In testimony before the Michigan House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education and Community Colleges in Lansing on April 30, President Santa J. Ono reinforced the vital role state funding plays in furthering the success of students, driving economic development, and maintaining affordable access to a world-class higher education experience for students across the state. 

Speaking before Chair Rep. Greg Markkanen (R-Hancock) and members of the subcommittee, Ono outlined how state support enables U-M to deliver a world-class educational experience to more than 52,000 students, representing every county in Michigan, while maintaining one of the highest graduation rates and lowest levels of student debt among public universities across the country.

“Our graduates go on to careers in medicine and education, technology, business and policy — teaching our students, treating our sick, developing new innovations and growing our economy,” Ono said. “We want to make the opportunity of a life-changing U-M education affordable for everyone, so we provide more than $226 million in funded scholarships. This ensures that thousands of students can become future professionals, growing and benefiting Michigan’s economy.”

In his testimony, Ono highlighted several key outcomes made possible in part by state funding:

• Nearly two-thirds of U-M’s in-state undergraduate students graduate without student loan debt. The university’s pioneering Go Blue Guarantee now covers full tuition for Michigan families earning up to $125,000, with recent expansions providing full cost-of-attendance support for nursing, education, and masters of social work students.
• U-M conducts over $2 billion in research each year, fueling startups, strengthening industries and creating jobs statewide. U-M is one of the state’s largest employers; people who work at the university earn $6.28 billion annually, spending much of those earnings on products and services in the state.
• U-M research expenditures last year supported businesses in all 110 Michigan House Districts, with $97.7 million spent directly with Michigan-based companies.
• Recent projects, such as the forthcoming national security AI research center in partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the U-M Center for Innovation in Detroit, are creating new opportunities for economic development, workforce training and technological leadership across Michigan.

Ono also pointed to the critical role of U-M’s healthcare system, Michigan Medicine, which provides top-ranked care to more than 2 million patients annually and remains one of the state’s largest employers.

“From preparing the next generation of teachers and nurses, to developing the future of artificial intelligence and medical technologies, the University of Michigan is committed to being a powerful force for good in our state,” Ono said. “We are proud to be not just the University of Michigan, but the University for Michigan.”