Higher Education

In addition to positive budget proposals for PreK-12 schools, state budget proposals for community colleges and universities are strong as well for 2024-25. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s budget plan, that came out the beginning of February, calls for a 2.5% increase in funding for the state’s 15 public universities and 28 community colleges. Both the House and Senate are also recommending…

Amy French and colleagues at Delta College use cardboard cutouts and QR codes to highlight the stories of women who’ve shaped history MEA member Amy French disrupts students’ expectations in the history classes she leads at Delta College in Bay County’s University Center by asking at the outset: “So what am I teaching this semester?” French isn’t joking or trying to…

Pictured at a ceremony honoring the Wageners (left to right): SSA President Kathleen Chantaca‑Kubczak, former MEA Vice President Nancy Strachan, SSA Vice President Deb Rickert, MEA Vice President Brett Smith. Deb Rickert joined the support staff association when she began working at Saginaw Valley State University three decades ago, but she wasn’t active in the union for the first 15…

Jackson College professors Mark Ott (left) and Steve Tuckey say acknowledging AI is a must; we can’t stick our heads in the sand or dismiss it as a passing fancy. By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Artificial Intelligence (AI) is unlike any technological tool that has come along in the history of higher education, and educators and institutions must immediately…

J. Blake Johnson (left) and Phillip Hanson, art professors at Saginaw Valley State University, say AI holds great potential for good. Faculty at SVSU are seeking a National Science Foundation grant to advance AI integration and study its impact on student learning outcomes. Phillip Hanson had “a bit of an existential crisis” when a new AI image generator emerged 18…

In her work with aspiring educators at CMU, Gabrielle Likavec explores teaching practices that remove easy opportunities for cheating with AI. Gabrielle Likavec keeps up with research to guide her instruction as a teaching and learning consultant working with aspiring educators at Central Michigan University. The MEA member notes a few key points from early data emerging on AI. >…

MEA staff and members are advancing racial and social justice in education as part of the MEA Strategic Plan. For future events, watch your email inbox for the Center for Leadership & Learning’s new monthly newsletter: AT THE CENTER. GOAL: HELP RECRUIT, ENGAGE, AND RETAIN A DIVERSE POPULATION OF EDUCATORS THAT ARE REFLECTIVE OF THE STUDENTS WE SERVE. Educators Rising…

Dr. Alyse Ley In March of 2018, the rural community of Paw Paw west of Kalamazoo was shaken by terrifying news of tragedy narrowly averted: a 15-year-old student had been arrested just hours before he planned to commit a mass shooting at the local high school the next day. The teen was found to have a hit list and an…

MEA member J. Blake Johnson received MEA’s Distinguished Servant of Public Education Award for the Cardinal Solutions program he founded at Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) in 2013, which allows students to do design and other work for local nonprofits and businesses before graduation. ____________________________________________________________________ J. Blake Johnson What art and design work did you do before becoming a professor?…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor As Chandra Madafferi begins her tenure as president of MEA, anyone wondering what she will prioritize in the new role can look to her stewardship of the Local Presidents’ Academy (LPA) to understand what she values most in leadership. Systems thinking. Empathic listening. Transformative change. Chandra Madafferi A longtime teacher and union leader in…