LANSING, Mich. — Michigan’s economic future will be shaped by the strength, depth, and diversity of its talent pipeline. That message drove Michigan College Access Network’s College Attainment Advocacy Day, its ninth annual legislative advocacy event, on March 5. More than 200 college access and success professionals, students, and other partners gathered in Lansing to meet with lawmakers and advocate for policies and investments that would help more Michiganders earn a postsecondary degree or certificate.
Formerly College Access Advocacy Day, the event was renamed this year to reflect MCAN’s growing emphasis on postsecondary student success. What hasn’t changed is MCAN’s message: when Michigan invests in helping students enroll in and complete education after high school, the return reaches far beyond campus. It strengthens the workforce, helps employers find and retain talent, and expands economic mobility as more residents earn valuable skills and credentials.
“A stronger Michigan economy starts with better defined pathways to postsecondary success for more students,” said Ryan Fewins-Bliss, executive director of MCAN. “When Michigan helps more people earn a certificate or degree — especially those from low-income backgrounds, those who would be the first in their family to graduate from college, and people of color — employers gain talent, communities gain stability, and the state gains economic strength. Postsecondary attainment is one of the clearest investments we can make in our shared future.”
The return is measurable. The latest economic impact analysis from the Michigan Association of State Universities found that Michigan’s public universities generated $44.9 billion in net new economic impact in fiscal year 2024, supported 129,311 jobs, and contributed more than $7.1 billion in state tax revenue.
Throughout the day, attendees shared stories from students and communities across Michigan, demonstrating how public investment in college access, affordability, and student success shapes outcomes. Conversations with lawmakers focused on shared priorities, including removing barriers to postsecondary opportunity, protecting supports that help students persist, and advancing policies that align K-12, higher education, and workforce needs.
“This event highlights the importance of common ground,” Fewins-Bliss said. “ In a policy environment that can often feel divided, people come together and find meaningful alignment around the idea that helping students move successfully from high school into postsecondary education is a statewide economic imperative.”
The business stakes are increasingly difficult to ignore. Michigan’s prosperity depends on whether the state can produce enough credentialed talent to meet labor market demand. Michigan’s declining per-capita income and lagging education outcomes pose a threat to the state’s competitiveness and business attraction efforts. Sustained investment in proven programs and inclusive talent development strategies is essential to the state’s future.
“If Michigan wants to be a national economic leader, our talent pool has to grow, deepen, and diversify,” Fewins-Bliss said. “That starts in K-12 classrooms and continues through postsecondary attainment of degrees and skills certificates. Businesses have a stake in this work because student success today is workforce strength tomorrow. Every dollar invested in helping students succeed is multiplied over time in wages, workforce participation, stronger families, and more engaged local economies.”
As Michigan works to strengthen its labor force and innovation economy, the urgency extends beyond talent shortages alone. Business Leaders for Michigan’s benchmarking report noted the state ranks 33rd in the nation for availability, readiness, and reallocation of talent. The report estimates that if Michigan performed like a top ten state, its talent pool would include 325,000 more people with a degree or certificate and 239,000 fewer Michiganders living in poverty.
MCAN’s goal Sixty by 30 — increasing the percentage of Michigan residents with a postsecondary credential to 60% by 2030 —is a benchmark closely tied to the state’s economic competitiveness. Advocacy Day served as a reminder that college attainment is not only a student success issue. It is one of the most powerful economic development strategies available to Michigan
