BLM in Support of Common Core State Standards

Below you will find a letter to the Michigan Legislature from Business Leaders for Michigan indicating support of the Common Core State Standards.  The standards are being discussed by both chambers as they review the 2014 budget for the Michigan Department of Education. 

May 2, 2013

The Honorable Joseph Haveman                              The Honorable Roger Kahn

Chair, House Appropriations Committee                   Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee

P.O. Box 30014                                                     P.O. Box 30036

Lansing, MI 48909-7514                                          Lansing, MI 48909-7536

Dear Chairman Haveman and Chairman Kahn:

I am writing to express our organization’s strong support for implementing the Common Core State Standards. The standards are not a curriculum – they only specify what students should know and be able to do in each grade and by the end of high school to be career and college ready. 

 The data overwhelmingly demonstrate the need for and benefit of a quality education:

• Between now and 2018, 80% of the highest-paying, most in-demand jobs in Michigan will require an Associate’s degree or higher (Michigan Labor Market Information, Hot 50 Jobs);
• By 2025, Michigan will need 900,000 more workers with an Associate’s degree or higher to fill available jobs (Lumina Foundation); and,
• hose with higher levels of education earn more and are less likely to be unemployed (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

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Doug Rothwell on West Michigan Week 4/18/2013

Watch Business Leaders for Michigan EP 3310 on PBS. See more from West Michigan Week.

Business Leaders host National Research Council workshop to explore future of universities in fueling Michigan’s, nation’s economy

Ann Arbor, Mich., April 12, 2013 — Top state and national leaders in business and academia met today to discuss strategies to maintain the preeminence of America’s public research universities and the role states can play in this effort The workshop was hosted by Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM), the state’s business roundtable, and was an opportunity to provide input to the National Research Council  on recommendations designed to ensure that American research universities are able to maintain the excellence in research and doctoral education needed to help the nation compete and prosper globally in the 21st century.  

The featured guest was Chad Holliday, Jr., Chairman of the board of directors of Bank of America, former CEO of DuPont Corporation and chair of the National Academy of Engineering. He shared the findings in the Research Universities and the Future of America, a report compiled in concert with leaders in academia, industry, government, and national laboratories. A workgroup discussion followed discussing the importance of higher education to the nation, business and citizens; how to better communicate the value of higher education to different stakeholders; how to better connect the needs of businesses with universities; and possible strategies for making college more affordable on a long-term basis.  This was the fourth in a series of meetings with business leaders across the nation to gain feedback on the recommendations.  Earlier meetings were held in Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Arizona.

As states' finances improve, the report calls for striving to return higher-education funding to prerecession levels. Commenting on how cuts to higher education are hurting the global competitiveness of U.S. research universities, Holliday said, “The pressures on these institutions are just massive.”

“We greatly appreciated Chad Holliday, Jr.’s national perspective about the future of higher education, and in particular, our research institutions,” said Patrick Doyle, President and CEO, Domino’s Pizza and BLM champion on higher education issues. “Michigan is not alone in its need to find a sustainable way to fund our universities and make college more affordable.  Across the nation, our higher education systems have been defunded.  We cannot ignore that Michigan is facing a talent shortage of 900,000 workers with more than a high school education by 2020. It’s imperative that businesses work with higher education in an integrated manner to ensure that our students are prepared to succeed in the workplace and important for us to get connected with a national group trying to raise awareness and develop solutions.”

Doug Rothwell, BLM President and CEO, commented, “We learned that all states are facing the same financial pressures we are.  But the good news is that Michigan has at least turned the corner in stemming the cuts to higher education after a decade of disinvestment. In general, we align with the recommendations of the National Research Council and asked them to play a role in sharing best practices from around the nation so states can more effectively address our common challenges.”

“Leveraging Michigan’s higher education system is a key component of growing the New Michigan economy.  We are pleased to work with the National Academies in developing strategies at the federal level to use this strength to Michigan’s advantage,” said Rothwell.

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Download the press release. 

Business Leaders for Michigan Report: WJIM 1240

WJIM AM 1240 reported on Business Leaders for Michigan's latest survey.

Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM), the state’s business roundtable, continues to forecast that Michigan’s economy will grow faster than the U.S. economy over the next six to eighteen months.  The forecast is reinforced by 43 percent of BLM members planning to increase hiring in Michigan in just the next six months. 

Click here to listen. 

Business Leaders Forecast: Michigan will continue to grow faster than U.S. economy

Long-term outlook better than short-term; More hiring planned for 2013

DETROIT, Mich., April 11, 2013 – Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM), the state’s business roundtable, continues to forecast that Michigan’s economy will grow faster than the U.S. economy over the next six to eighteen months.  The forecast is reinforced by 43 percent of BLM members planning to increase hiring in Michigan in just the next six months. 

“Michigan’s business leaders continue to be more bullish towards the state’s economic outlook than the nation’s again this quarter,” said Doug Rothwell, President & CEO. “While Michigan’s business climate continues to improve, no significant federal policy reforms have been adopted amidst the slowdown in global growth.  The net result is that business leaders are more optimistic about Michigan’s economy short- and long-term and are backing that optimism up with continued hiring.” 

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MichBio and BLM work to develop strategy to grow life sciences industry

Michigan’s health and medical expertise key to growing a New Michigan economy

Ann Arbor, Mich. — The state’s top leaders in business, life sciences, pharmaceutical and medical device innovation met today to develop strategies to grow Michigan’s bio-sciences industry. The meeting was hosted by MichBio, the state’s biosciences industry trade association. Today’s event was part of MichBio’s newly created CEO Leaders’ Club, a program series for senior bioscience executives from around the state. 

