The Michigan Higher Education Attainment Roundtable (MIHEART) updated its “Michigan’s Talent Priority Top Ten Recommendations,” which offer a renewed call to action and a state-level policy agenda to ensure all Michiganders have the education and skills needed to succeed. MIHEART’s top-ten recommendations include:
- Improving postsecondary participation and completion rates by closing opportunity gaps
- Increasing FAFSA completion among Michigan high school students
- Increasing need-based state financial aid funding
- Increasing postsecondary institutional annual operating support
- Sustaining investment in and expanded eligibility for Michigan Reconnect
- Allocating additional resources and aligning programs to support adult worker training and retraining
- Increasing high school student participation in all forms of early college credit programs
- Making progress toward the goal of a student-counselor ratio of 250:1 for high schools in Michigan
- Continuing progress toward multi-institutional credit acceptance
- Elevating and scaling national best practices and strategies among Michigan higher education institutions
The strategies and action steps outlined by MIHEART are designed to help Michigan close the attainment gap and advance policy solutions the state can take to ensure that at least 60 percent of working-age adults in Michigan earn a skill certificate or college degree by 2030 (Sixty by 30).
The mission of MIHEART is to equip all Michiganders with the education and skills needed for success in the economy of today and tomorrow. MIHEART promotes, advocates for, and leads policy changes to improve postsecondary education and credential attainment levels in Michigan. MIHEART is comprised of business, nonprofit, philanthropy, PK–12 education, higher education, and government leaders.
Since 2020, the Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) has engaged Public Policy Associates, Inc. (PPA) to provide facilitation and strategic consulting services to advance MIHEART’s strategic policy goals. MCAN serves a critical role as the convener of these college access stakeholders.
The current roster of MIHEART includes the following organizations: Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM), Council for a Strong America, Detroit Regional Chamber, Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA), Michigan Association of School Administrators (MASA), Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP), Michigan Association of State Universities (MASU), Michigan College Access Network (MCAN), Michigan Community College Association (MCCA), Michigan Department of Education’s (MDE) Office of Career and Technical Education, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), Michigan Department of Treasury’s Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning, Michigan Independent Colleges & Universities (MICU), Talent 2025, The Kresge Foundation, The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), and the State Superintendent’s Office.
To learn more about MIHEART, contact Dr. Daniel Quinn, PPA’s Director for Education Policy at dquinn@publicpolicy.com or (202) 854-8077 or visit MIHEART’s page on the web at https://micollegeaccess.org/miheart.