Posts published in “Guest Column”

Dead Last. When it comes to public investment in public higher education in the Great Lakes states, Michigan is dead last. Last in state appropriations per capita for its public universities. Last in inflationary increases.…

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is proposing more money for Michigan schools in her 2022-23 budget proposal. Although money alone will not completely solve the teacher shortage issue, further action is unable to proceed without it. For…

State lawmakers have a lot of money left over from federal stimulus packages and tax revenue growth, but little consensus around how to spend it. They ought to agree on some basic improvements. They should…

I became a quadriplegic man 39 years ago. Now I’ve lost my caregivers, had to leave my home and am in life-threatening situations. I am declining and my health is failing without my regular exercise…

As we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, Michigan’s non-profit, accredited child welfare agencies are struggling and facing unprecedented challenges to serve children in need and Michigan families. We are severely short-staffed, shouldering the cost…

Recently, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer convened an expert roundtable to focus on the importance of addressing Michigan’s mental health crisis. In advance of the State of the State address, the governor indicated that she would address…

  Each December for 50 years I wrote a check to my alma mater, Wayne State University. I was proud to have earned my medical degree there, one of the few women in the graduating…

We’ve had the pleasure of serving three Michigan governors from both political parties while heading the state’s Department of Community Health. In that role, we dealt with measles, tuberculosis and foodborne illness outbreaks, as well…

The 21st Century path to prosperity — to a broad middle class — is concentrating talent. Not factory jobs. Why? Because today’s mass middle class are professionals and managers who work in offices, schools and…