The featured guest was Alex Gorsky, Chairman and CEO, Johnson & Johnson, and a native Michigander. A workgroup discussion followed the moderated Q&A and set the stage for initiating a bio-industry led strategic planning effort.

“We greatly appreciated Alex Gorsky’s national and global perspective about the future of the biosciences industry,” said Steven Rapundalo, President and CEO, MichBio. “Michigan needs a strategic path to leverage its strong legacy of biomedical innovation and commercialization. The states that are top ten in the life sciences industry have done two things well.  First, they’ve developed a strategic plan and have had the fortitude and commitment to follow it through. Second, they have addressed their workforce needs by working with higher education in an integrated manner to ensure that the industry is supported. All of our competitors have growth strategies, yet the last time that Michigan had one was a decade ago. It’s time to change that.”

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BLM Report: Michigan employers challenged short term by worker-skills shortage, long term by worker-education shortage

Study finds need for Michigan workers to gain both right combination of education attainment and experience, and notes that some high demand jobs may have over supply of talent

DETROIT, Mich., Mar. 21, 2013— Michigan is following a national trend towards becoming a knowledge-based economy across all industry sectors, including traditional ones such as agriculture and manufacturing.  The trend is causing employment and income growth to be increasingly driven by education levels and has major consequences on how Michigan should best support economic growth, according to an in-depth study released today by Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM). 

The three primary findings of the BLM study are:

 1.    In the short run, Michigan generally appears to be producing talent with the right education, but not enough workers have the experience and skills that job providers need.

 2.      In the long run, Michigan faces challenges producing enough talent with the right education. Michigan’s slow population growth and low educational attainment cannot keep pace with the projected increase in the demand for educated talent.

 3.      If current trends continue, Michigan could find itself with too many people in need of lower-skilled, lower-wage jobs and not enough workers for many higher-skilled, higher-wage ones. Further, not all high-paying, high-demand positions may experience a shortage of talent.  This will require greater collaboration to anticipate future job employer needs through our education systems and responsive training programs.

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Summit brings together state, business and policy leaders focused on growing the New Michigan economy

Natural Resources, Mobility, Engineering, Logistics, Higher Education and Life Sciences industries highlighted as key assets to leverage growth

LANSING Mich., March 11, 2013 — Nearly 450 business and policy leaders from across Michigan met today to discuss key assets for growing a New Michigan economy, and assessed the state’s progress toward economic prosperity. Top leaders shared industry insights and recommended key strategies focused around six key areas of economic opportunity that Michigan boasts.  Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM), which hosted the summit, unveiled baseline information on its New Michigan strategy.

“We have already identified some powerful strategies for change,” said Doug Rothwell, President and CEO. “By doing more of what Michigan does best, we can meet global needs and grow our own economy - but we have to be smart, aggressive, and focused on results.”

Rothwell said BLM’s first annual New Michigan report offers an important first step to help the state track its progress.  BLM issued its New Michigan plan in 2012.

“This gives us a clear idea of how we stack up to our competitors on key outputs: GDP, employment, and earnings,” Rothwell said. “It also tells us about our inputs in six critical opportunity areas. Each year, we’ll report how we’re doing, where we can grow, and what’s next.”

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Business Leaders for Michigan launches Performance Tracker for Michigan Public Universities

Online tool puts information at fingertips of parents, policy makers and tracks university performance on 30 key measures

DETROIT, Mich., February 13, 2013 - Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM), the state’s business roundtable, which is focused on making Michigan a Top Ten state for job, personal income and economic growth, today unveiled Michigan’s Performance Tracker for Public Universities, an online tool that makes it easier for policy makers, job providers and families to see exactly how Michigan’s 15 public universities spend their dollars, as well as the return on investment for those dollars.

“The Performance Tracker shows what a college education at a Michigan university will cost students, and the kind of outcomes universities produce for that investment,” said Doug Rothwell, President and CEO. “It’s a transparent dashboard with easily-accessible data about Michigan’s public universities on about 30 different metrics that measure productivity and efficiency, affordability and access, and economic impact.  It places Michigan at the forefront of higher education transparency and accountability.” 

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Statement on Governor’s 2014 Executive Budget Recommendation

DETROIT, Mich., February 7, 2013 –Business Leaders for Michigan, the state’s business roundtable, saluted Governor Snyder on his 2014 Executive Budget Recommendation, and his emphasis on structurally balancing the budget, reducing the state’s long standing debt obligations and investing in the budget stabilization fund.

Doug Rothwell, President & CEO, said, “We applaud the Governor for continuing his commitment to getting Michigan’s fiscal house in order and addressing the long-standing debt obligations that have beleaguered our state. Getting our state on a strong fiscal footing is critical to a full economic recovery and an essential part of the Michigan Turnaround Plan.”

In addition, Business Leaders for Michigan praised the Governor for addressing early childhood needs in his budget presentation. “Studies show that children who participate in a good preschool experience have more success in life,” Rothwell said. “We want every child to enter kindergarten ready to succeed yet many of our children today are playing catch up. If we invest on the front end, they will do better in school and have better opportunities down the road.”

Rothwell also commented on the recommendations for higher education, “For the second year in a row, the Governor has proposed increases in higher education based on performance. We appreciate that the state has begun to reverse the decade of disinvestment in our colleges and universities. Investments in higher education contribute directly to our children and the state’s success. The changing global economy puts a premium on college graduates and Michigan is currently looking at a talent shortage of 900,000 graduates by 2020. To make college more affordable for our children, increase the number of college graduates our state needs to grow the economy and incent our colleges and universities to perform better than their peers, it will take a substantial long-term commitment. As the state’s fiscal health continues to return, it is critical we move even faster to boost state investments in areas that will promote future growth, such as higher education.”