Citizens'Committee Reports - Aid 'Beyond All Precedent' Needed for Higher Ed

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Eliana

Citizens' Committee on Higher Education urges Michigan to provide higher education funding beyond precedent, citing rising enrollments and the need for state appropriations that exceed what many expect. The report highlights enrollment growth projections, anticipated fiscal pressure, and the responsibility to fit new programs into the state budget. An initiative campaign and teacher-tenure efforts are described through enrollment and signature milestones, alongside recommendations for legislative action and comparisons to other industrialized states.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Citizens'Committee Reports:

Aid ‘Beyond All Precedent' Needed for Higher Ed

Initiative Campaign Sets Records

Board OK's 1964 Legislative Program

的ARYGROVE COLLEGE LIBRA赞》DETROIT.MICHIGANEASE DO NOTREMOVeMICHIGAN EDUCATIONJOURNALDECEMBER 15 NEWS # Citizens'Committee Reports: Aid ‘Beyond All Precedent'Needed for Higher Ed Michigan citizenry to “the stag-gering implications of the risingtide of enrollments and of pre-paring them for the fact thatstate appropriations for highereducation must rise moresharply than most people mayyet imagine.” A REPORT by the CitizensCommittee on Higher Educa-tion urges appropriations forstate institutions of higher learn-ing which are beyond all prece-dent in Michigan history. ported enrolled in 1962 to atotal of 204,000 in 1970,thecommittee says. eral years-of which at least 50per cent could be borne by thestate. "We have set forth what wefeel are the needs of highereducation in the coming year,”Chairman Bentley commentedin submitting the report."It isthe responsibility of othcrs tofit these programs into the over-all budget and to reconcilethem with the present and an-ticipated_fiscal picture of thestate.”The committee state-ment says that: In giving its suggested ap-propriation figures,the com-mittec emphasizes that thesums are being presented forthe purposes of alerting the The report was prepared bya group headed by Alvin M.Bentley,aided by the_W.E.Upjohn Institute for Employ-ment Research,and released bythe Michigan CoordinatingCouncil for Higher Education. The complete text of the committee's report willappear in the Feb.I Michigan Education Journal. # Initiative Campaign Sets Records A legislative appropriation ofnot lcss than $i35 million isneeded for the 1964-65 fiscalyear,the committee says,whichis an increase of more than $25million over the current ap-propriation. tion,this matter will then bebrought before the voters ofthe state at the November 1964general clection.” Noting that records were setby the recent initiative cam-paign directed to obtainingstatewide tenure for teachers,the MEA’s executive secretary,Dr.E.Dale Kennedy,hasasked for renewed effort inachieving final success. "Both the enrollment figuresand the corresponding dollarfigures,are,of course,beyondall precedent in our history,and they are of sobering pro-portions." Dr.Kennedy expressed thethanks of the Association to allthose who worked to make thecanpaign a success. While the report indicatesthat Michigan can be proud ofthe quality of its higher edu-cation,it tacitly admits thateven with a 23 per cent boostin appropriations for 1964-65,the state could not equal otherlarge industrialized states inper-student appropriations. The increase in enrollments,the report says,is equivalent toan addition of a 10,000-studentcollege in Michigan each yearthroughout this decade and be-yond 1970. "The endorsements by MEAdepartments,prominent indi-viduals,and organizations,wereindeed most helpful and appre-ciated,"he said."The com-bined efforts of hundreds ofdetermined and dedicated pro-fessional educators and laymen,plus the MEA staff and theirfamilies,brought success. "When 324,794 signatureswere fled with the 83 countyclerks,"Dr.Kennedy said,"theminimum requirement for 221,-000 was exceeded by more than100,000.Working against adeadline,this massive victorywas reached in the shortesttime on record,between Oct.1l and Nov.27.” “A problem of this magni-tude in higher education is en-tirely without precedent in ourpast experience,"the commit-tee says.It notes that privateinstitutions are sharing in thetidal wave of students,but itsays that,“in terms of the pres-ent and immediate problems ofthe state government,the loadwhich will fall upon the state-supported four-year schoolsmust be emphasized." Although committee mem-bers unanimously recommended$135 million as the sum nowneeded,the report says thatstate appropriations of $147million would be required toprovide per-student appropria-tions equivalent to the averageof eight other_highly indus-trialized states.In commentingon the $147 million figure,thecommittee said that even thiswould not

FAQs

What funding level does the citizens' committee say Michigan needs for higher education?

It calls for appropriations beyond all precedent, emphasizing that state support must rise more sharply than most people expect.

What is highlighted about enrollment growth and its impact?

The report states enrollments are rising, creating a financial burden equivalent to adding a 10,000-student college each year through the decade and beyond 1970.

What does the document say about the initiative campaign and teacher tenure?

It reports record campaign results, including signature counts, and describes renewed effort toward achieving statewide teacher tenure.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Eliana