In cooperation with the Presidents Council of State Universities of Michigan, the Board of Directors of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce unanimously voted to support the Michigan Tuition Reduction Initiative. Recently, the presidents and chancellors of Michigan's public universities announced that they would reduce student tuition this academic year if the State House and Michigan Senate take prompt action to repeal the State Tuition Tax Credit law and increase base funding for state universities when the Legislature returns to Lansing this week.

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"Michigan Tech and the other state universities have a strong and growing commitment to work with Michigan's job providers to encourage job creation and economic growth," said Curtis J. Tompkins, President of Michigan Technological University, Houghton, and a vice chair of the Michigan Chamber Board of Directors' Executive Committee. "We appreciate the Michigan Chamber's support of higher education on this key issue."

"As Governor Engler has said on many occasions, the state with the best schools will win the race for good jobs," said Michigan Chamber President & CEO Jim Barrett. "Our state universities play a critical role in educating Michigan's workforce, developing technology, and applying research to assist in the development of new products and services. Prompt legislative action to repeal a costly, but little used, tuition tax credit is the right thing to do to more adequately fund higher education."

"Strong state universities are critically important to Michigan's economic development effort. Based upon our discussions with members of the Presidents Council at the Michigan Chamber Foundation's recent Public Policy Forum, we're convinced that these leaders of higher education are firmly committed to providing a high quality and affordable education," Barrett concluded.

The Michigan Chamber is a statewide business organization representing approximately 7,000 employers, trade associations and local chambers of Commerce. The Michigan Chamber was established in 1959 to be an advocate for Michigan's job providers in the legislative, political and legal process.

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SOURCE: Michigan Chamber of Commerce

Contact: Tricia Kinley, Director, Tax Policy & Economic Development of
Michigan Chamber of Commerce, +1-517-371-2100

Website: http://www.michamber.com/