June 15, 2023, Board of Regents meeting
Jordan B. Acker
This program, the Go Blue Guarantee is really life-changing for a lot of our students and it’s really revolutionary. One of the things we don’t brag enough about — we don’t talk enough about — and we know this having gone and talked to board members and presidents at other universities, is how it inspired a lot of other universities to take on a similar program like this. We saw that at other Big 10 schools almost right away — at schools like Wisconsin, for example.
So, as we lead the way again by increasing to $75,000, I’m just hopeful that we will continue to lead the way in making sure that middle-class and working-class Michiganders, especially, are able to attend this university and to graduate without student debt.
Michael J. Behm
Last year, one in five in-state students were recipients of the Go Blue Guarantee. It’s a significant amount of our student body. The one thing I always like to say is that their cumulative GPA is also higher than the rest of the students, which is a great thing to point out. And now, by increasing — I think Provost McCauley’s numbers there were another 450 students would then be recipients of the Go Blue Guarantee — that’s worth noting.
I wanted to thank Vice President Harmon just with regard to housing and for the hard work that he and his team have put in in this area. Housing in Ann Arbor is expensive — how’s that for an obvious statement — and for the university to provide housing to students when private housing within a mile of our own housing on campus is 50% more, that is a massive savings for our students and something to be proud of.
Sarah Hubbard
The size of the budget, the way this university has grown in the couple of years I’ve been on the board has just been incredible. And at the same time, really maintaining our level of affordability for our in-state students. That’s been something that’s incredibly important to me as we’re looking at this. The ability to maintain very low, below-the-rate-of-inflation increases in Ann Arbor — very modest increases in Flint and Dearborn, as well — I think has been a very positive result of the oversight the board is providing to the university.
This fiscal restraint, while searching for new opportunities and expanding to provide more for our students, faculty and staff is just incredible. So $31 million in savings — we’re always looking for these kinds of efficiencies. Something I want everyone to know is the board is focused on this as well. I think this opportunity that we’re still 60% less than the tuition sticker price for most of our students in-state — our net tuition is not going to increase — the Go Blue Guarantee continues to do better … all these are such amazing stories for us, and I’m just very proud to be part of this board and happy to support the budget this year.
