February 2019
WMU special education Professors Kristal Ehrhardt and Luchara Wallace met recently with
Sen. Gary Peters in Washington D.C., along with doctoral candidate Evelyn Phillips (far right).
UPCOMING EVENTS

  • Friday, Feb. 22--2019 Diversity and Inclusion Conference, "Health Care: The Power of a Community Who Cares, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Information and registration.

  • Tuesday, Feb. 26--"Navigating a World of "Fake News" and Misinformation," noon, Lee Honors Lounge, TED Talk Tuesdays series. Information.

  • Monday, March 4 through Friday, March 8--WMU Spring Break
Governor directs focus to education and infrastructure

In her inaugural State of the State address on Feb. 12, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer outlined the state's most urgent challenges and set a blueprint for her legislative priorities — including an emphasis on increasing access to higher education and career skills development. Western Michigan University President Edward Montgomery attended the address as a guest of Rep. Brandt Iden.

"Right now, Michigan is one of only 9 states in the country and the only state in the Midwest that hasn’t even established a formal goal for post-secondary attainment," Whitmer said. "That changes tonight. I am announcing a new statewide goal of increasing the number of Michiganders between the ages of 16 and 64 with a post-secondary credential to 60 percent by 2030."

To that end, a new MI Opportunity Scholarship proposed by Whitmer would provide two years of tuition assistance at a public four-year, not-for-profit college or university for students who graduate from a Michigan high school with at least a B average. The scholarship would also guarantee two years of debt-free community college for all graduating seniors who qualify.

With just 18 percent of state roads in "good condition," Whitmer's address also emphasized the urgency of identifying long-term funding to fix and maintain the state's roads and infrastructure: "It hurts our businesses’ bottom lines. It jeopardizes our edge in mobility. And limits our economic potential. Because no one will invest in a state that doesn’t invest in itself."

Learn more —read the transcript or view the State of the State address.
Montgomery calls on legislators to boost economy by investing in higher ed

An ardent pitch to legislators to better "invest in your sons and daughters of the state" by returning higher education funding to pre-recession levels was delivered to the Michigan House Higher Education and Community Colleges Appropriations Subcommittee by WMU President Edward Montgomery on Feb. 14.

In the biannual opportunity the subcommittee offers to university and college presidents to make their cases for resources, Montgomery pointed out that state per-student funding has fallen 42 percent since 2002--from about $9,500/per student to $5,500/per student. That level of support gives Michigan a ranking of 43rd among states in per capita state support for its universities.

"We've made a set of choices to eschew investing on a continual basis, putting the burden on our young people and struggling families," Montgomery said. "And just as sure as not investing in physical infrastructure erodes our ability to compete in the long run as a state, not investing in the human infrastructure has exactly the same consequences. In other words, it sure would be nice to fix the damn schools, too. Our deferred maintenance bill keeps rising and rising. If we want Michigan to continue to enjoy a remarkable higher education infrastructure, which has 15 public universities, many of which are nationally ranked, including WMU, then we need to resource these institutions."

View President Montgomery's testimony beginning at the 1:06:19 mark in this video .
Renowned Evaluation Center at WMU receives
$4.9 million NSF grant

WMU's Evaluation Center has received a five-year, $4.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation to extend and expand its work to support evaluation within the NSF's Advanced Technological Education program.

The University's renowned Evaluation Center is tapped by nonprofit organizations, state and federal agencies, and colleges and universities around the country to conduct program evaluation as well as training. Read more at WMU News .
(l-r) WMU Capital Interns Josh Nachman and Allison Anker with a Capitol staff member
Capital Intern Spotlight

WMU freshman Allison Anker didn’t waste any time finding an internship that would complement her degree aspirations when she applied last fall to earn academic credit and experience as a WMU Capital Intern during the 2019 spring semester.

The Capital Internship Program , co-sponsored by the Department of Political Science and the Lee Honors College, enlists student interns to serve state representatives, senators, lobbyists and various officials. The interns travel to Lansing twice a week to attend session meetings, help research and draft legislation, and work directly with constituents. Dr. Lauren Foley , associate professor of political science, serves as director of the program.

Anker is a graduate of Lake Orion High School and she is majoring at WMU in sales and business marketing and business law. Her internship in the office of Sen. Rosemary Bayer is allowing her to explore interests in how state government functions and public policy is developed.

“As a first-year student, it may seem daunting to get involved in such a large role, but I want to utilize every opportunity Western offers to me to further pursue my passions,” Anker said. “I have had the opportunity to learn more about the Legislative Services Bureau, something I knew very little about coming into this opportunity. Through my time in the Senator’s office, I have been able to tour that office, learn how bills are written, and research the background of individuals whose jobs I would be very interested in holding in the future.”

Anker is one of 20 Capital Interns currently serving in Lansing. Most of the internships are unpaid, however, some interns receive offers for paid employment in full-time or summer positions. Learn more .
Broncos in the Legislature
Sen. Sean McCann served as president of the Western Student Association during his Bronco days,
with his predecessor as WSA president, Brian Kurzmann ('91, far left), Jeff Smith, ('94, far right)
WSA president in 1993-94, and good friend and former WSA Senator Corey Leon ('93).
Michigan Senator Sean McCann is a proud WMU Bronco, who earned a bachelor's degree in 1993 in political science. McCann's undergraduate experiences included serving as a Capital Intern in the early years of the program founded in 1991 by Emeritus Professor David Houghton.

“Professor David Houghton helped shape a wonderful WMU experience for me," McCann said. "He was generous with his time to discuss course or independent readings, and accepted me into his Capital Internship Program. He truly cared about and took interest in his students."

McCann was elected in November 2018 as senator of Michigan's 20th district. Formerly, he served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives for the 60th district from January 2011 to December 2014. A resident of Kalamazoo for more than 29 years, McCann spent his first post-college years serving as executive director of the Vine Neighborhood Association before being elected to five two-year terms as a Kalamazoo City Commissioner. Learn more about McCann on the Senate website .
Public Safety welcomes K-9s to its force

Two rookies have joined Western Michigan University's Department of Public Safety — K-9 Brax and K-9 Oso, less than two-year-old male German Shepherds, who are Kalamazoo County's first and only explosion-detection canines. The dogs and their handlers, WMU officers  Travis Cable  and  Michael Lininger , trained for three months at a facility in Taylor, Michigan, and received dual certification for both explosive detection and patrol in mid-January. Read more at WMU News .
Fast fact: How much teachers earn nationwide

Michigan ranks 11th for K-12 public school teacher annual salaries as compared to other states, with an average salary of $62,200. On Feb. 12, the U.S. House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee conducted a hearing to discuss under funding of the nation's public school systems. Chairman Bobby Scott (D-Va), said in his opening statement that "...voters are demanding greater support for public education."
Politico Pro DataPoint by Cristina Rivero
Wanted: Citizens to serve on boards and commissions

The application process is now open for the more than 200 Michigan boards and commissions that develop policy and standards and facilitate certification in a wide range of fields.

The Appointments Office of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's administration manages the application process and works closely with affiliated governmental departments to provide current data on membership and responsibility of these organizations. Application .


The Western Michigan University
Office of Government Affairs
manages the network and works on behalf of WMU
to strengthen relationships with state, federal, and local policy makers.