Detroit Drives Degrees Blog

• Over 40,000 apply for Michigan Reconnect in first two weeks

  New state scholarship offers free tuition at in-district community colleges, provides deep discount for out-of-district students LANSING, Mich.—In the two weeks since launch, over 40,000 Michiganders have submitted applications to take advantage of the Michigan Reconnect  program on their path to pursuing …

  Continue Reading

• Feb 3: Sandy K. Baruah on the Guy Gordon Show

  February 3 – The Guy Gordon Show

  The Detroit Regional Chamber’s Sandy K. Baruah talks with Guy Gordon about their State of Education report.

  Continue Reading

• College enrollment in Southeast Michigan fell sharply in 2020 amid pandemic

  Crain’s Detroit Business February 3, 2021 By Chad Livengood Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s ambitious 2030 goal of getting 60 percent of Michigan’s adult population to have some level of postsecondary education attainment has suffered a pandemic setback as college enrollment sharply …

  Continue Reading

• Pandemic hindering enrollment in college and degree programs, report finds

  February 3 – The Detroit News

  Postsecondary enrollment in Michigan dropped 8.6% last fall and completions of federal aid applications — a key factor in college accessibility for low-income students — were down 16% in Michigan, evidence of the pandemic disruption on education.

  Continue Reading

• Report: Education Metrics Worsen in Metro Detroit Over 5 Years

  February 3 – DBusiness

  While the high school graduation rate in metro Detroit matches the national average at 85 percent, the share of the region’s high school students who are considered college-ready has decreased to 36 percent from 40 percent over the past five years, according to the Detroit Regional Chamber’s 2021 State of Education report.

  Continue Reading

• Report: More metro Detroit high school grads are not college ready

  February 3 – Detroit Free Press

  Metro Detroit is slipping in its effort to produce a well-educated workforce, a trend that could saddle the region’s economy with fewer jobs, lower incomes and slower growth.

  Continue Reading

• Gov. Whitmer Launches Bipartisan $30M Michigan Reconnect Program

  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined Republican and Democratic legislators to announce the launch of the $30 million Michigan Reconnect program, the largest effort in state history to ensure that more than 4.1 million Michiganders who are 25 or older and do not have a college degree will have an opportunity to earn a tuition-free associate degree or skills certificate. 

  Continue Reading