Lt. Gov. Gilchrist Highlights $6M Investment to Help Students Overcome Barriers to Higher Education

LANSING. - Today, Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II launched a statewide tour from Washtenaw Community College to spotlight Michigan's $6 million bipartisan investment in grant funding designed to ease the path for working-age adults who returned to college or enrolled for the first time through the Michigan Reconnect or Futures for Frontliners programs.

The new grants, which will be distributed by the state's community and tribal colleges, can be used for books, childcare, internet access and transportation to help students pursue tuition-free associate degrees or skills certificates. Washtenaw Community College and other eligible institutions can distribute the allocated funds directly to the student – with as much as $550 available per student per academic year.

"Michigan Reconnect is helping tens of thousands of hardworking people take the first step toward a brighter future, and it is providing employers with the highly skilled workers they need to keep and grow their businesses throughout the state of Michigan," said Lt. Governor Gilchrist. "We need to spread the word to more Michiganders. These new grants are an example of how government can and should partner to put every Michigander on the path to prosperity."

In launching the statewide tour, Lt. Gov. Gilchrist was joined by officials from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity's Office of Sixty by 30 Director Sarah Szurpicki, Washtenaw Community College President Dr. Rose Bellanca, Ann Arbor SPARK Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff Phil Santer, and WCC and Michigan Reconnect student Carmen Samaniego.

The tour's aim is to highlight how programs such as Michigan Reconnect and Futures for Frontliners are creating a rewarding path to in-demand careers for tens of thousands of Michiganders and celebrating the state's latest Sixty by 30 achievements. It also seeks to encourage more participants in the Michigan Reconnect program.

"We admire all those Michiganders who have used Reconnect and Futures for Frontliners to take the first step to achieve their educational dreams. We know it's not an easy path, and we want to keep providing the support they need. This is a critical investment to help more people successfully complete a certificate or degree program," said Szurpicki. "By removing barriers to education, we can help more hardworking Michiganders stay on the path to bigger paychecks and a successful future."

Michigan's public community colleges and tribal colleges will use the $6 million in wraparound grants from LEO to provide additional financial support for Michigan Reconnect and Futures for Frontliners students.

Dr. Bellanca called the additional support for Reconnect and Futures for Frontliners students an important step in overcoming the barriers that often stand in the way of a college education for so many adult students. Washtenaw Community College has enrolled 2,038 Reconnectors and 2,287 Futures for Frontliners students.

Michigan Reconnect is the largest effort in state history to ensure that Michiganders who are 25 or older and do not have a college degree have an opportunity to earn an associate degree or skills certificate with free or deeply discounted tuition.

More information is available at Michigan.gov/Reconnect.