Andrews University supports and endorses this state-wide initiative and will announce in the coming weeks the formal ways Michigan residents can "Return to Learn" on the Andrews campus.

Granholm joins with Michigan Colleges and Universities to make November “Return to Learn Month”
Says Finishing a Degree Pays off for Personal, State Bottomlines

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm proclaimed November “Return to Learn” month in Michigan. In her weekly radio address, which airs on radio stations across the state beginning November 5, the Governor said a series of activities at college and university campuses across the state will invite Michigan citizen to return to the classroom to finish higher education degrees.

“A college degree can be the ticket to a bigger paycheck for our citizens and a stronger economy for our state,” said Granholm.  “To attract the kind of businesses we need to grow Michigan’s economy, Michigan needs to lead the nation in the number of college-graduates we have in our state.”

The Governor says while Michigan lags behind the national average in the number of its residents with postsecondary degrees, the state is above average when it comes to those who left higher education without completing a degree, certificate or other valuable credential.   She says she hopes the “Return to Learn” focus will help many adults in the workforce realize both the possibility and importance of resuming their studies.

“A college graduate in Michigan will earn a million dollars more in a lifetime than someone who has only finished high school” said the Governor.  “If only a few courses or a couple of semesters stand between you and a degree, it makes perfect sense to return to learning.”

In her address, the Governor praised all of the colleges and universities that are participating in “Return to Learn Month.”  Each campus will spotlight the things they do to help adults succeed in the classroom.  Granholm says prospective students who contact a “Return to Learn” campus will be surprised to find how few barriers stand in their way.

“Tens of thousands of adults in Michigan can qualify for financial aid if they go back to school,” Granholm said.  “And there is probably no state in the union that has a more extensive array of employer and union financed education benefits.”

Participating “Return to Learn” institutions will engage in a variety of activities during the month designed to help adults in the work force understand the career opportunities available to those with postsecondary credentials.