MSU dominates U-M in Legislature
The Michigan Legislature has voted over the years to designate a state rock (Petosky stone), a state tree (white pine) and even a state fossil (mastodon). If lawmakers decide to name a state university, Wolverine fans should be worried.
There are almost twice as many Michigan State University alumni in the House and Senate than University of Michigan grads, according to a recent survey by the Chronicle of Higher Education. That survey found 32 Michigan lawmakers who bleed green and white, compared to 18 with degrees from Ann Arbor. There are 13 lawmakers with degrees from Wayne State University, 10 from Western Michigan University, seven from University of Detroit Mercy, six from Grand Valley State and five each from Aquinas, University of Michigan-Dearborn and Central Michigan.
And though you might not always guess it from their work product, Michigan’s legislators are generally more educated than the residents they serve: About three out of four current lawmakers have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 24 percent of the state as a whole.
To see how the education of Michigan’s Legislature stacks up against that of other states, go to:
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