are is, like, mind-numbing. Really excellent team, but, our kids are going to show up and do the very best they can.”

Source link