Haas tells House subcommittee to create predictable partnership

Grand Valley State University President Thomas J. Haas testified March 14 before the state House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education in Lansing, telling lawmakers that public universities need a partnership with the state that is “enduring, predictable and collaborative.”

His testimony is part of an annual ritual at which university presidents outline their institutions’ successes and priorities for their work for the state of Michigan and its citizens.

Haas told lawmakers that Grand Valley’s faculty and staff are student centered and deliver quality and value. “At Grand Valley, we have reduced the cost of each degree by 14 percent as compared to a decade ago. Our tuition is below the state average – a direct savings to our students of nearly $2,500 a year. In West Michigan, we’re responsible for more than three-quarters of a billion dollars in economic activity that has created 10,000 private sector jobs.”

Click here (PDF) for Haas' full testimony.

Haas also answered several questions posed by the higher education subcommittee. His responses can be found here (PDF).