Introduction Michigan has a proud tradition of affordable public higher education, from world-renowned public universities to a system of 28 community colleges that enroll over 350,000 students, all of which engender state pride and drive local and regional economies. It is also a state that has been central to the movement for free or affordable college: the Kalamazoo Promise, announced in 2005, inspired a wave of programs across the country offering a guarantee of free tuition. Today, over 500,000 students attend Michigan’s public colleges and universities.1 For each of these students, p...