Michigan
Michigan combats dropping college enrollment numbers
(CBS DETROIT) – Michigan’s college enrollment numbers are continuing to drop. New data from spring 2023 enrollment shows Michigan’s decline is among the worst in the country.
Across the nation, college enrollment in two-year and four-year colleges dropped 0.5% in 2023. In Michigan, enrollment dropped by 2.2%.
“I think it’s an urgent issue,” said Erica Orians, the vice president of the Michigan Community College Association.
She said Michigan’s aging population and diminishing high school pipeline are part of the reason for the decline in enrollment. But another is Michigan’s strong employment numbers.
“When students can go get good jobs, they go get good jobs and enter the labor market and decide that they’ll attend college later.”
She said if the college-educated workforce shrinks that will have repercussions for retaining and attracting employees to Michigan.
“This is an issue for the future of Michigan’s economy.”
The state has a number of initiatives to increase enrollment, including financial help through the Michigan Reconnect program, and Michigan Achievement Scholarship, as well as a push to bring in international and out-of-state students.
“I would say we especially pilfer from Illinois, as do a lot of other states,” said Daniel Hurley, CEO of the Michigan Association of State Universities.
He said the state also has initiatives in place to encourage working adults to finish degrees they started in the past.
“I do think one myth that needs to get busted is that the return on investment somehow has been diminished. And that has not been the case at all.”
He said the data shows that people with degrees continue to earn more money than those without, and most of the highest-paying jobs in Michigan require a four-year degree.
“I actually have some optimism here moving forward that we’ll be able to stop the bleeding on enrollment and actually turn things around and start rebuilding,” said Hurley.
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Michigan
Watch: Dog with PVC pipe stuck around neck rescued in Michigan
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A dog is safe after being found wandering the streets in Wayne County with a piece of PVC pipe stuck around its neck.
Michigan Humane put out the call for help on social media on Tuesday after they received some photos of the dog and reports that it was seen near the border of Detroit and Dearborn.
The state’s oldest animal welfare group posted an update and some pictures of its own on Thursday, showing the dog in their care and getting the piece of pipe removed.
“Thanks to everyone’s support and tips, we were able to find the stray dog with a PVC pipe on his neck today and bring him into our shelter,” the social media post read. “We successfully removed the pipe from his neck, and he is safe in our care, receiving medical treatment.”
Michigan Humane did not provide any other information on the dog’s health status and did not elaborate on how the pipe may have ended up around the dog’s neck but believe it was put there intentionally. The organization has also announced a $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest in this case.
Michigan Humane also thanked the Dearborn Police Department for helping them track down the dog and Carhartt for amplifying its message.
Michigan
Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast: Recapping Spartans’ Win Over Washington
No. 16 Michigan State just keeps winning, and it’s doing so against quality Big Ten teams.
The Spartans steamrolled Washington at the Breslin Center on Thursday, besting the visitors, 88-54. They did so in front of a vibrant home crowd on what was the annual Alumni Night.
With the victory, Michigan State improves to 13-2 on the year, 4-0 in Big Ten play and 8-0 on its home court. It is also extended its win streak to eight games.
Our Aidan Champion recaps the win on this postgame edition of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast.
You can watch the episode below:
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo addressed the media after Thursday’s contest.
Below is a partial transcript from Izzo’s opening statement:
Izzo: “Well, when you have a game like that, it’s hard to even know what to say except — that was Matt Larson that said it walking up the steps — I hope every media person, every alum, every student and every fan, appreciates the specialness we have here. The alumni reunions that we have every year are incredible, but for that many former Izzone members to come back over 20 and 30 years was special. Special for me, I think special for my team. And I almost felt sorry for Washington; I mean, they probably thought they were coming in here and there’d be no students. And that group was so good and so fired up; there was no entitlement, none of them left, none of them transferred. They were unbelievable. And I could have stayed there for a half hour after and thanked each and every one of them. But in all the things that happen, please appreciate that this place is different. It’s different. You can say it about places all over — this place is damn different. And I’m just thankful for them, I’m thankful for our marketing people, I’m thankful for our Izzone coach and I’m thankful for all the people that put in the work to get this thing done. I don’t want to make it bigger than the game, but for Tom Izzo, it’s bigger than the game. And when Matt said it to me walking up the steps, I thought it was special.”
Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
Michigan
Michigan State football lands Division II transfer WR Rodney Bullard from Valdosta State
Jonathan Smith continues to replenish his roster and Michigan State football’s receiver room.
The Spartans picked up a pledge Thursday from wideout Rod Bullard, a transfer from Division II Valdosta State in Georgia. The 6-foot, 170-pound native of Albany, Georgia, has two years of eligibility remaining after redshirting in 2022 and playing 28 games the past two seasons.
As a sophomore in the fall, Bullard caught 42 passes for 1,001 yards with 12 touchdowns and an average of 23.8 yards per catch. The Blazers lost to Ferris State in the Division II national title game, and Bullard had three catches for 15 yards in the 49-14 loss.
In 2023, he had 43 catches for 566 yards and seven scores and returned 16 kicks for a 24.8-yard average with a 99-yard touchdown return.
Bullard is the 14th transfer and third incoming receiver, joining Chrishon McCray (Kent State) and Omari Kelly (Middle Tennessee State). The Spartans lost wideouts Jaron Glover (Mississippi State), Jaelen Smith (Texas-San Antonio), Aziah Johnson (North Carolina) and Antonio Gates Jr. (undecided) among 13 outbound transfers from their 2024 team that finished 5-7 and missed a bowl game for the third straight season.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
Subscribe to the “Spartan Speak” podcast for new episodes weekly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
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