The front ranks: higher education in the Detroit Region is helping to reshape our economy

Detroiter, March, 2007 by Melissa Armstrong

Institutions of higher education across Southeast Michigan are embracing the future and creating a workforce that will be ready to contribute to the revitalization of our economy.

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In the last 10 years, for example, graduations from our advanced technology degree programs have increased 30 percent. Over one-quarter of the region's graduates complete a degree in a technologically advanced field of study, and a greater percentage of Michigan college graduates receive a degree in a math or science field than almost any other state.

The revitalization of our region's economy relies on our ability to embrace the future--nanotechnology, advanced materials, biotechnology, alternative energy and automation. Our colleges and universities are proving that they are ready not only to respond but also to help shape the region's response to our current economic challenges by offering cutting-edge workforce and research opportunities.

The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor is arguably the flagship in our region's post-secondary educational system. U.S. News and World Report currently ranks U-M as the No. 2 public university in the United States. U-M's business program is regularly ranked among the top 10 in the country, its graduate engineering programs No. 6 and its medical school No. 11. Significantly, U-M's graduate industrial/manufacturing engineering program is ranked No. 2 in the United States and its graduate nuclear engineering program is No. 1.

U-M is far from alone, however. Colleges and universities of all sizes--including Macomb Community College and Oakland Community College, the eighth- and ninth-largest community colleges in the United States--are making huge contributions as the Detroit Region attempts to move beyond its heavy manufacturing past and embrace not only the future of manufacturing but also the future world economy.

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SmallTimes magazine has named Michigan fourth in the nation for small tech innovation, up from fifth last year. Small tech innovation includes the development and applications of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), Microsystems and nanotechnology. Nearly every college and university in the Detroit Region has embraced this up-and-coming high-tech field by creating either a research institute or a degree program in nano- or micro-technology. Kettering University, Lawrence Technological University, Oakland University, Wayne State University and U-M are all conducting significant research in this hot topic.

Alternative energy is another area of intense interest these days, and nearly every institution of higher education in our region is making significant contributions in this area. In 2003, Wayne State University offered its first course as part of its new master's degree program in Alternative Energy Technology. Last year, WSU partnered with Detroit's NextEnergy to open its National Biofuel Energy Lab. Lawrence Technological University has also created an Alternative Energy Engineering program with support from NextEnergy.

The Detroit Region has long been a leader in the robotics industry. In fact, the Detroit Region has the greatest concentration of robotics companies in the United States. To encourage the next generation of robotics engineers, Lawrence Tech sponsors its World Robofest competition each year. K-12 students come from as far away as Singapore to compete. U-M hosts three robotics research centers while Wayne State University and Oakland University work in concert with industry to expose their students to the latest robotics technology and design solutions.

With its top-notch medical school, the University of Michigan is a leader in life sciences. Indeed, more than half of the university's $750 million annual research expenditures are in life sciences. Over the last five years, U-M has invested more than $900 million in the life sciences in the form of new curriculum, new faculty and new buildings. The new hub of this effort is the Life Sciences Institute, a $230 million interdisciplinary collaboration housed in state-of-the-art wet labs at the center of the Ann Arbor campus. It stands adjacent to a new 140,000-square-foot teaching building for undergraduate science, and a 99,000-square-foot Commons building designed for meetings and small conferences. The Commons also houses the University's Bioinformaties Program.

Melissa Armstrong is senior director of the Research & Information Center at the Detroit Regional Chamber and the Detroit Regional Economic Partnership.

Field of Study        California  Illinois    Massachusetts  Michigan

Biological & Life      10,006       3,164      2,956           2,701
  Sciences
Computer &             10,811       5,226      3,032           3,353
  Information
  Sciences
Engineering            13,213       4,179      4,084           5,989
Engineering             3,324       2,266      1,172           2,761
  Technicians
Health Professions     21,178      12,356      8,836          10,341
Mathematics             2,926       1,004        863             706
Physical Sciences       3,431       1,109      1,277           1,010
Total Math & Science   64,889      29,304     22,220          26,861
  Graduations
Total Graduations     311,085     142,137     92,014         102,143
                           20.9%       20.6%      24.1%           26.3%

Field of Study        New York    North Carolina  Ohio       Texas

Biological & Life       5,303      2,703           2,705       5,848
  Sciences
Computer &             10,298      2,833           3,546       5,481
  Information
  Sciences
Engineering             7,442      2,449           4,489       7,298
Engineering             2,982      1,565           3,054       4,137
  Technicians
Health Professions     24,127      8,948          13,011      17,113
Mathematics             1,893        563             733       1,524
Physical Sciences       2,308        979           1,126       1,619
Total Math & Science   54,353     20,040          28,864      43,020
  Graduations
Total Graduations     246,249     72,577          85,071     172,169
                           22.1%      27.6%           33.7%       25.0%

Source: National Center for Education Statistics and the Detroit
Regional Chamber Research & Information Center.