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President Mark Schlissel

President Mark Schlissel urged elected leaders to pass a tax-reform bill that protects the interests, futures and aspirations of college students and doctoral candidates in his remarks at Thursday’s Board of Regents meeting.

“Higher education is a key driver of social mobility and economic growth in American society. College degrees prepare students to compete in a rapidly evolving job market and to live more enriching lives,” Schlissel said. “Several provisions in the bills undermine our students. They seek to end tax benefits that are designed to make education more affordable,” he added. “If enacted, they would make it harder for students to earn a college degree here at Michigan and across our nation.”

Potential impacts to the university community include the taxing of student loan interest and the loss of tax-exempt status on tuition waivers for graduate students serving as teaching and research assistants.

Author: Dana Elger

[email protected]

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President Mark Schlissel talks with U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (left) at the annual U-M Congressional Breakfast in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. (Photo by Brandon Ebenhoeh)

President Mark Schlissel told a Washington, D.C., audience Wednesday that the University of Michigan continues its longtime commitment to be a leading international community of scholars.

Speaking at the 66th annual U-M Congressional Breakfast, Schlissel said the university’s ability to attract the best students and faculty from around the globe “enhances our teaching, learning, research and societal impact” and is a major reason for U-M’s standing as an outstanding research university.

Schlissel said U-M is working with other universities to make sure foreign students and faculty can continue to enrich the excellence of U-M.

“This is also an issue of competitiveness for our state,” he added. “Preparation for that competition requires our students to have the skills and experiences best acquired through collaboration with diverse groups of people.”

U.S. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, delivered keynote remarks, urging alumni and others to work with people from diverse backgrounds to develop solutions to the problems facing our nation. (Photo by Brandon Ebenhoeh)

Schlissel also urged lawmakers to help preserve U-M’s ability to use a “conservative approach” to successfully manage its endowments and protect donor choices. Congress is considering legislation that could potentially have an impact on such endowments.

In her remarks as keynote speaker, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, who represents the Ann Arbor and Dearborn campuses, saluted the university as it celebrates its bicentennial, but also called upon U-M and its alumni to stand up for resolving the major issues facing the nation.

“For 200 years, the University of Michigan has brought diverse members of our community together to have difficult discussions, to debate and to find solutions to the problems we face as a society — to lift each other up and strengthen lives and communities,” said Dingell. “All U-M alumni who are here in D.C. not only make a difference, but have a responsibility to make a difference.”

Other members of Congress in attendance included Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, along with U.S. Reps. Dan Kildee, D-Flint; John Moolenaar, R-Midland; Dave Trott, R-Birmingham; and Ted Deutch, D-Florida.

The Congressional Breakfast is sponsored by the U-M Club of Greater Washington, with all proceeds going toward scholarships for D.C.-area students who attend Michigan. More than 300 people attended this year’s event, which also marked the official D.C. observance of U-M’s bicentennial.

Author: Michael A. Waring

Director of the Washington, D.C. Office | [email protected] | 202-554-0630

Read Article at The Department of Defense Archive

The Secretary of Defense is the principal defense policy advisor to the President. Under the direction of the President, the Secretary exercises authority, direction, and control over the Department of Defense.

UM’s Institute for Research on the Labor, Employment and the Economy (IRLEE) is leading a consortium of three Midwestern universities to provide assistance to communities and to small and medium sized defense manufacturing companies in their respective geographic regions. The Defense Manufacturing Program (DMAP) is a Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Economic Adjustment initiative to assist states and communities that have been significantly impacted by reductions or cancellations in DoD spending.

The DoD press release stated that:

“The University of Michigan’s Institute for Research on Labor, Employment and the Economy, in partnership with Ohio State University and Purdue University, was awarded a $2,479,069 grant for a regional Defense Manufacturing Assistance Program. These federal funds are part of a larger $2,777,257 project that will, among other activities, assist impacted companies across Michigan, Indiana and Ohio to find new markets, support business stabilization and implement diversification strategies”.

The goal of DMAP is to provide stability, and stimulate growth, job creation and job retention in the defense supply chain resulting in keeping defense communities strong. Michigan has hundreds of companies, spread throughout the state, which could be impacted by the reduction in DoD programs and spending. IRLEE will provide the following services to these companies through DMAP: business analysis and planning assistance, project identification (core strengthening, market diversification, new technology commercialization), project development, consultant identification, new technology identification and project management and funding assistance (projects may be co-funded up to 50%).

Each of the three university partners will be responsible for their respective states, with UM coordinating the work of the consortium from Ann Arbor. Larry Molnar, Associate Director of IRLEE and Megan Reichert, Program Director for DMAP are leading the project for UM and will be the principle contacts for the Department of Defense throughout the course of the project.

Author: Michael Rein

Associate Director of State Outreach | [email protected] | 734-764-8029