June 16, 2006

Governor calls for passage before summer recess

LANSING – In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today said she will send a special message to the Legislature asking them to pass her New Merit Award scholarship before they break for summer recess later this month.
 
“If we want the jobs of tomorrow in Michigan, we need to make this commitment to our young people today,” Granholm said.  “If we expect them all to get education or training after high school, we’ve got to help all of them pay for it.  It is that simple.”
 
The New Merit Award is a $4,000 scholarship that would be available to every student who wants to earn a college degree or technical certification.  Currently, the Michigan Merit Award is based on standardized test scores and is awarded to only half the students who graduate high school.

The amount of the New Merit Award scholarship is enough to pay for a two-year degree at a Michigan community college or could be used at any public or private college and university to begin a four-year degree.  The scholarship could also be used for career or technical training.
 
Governor Granholm is implementing the most comprehensive job creation plan in the country.  Part of that plan is helping workers get the skills they need to fill job vacancies that already exist.  The plan also ensures that our young people have the skills necessary for the jobs that will exist tomorrow – jobs that require a college degree or technical training.

“Nothing is more important in Michigan today than creating good-paying jobs,” Granholm said.  “The New Merit Award scholarship will help achieve that goal.”
 
The Governor’s weekly radio address is released each Friday at 10:00 a.m. and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state through an affiliation with the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.  The address will also be available on the Governor’s website on Mondays as a podcast for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers

Broadcasters Note: Governor Granholm’s radio address can be accessed through Sunday evening exclusively through the Members Only page of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters website.

Publishers Note: The text of today’s address is attached.

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