LANSING — Even as he faces charges of sexual misconduct and other crimes committed on the job, the former dean of Michigan State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine — the longtime supervisor of disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar — can continue to draw his $412,000 annual salary until at least late May. William Strampel, 70, […]
Michigan State University
Posted inBusiness Watch
Shifting middle-class fortunes transform Michigan’s ‘cottage on the lake’ lifestyle
NEW POINTS OF CALL: Michigan’s manufacturing shift has helped spawn a change in the vacation business in the state, too. (Bridge illustration/A.J. Jones) Richard and Patricia Dolland spent countless warm summer days and cold winter nights in their rustic cottage in Northern Michigan. Every few weeks, they’d drive three hours north from their Macomb County […]
Posted inTalent & Education
One-two punch for Michigan students: more loans, high interest rates
AND AFTER COLLEGE?: All the money being borrowed by college students in Michigan — $1.9 billion in one year alone — poses a significant threat to future economic growth says Mitch Bean of Great Lakes Economic Consulting. (courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) Michigan’s student debt problem is getting worse, with college kids borrowing almost […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
One policy change can help end blight of abandoned property in Michigan
CURE FOR BLIGHT: Financial commitments commonly used in the mining, petroleum and telecom industries could, if applied to residential and commercial development, help bring an end to the scourge of abandoned buildings in Michigan, argue MSU’s Rex LaMore and Michelle LeBlanc. (Bridge archive photo)For decades, many U.S. communities have suffered from population loss and economic […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
(courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) *On the subject of death, surveys show most people will agree to practically any “life-saving” treatment available. Doctors, by contrast, would reject almost all of the current treatments in such situations, except for pain meds. Why?: “First, few non-physicians actually understand how terrible undergoing these interventions can be. He […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Immigrants can help revitalize Michigan
(courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) Michigan State University and its surrounding community of Lansing-East Lansing are among the Top 10 for largest international student enrollment in the United States. Each fall, more than 6,500 international students — 1,800 of whom are new to the university — arrive in East Lansing. And these growing numbers […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
So you think you are a member of the middle class?
Charles Ballard, a Michigan State University economist, says everyone likes to think they are middle class in America to avoid the negative connotations of the extremes of wealth (greed) and poverty (sloth). (courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) Marketers aim for its money, politicians insist they are looking out for its best interests, and the […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
(courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) *Maybe this is a great idea for Atlanta, Ga., and maybe it isn’t. But just note the difference in ambition between this project and Michigan’s inability to figure out a reliable funding stream to fix the transport net it now has: “His vision was to transform the mostly abandoned railroad […]
Posted inSuccess
MSU prof preps state's spirits to follow craft beer's success
IT’S A REALLY HARD CLASS: MSU professor Kris Berglund stands amid some of the work product of the Artisan Distilling Program at the university. Berglund predicts that Michigan-made liquor will soon have similar economic impacts to craft brewing in the state (Bridge photo/Nancy Derringer) Kris Berglund’s business cards identify him as a distinguished professor of […]