| Michigan is a quality institution with a substantial endowment.
However, I've been wondering about Michigan's status vis a vis other universities over the next 20 years or so.
Specifically, Michigan (the state) is in economic decline with a strapped budget. I'm not sure if the state's population will actually decrease, but both wealth and population growth are moving elsewhere. The demographics of the Northeast and Midwest mean a declining number of high school graduates, particularly middle and upper middle class white graduates, who provide much of the high functioning student base of the institution.
Of course a high school student is and should be interested in the education here and now. However, is it possible that the University of Michigan could go through a long, slow decline relative to its peers? |