Bridge Staff

Students choose colleges and universities for all kinds of reasons. Here’s one way to view what they’re getting for their money.

As Michigan farmers age, farmland is more likely to be concentrated in the hands of fewer people in the future. See how farmers in your county are aging.

When it comes to college education, Michigan residents say they face a conundrum. They firmly believe that earning a college degree or other advanced training beyond high school is very important to prospering in today’s economy. Yet ever-rising tuition now leaves many questioning whether the costs of college actually pay off in the long run.

Some workers question the quality of services available through workforce development agencies - and suggest there are inadequate resources for workers to improve their basic skills. Join us on Oct 20 to add your voice to this important issue.

Michigan universities have invested heavily in programs to curb dangerous drinking, with mixed results. Experts suggest ways that both schools and lawmakers in Lansing can help keep students safer. Meanwhile, a model for success emerges in Nebraska.

Universities are spending millions to curb dangerous drinking. Yet blackout partying persists in a puke-and-rally culture. Bridge investigates what works, and what doesn’t, in the ongoing battle to keep college students safe.

Scenes from the first home football game in Ann Arbor, Sept. 12. Students, fans and alumni turned out on a crisp fall day to party.

The game in East Lansing on Sept. 12 was against the University of Oregon, and started at 8 p.m. Later-starting games frequently mean more alcohol-related problems, because students have longer to party before kickoff.

What's the best way to help students make decisions about post-secondary education and careers? And who should provide career navigation and guidance? What do the experts say? Join us October 5 and add your voice to this important discussion.

Please join The Center for Michigan and more than three dozen state and national experts this fall for in-depth discussions on Career Navigation, Upward Mobility, and College Affordability. Reserve your space today!

Hear Gov. Rick Snyder, presidents from U-M, MSU and Grand Valley, and innovative business, academic and legislative leaders address what residents tell the Center for Michigan they want done: lowering the price tag of higher education and broadening career opportunities for workers of all ages.

Overdose deaths as the result of heroin or other opioid addictions have quadrupled in recent years across Michigan, often primed by abuse of prescribed painkillers.

See how much ground the middle class has lost in every Michigan county since buying power peaked, in an interactive map that confirms what you’ve feared when you pay your monthly bills.

Use Bridge’s database of data from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to find where Michigan’s biggest fish are hooked. Plus, see a slideshow of monster fish submitted by readers.

The ADA made it possible for individuals with physical and mental challenges to more fully integrate with the able-bodied world, through “reasonable accommodation” to their needs.

As a summer treat, the Center for Michigan is pleased to announce an opportunity for loyal Bridge readers and brand new subscribers to reap a handsome reward for reading Bridge.

A no-frills toilet in one city park has proven indestructible to vandals, yet potentially mortifying to patrons. Has Detroit prototyped the public restroom of the future?

An Olympic-style velodrome may not have been the first priority for Detroit urban planners, but one developer is betting Detroit kids will flock to his project.

The Center for Michigan’s public engagement team has been traveling the state to facilitate Community Conversations about jobs and workforce development. These discussions will conclude at the end of this month. JOIN IN AND MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

Here are the worst counties for job growth in Michigan, 2005 - 2013