GRANHOLM - Cherry Radio Address Highlights Michigan Promise Scholarship, State's Need to Prepare Future Workers for Global Marketplace

May 2, 2008

LANSING - Lt. Governor John D. Cherry Jr. today said the state's $4,000 Michigan Promise scholarship will again help thousands of Michigan students meet the challenges of the global marketplace head-on and will - through time - give Michigan the best educated workforce in the nation. Cherry made his remarks in delivering this week's radio address on behalf of Governor Granholm.

"The governor and I believe we must make it as easy for students to earn a college degree today as it was for an earlier generation to earn a high school diploma," Cherry said. "Thanks to the Michigan Promise, thousands of students will again achieve that dream this year."

Cherry said that continuing education beyond high school is necessary for the students of today to become the workers of tomorrow.

"Whether it's enrolling at a four-year university, technical training, or a community college education, these pathways are critical to success in the 21st century global workplace," Cherry said. "This (Michigan Promise) scholarship was a critical recommendation made by the Cherry Commission - the blue-ribbon education panel the governor asked me to lead. I'm particularly proud to have been a part of the creation of this program, because it plants the seeds of economic growth, moves Michigan forward, and makes higher education a reality for more families."

The governor's weekly radio address is released each Friday morning and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state. The address is available on the governor's Web site at ( www.michigan.gov/gov) for download, together with a clip of the quote above. The radio address is also available as a podcast on the Web site, as well as on iTunes and via RSS feed for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers. Links to the audio files and text of today's address follow.

LT. GOVERNOR JOHN D. CHERRY JR.
Radio Address - Michigan Promise
May 2, 2008

Full: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov143_Full_233079_7.mp3
Edited: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov143_Edit_233081_7.mp3
Quote: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov143_Quote_233083_7.mp3

This is Lt. Governor John Cherry speaking to you this week on behalf of Governor Jennifer Granholm. As spring is upon us and the school year begins to wind down, thousands of Michigan high school seniors are beginning to look forward to the next phase of their educational journey. And when they take those critical first steps toward a higher education, they will have a revolutionary new scholarship to handle the costs.

The $4,000 Michigan Promise scholarship is available to every student who continues their education after high school. That's the equivalent of two years of community college tuition that a student can put toward a technical certificate, or part of a university degree, or a community college program.

This scholarship was a critical recommendation made by the Cherry Commission - the blue-ribbon education panel the governor asked me to lead. I'm particularly proud to have been a part of the creation of this program, because it plants the seeds of economic growth, moves Michigan forward, and makes higher education a reality for more families.

Thanks to this transformative change, our students can meet the challenge of the global marketplace head-on and will - in time - give our great state the best educated workforce in the nation.

Today, it's almost a given that continuing education beyond high school is necessary for the students of today to become the workers of tomorrow. Whether it's enrolling at a four-year university, technical training, or a community college education, these pathways are critical to success in the 21st century global workplace.

Here in Michigan, it was not always so. A generation ago, thousands of Michigan citizens went from high school directly to the auto factories. For many men and women, the decision not to go on to college was an easy one - working in our auto plants was the quickest way to a comfortable middle-class lifestyle.

During that era, the high school diploma had different meaning as well. Being a high school graduate meant that you were prepared for life, work, and citizenship. Because the high school diploma signified that readiness, our parents and grandparents said every child in Michigan was entitled to a free public education from kindergarten through 12th grade. That was their gift to us. It was the American Dream at work.

But Michigan employers today need workers who possess skills that go far beyond high school. That's why the governor and I believe we must make it as easy for students to earn a college degree today as it was for an earlier generation to earn a high school diploma. Thanks to the Michigan Promise, thousands of students will again achieve that dream this year.