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Mary Sue Coleman, President of the University of Michigan was all praise for President Obama for his initiative in bringing together leaders in the field of higher education to discuss the issue of college affordability.

An open letter was released in which Coleman said that a thorny issue was elevated by our President through this meeting. She said that public support was lacking for the public good, higher education. Declining state support is one of the major triggers for the rising tuition at colleges and public universities, she said. Coleman herself, though invited was unable to attend the discussion in Washington DC.

Apart from President Obama and Arne Duncan, our secretary of education, a host of other leaders from universities came together for the discussion including Texas, Maryland and New York systems, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Earlier this year, there was a discussion between local leaders and a panel of professors with Duncan who visited the campus.

In an address by Coleman and her staff in November to Gov. Rick Snyder’s office, the importance of public funding was stressed. In her letter, Coleman addressed the President and said that the best Christmas present she hoped for was the recent meeting he held with college presidents and prominent higher education leaders.

She praised him for elevating a thorny issue by discussing college affordability with leaders. This issue, she said, is something that demands national attention as it has a great impact on all segments of our society.

The most serious matter faced by our country today is the cost of attending college and ironically, this is a factor that plays a major role in strengthening our global competitiveness. We certainly need to make hard choices, sacrifice and strategic collaborations to resolve this dilemma, she said.

Coleman said that one of the significant achievements of our country is our public higher education system. The creativity, innovation and intellectual fervour of our universities are unrivalled. She went on to say that our country’s knowledge security is fully responsible for our intellectual well being which in turn nurtures various fields such as medicine, health, social science, business, national defense, public policy and arts.

Sadly, our colleges are too expensive for some families. We must find ways to offer education at a sustainable cost to meet the needs of society and students. Just like most other universities, University of Michigan has also experienced huge financial cuts. A lot of work has been done to mitigate effect of these cuts on families and students. She said that apart from doing what we can, we give recommendations that will benefit our country’s higher education on the whole.

Coleman, in her letter to the President said that it is vital for states to reinvest in their universities and public colleges. This is the only way to avoid crippling our vital learning institutions. Our once admired University of California system is today being crippled due to severe lack of funding, she said.

She expressed her hope that this critical national conversation will bring about some effective solutions.