September 14, 2007

LANSING - In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today urged high school seniors to continue their education with college or technical training using the Michigan Promise scholarship.

"In the next few days, high school seniors across the state will receive a letter from me in their mailboxes," Granholm said.  "The letter will let members of the high school class of 2008 know that they've qualified for the Michigan Promise scholarship.  It gives every high school graduate the opportunity to receive $4,000 towards college or technical training."

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 (www.michigan.gov/gov) for download, as is 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 follows.

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
September 14, 2007

Full Radio Address Audio: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov110_Full_208510_7.mp3
Short Clip: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov110_Quote_208512_7.mp3

Hello, this is Governor Jennifer Granholm.

In the next few days, high school seniors across the state will receive a letter from me in their mailboxes. The letter will let members of the high school class of 2008 know that they've qualified for the Michigan Promise scholarship…

It gives every high school graduate the opportunity to receive $4,000 towards college or technical training. For some students, it will cover a two year technical certification or an associate's degree from a community college. This is the ticket to a good-paying job. And for others, it can be the starting point for a degree from a four-year college or a university or beyond!

Whatever route our students choose, the Michigan Promise scholarship is making college and technical training accessible and affordable for every Michigan student.

In this competitive economy, we know that the best way for our state to thrive is through education. And I don't want any student to be deterred by cost… especially since we know that continuing beyond high school graduation to earn a college degree means an average increased earnings of one million dollars in a lifetime. One million dollars - wow!

But as much as one million dollars is, that difference is only going to get more significant as we push forward into the knowledge-based economy.

I'm sure a lot of high school students would like to know why the heck the knowledge-based economy matters to them. What it means is that the work you do between your ears is becoming more and more valuable, while the labor you do in a factory or field is, unfortunately, becoming a less and less reliable way to make a living. That's one of the realities of globalization, and it means that our key advantage in the United States - the best way for us to be competitive - is education.

In Michigan, we have the best universities, colleges, community colleges in the world. These institutions train thousands of our citizens every year for jobs in cutting edge industries.

The Michigan Promise scholarship opens the doors of our great institutions of higher learning to every student in the state.

In my letter to these high school students, I'm encouraging each and every one of them to take advantage of this opportunity. If you're a high school student - especially a senior - I hope that you're making plans to continue your education next year. And if you know a student, take a minute this week to encourage him or her to stick with learning beyond high school, and take advantage of the Michigan Promise scholarship. There's no doubt, in this challenging global economy it will pay off.

Thank you for listening.

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