On Thursday, M-Live reported that the University of Michigan’s Board of Regents announced it will be offering free tuition to Michigan families who make less than $65,000.
UM President Mark Schlissel surprised the audience inside the Michigan Union by announcing the creation of the Go Blue Guarantee to kick off the meeting Thursday, prior to the Regents' vote on the budget for the upcoming year.
Schlissel became emotional when talking about the opportunities the initiative would afford for low and middle income families after the Board of Regents approved the budget with a 7-1 vote.
"We now guarantee those with the most need can afford a University of Michigan education," Schlissel said. "The Go Blue Guarantee cuts through the complexities of financial aid to help us reach talented students from all communities in our state. I've always believed that talent is ubiquitous in our society, but opportunity most certainly is not."
And while this doesn’t solve the myriad problems that make getting into and then being able to attend a college or university for many low-income families go away, this streamlines the financial aid process and is one important step.
UM previously covered financial need for in-state students, which could include grants, loans or work study jobs. Free tuition will break down even more barriers for students, said Regent Denise Ilitch.
As the former President of Ilitch Holdings LLC, a privately held business that manages Little Caesar Enterprises, the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Tigers, Ilitch spoke with business experience that the word free sends a powerful message.
"I have great experience with the power of the word free," Ilitch said. "It breaks through to the community and communicates what we've been trying to communicate every year - you do the work, and we have so many talented students here in Michigan - you can come to the University of Michigan for free."
Go Blue!