Commentary

Letter to the Editor: Responding to an editorial in the Detroit News (“Guidance counselors fail to promote college,” June 10, 2005)

 

Published in the Detroit News, June 17, 2005
June 13, 2005

Mr. Nolan Finley
Letters to the Editor
The Detroit News
615 West Lafayette
Detroit, Michigan 48226

To the Editor:

The recent article in the Detroit News by Frank Beckmann did not accurately reflect my opinion regarding guidance counseling in our high schools. I want to set the record straight.

Guidance counselors play a critical role in helping high school students navigate curricula, career options and the college selection process. I attended a luncheon discussion at the Mackinac Conference about how we can inspire more high school students to attend college. My comments addressed the challenges facing K-12 education and the communities it serves, pointing to important services that just do not have enough resources or infrastructure for the enormously complex task at hand.

As a university president, I worry that our state’s high school students get accurate information about college choices and good advising along the way. The system is strained, and teachers and counselors often overburdened. We must identify the resources teachers and counselors need in an environment with more demands than ever before.

I was taken aback at the characterization in the Detroit News – the article does not reflect my opinion nor did it accurately characterize my comments.

Sincerely,

Mary Sue Coleman President