UM: Privatization

The University Record gives the response of UM officials to a recent Time article indicating that the university is considering privatization. The Record article includes an excerpt from a letter that UM president Mary Sue Coleman sent to Time editors: ”Amy Sullivan’s piece suggesting that the University of Michigan is being forced to privatize (April 23) came as quite a surprise to me as President. No such discussions are under way, nor are they being considered. Due to careful management, we are in better financial shape than many of our peers, both public and private. It is true that we have worked to boost revenues from other sources as the state’s financial support has declined, but what defines a public institution goes far beyond its funding sources. U-M has an ingrained culture of serving the state and the nation through excellence in education and research, nurtured over nearly 200 years of history. It is our birthright, and one we treasure.” [Source]