Michigan budget expands tuition-free community college program for more residents

State officials estimate an additional 350,000 Michiganders will be eligible to attend community colleges tuition-free, because the 2023-24 fiscal year budget expands the Michigan Reconnect program to residents 21 and older.

The expansion, for now, is a temporary one: Lawmakers have earmarked an additional $70 million in the proposed budget heading to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk for the Reconnect program, but the funds are a one-time allocation. The program, launched in 2021, has provided scholarships for qualifying Michigan residents 25 and older without postsecondary degrees or certifications to attend an in-district community college or tribal college tuition-free, or cover the in-district rate for students attending a school outside of their resident district. The state also offers a Short-Term Training Program to cover up to $1,500 in tuition costs for skills training programs with similar eligibility guidelines.

Some 123,000 people in Michigan have been accepted into the Michigan Reconnect program since its inception, with 27,000 of them enrolling at one of the state’s 27 community colleges, Susan Corbin, director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) said during a recent press call. About 2,800 program scholarship recipients have obtained either a degree or a certification.

By expanding eligibility to a younger population, state leaders hope the program can connect more residents to educational opportunities. It’s a key tool in the Whitmer administration’s “Sixty by 30” goal — having 60% of Michigan residents obtain a college degree or skills certification by 2030. About 50.5% of residents have either education level currently, said Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist.

“We’re ahead of schedule,” Gilchrist said, noting the level of postsecondary attainment was just over 44% when the Sixty by 30 goal was set in 2019.

Opening more pathways for adults in Michigan to get a college degree will open more career pathways, Gilchrist added, noting that employers and businesses throughout the state are seeking talent to boost their workforces.

“The primary reason (for the expansion) is because we have heard both from people in the community, as well as from businesses, that they're still hungry for talent,” Gilchrist said. “And the Michigan Reconnect program has been so effective in terms of preparing Michiganders with the types of credentials they need to take jobs today and be positioned for them tomorrow."

Currently, the application portal for the Michigan Reconnect scholarship remains open only to those 25 and older because the 2023-24 fiscal year for the state begins Oct. 1, 2023. A LEO spokesperson said the department would have more information on the eligibility expansion once the budget is signed, which will happen sometime before the current fiscal year ends at the end of September.

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State leaders hoping for more awareness of Reconnect program

As Corbin noted, more than 123,000 applicants have been accepted into the program, but state officials want to see the number of enrollees increase, and, in turn, the number of postsecondary certifications increase.

To help draw more attention to the scholarship program, the state launched a “Reconnect on Campus” week July 17. Community colleges throughout the state held events highlighting the Reconnect program and the students returning to school through it.

Among those students is Grand Rapids Community College’s Nicholas Thomasma, who is on track to graduate with an associate degree in marketing in April. Thomasma, a professional singer and songwriter, first attended GRCC after graduating from high school in 2003, but never graduated from the college.

In his first go-around at GRCC, Thomasma took music courses. Now, two decades later, he says his marketing courses have given him tools to further his artistic opportunities: While his weekends entail performances at events like weddings and other parties, his weekdays consist of him attending classes at GRCC’s campus in downtown Grand Rapids.

“I had considered going back to school almost 10 years ago," Thomasma said in an interview with the Free Press. “I looked at the cost of admissions and the cost of living — just the cost of everything — and I thought, I don't know that this is a good investment for me. I'm just struggling enough as it is. I don't know that I should take on this additional debt and this additional financial burden.

“So, the only reason that I decided to go back to school was because of the Reconnect scholarship program.”

Thomasma is considering pursuing a degree in nonprofit management after he receives his associate degree from GRCC.

A Michigan Reconnect scholarship also is helping Jodi Holland expand on her career experience as a baker. Holland, 60, had never attended college, but since enrolling in GRCC’s Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate program two years ago, she said she has picked up skills to bolster her expertise.

“When I started, I was a good baker, a good home baker, that kind of thing. But now, I am like pastry chef level,” Holland said.

"The opportunities here in the job that I have right now are just opening up for me. I've got so much more experience. Not just in baking, (but) in managing employees, scheduling, cost of food, just everything. It has really opened up a lot of opportunities for me here.”

Despite the years away from education, Holland said attending GRCC through the Reconnect program was straightforward for her once she applied. She encourages others considering going back to school or a skills training program to apply as well.

She even received a nod from Whitmer during the governor's 2022 "State of the State" address for enrolling in the program.

“It really did change my life,” Holland said.

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Is the expanded age range here to stay?

Lawmakers sent an $81.7 billion budget to Whitmer’s desk, made up of the $57.4 billion omnibus budget and a $24.3 billion K-12 school aid budget, which Whitmer signed Thursday.

The spending plan was bolstered by a $9.2 billion surplus in the state’s coffers thanks to increased federal funding in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as boosted infrastructure spending by the feds.

The proposed budget is expected to largely drain that surplus. The $70 million set aside for the Michigan Reconnect eligibility expansion is currently slated as a one-time allocation in the budget, meaning there’s no guarantee the 21-year-old eligibility threshold will remain a part of the scholarship program beyond the 2023-24 fiscal year.

“The opportunity to use some unique resources we've had available to expand this to more people in Michigan, down to the age of 21, was one we simply did not want to pass up,” Gilchrist said.

Could the expanded age range become a lasting fixture for the Reconnect program? Potentially.

“Certainly, we hope that we see excellent results from this expansion down to 21-year-olds,” Gilchrist said. “The Legislature is interested in continuing to work with us to find ways to perhaps more permanently fund this expansion after we see the outcomes that I know we're going to get from being available to 21-year-olds starting this next year.”

How to apply for the Michigan Reconnect scholarship

To apply for the Michigan Reconnect scholarship to enroll at either a community college or a short-term skills training program, eligible residents should go to michigan.gov/reconnect.

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Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @arpanlobo.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Budget expands 'Reconnect' program to 21-year-olds in Michigan