Commentary

U-M works relentlessly to cut costs

 

Letter to the Editor in The Detroit News, March 8, 2010

As much as I relish the image of the University of Michigan awash in cash, I must inject some fiscal reality into the March 2 article, "As U-M builds up, MSU cuts back" (March 2).

For the past several years, U-M and other institutions have been managing through state budget cuts in myriad ways. We have streamlined purchasing, aggressively increased energy efficiency, reduced health care expenses, and eliminated staff positions. In all, at U-M we have reduced $135 million from our budget in the past six years, and our work continues.

This has not been easy. Our staff and faculty have sacrificed, and we have worked relentlessly to reduce costs. And our alumni and friends have been extremely generous in providing the private support that is now requisite to the quality of a public research university.

Whether U-M or Michigan State, Michigan's public universities are responding admirably in this economic downturn. We are committed to serving the students of Michigan, who are enrolling in record numbers, as well as the schools, hospitals and industries that look to us for innovation and creativity.

All of us need to be encouraging a stronger investment in higher education because it is the best hope for our state's future as a 21st-century leader.

Mary Sue Coleman
President, University of Michigan
Ann Arbor