– The way I see it: greater access to higher education should be a paramount concern for U-M and the State. Why? Because attracting and retaining human capital is a critical component to innovation and entrepreneurship, the drivers of our economy. (interesting, but not required read: http://www.paulgraham.com/siliconvalley.html
University mission statement:

“The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.”http://www.umich.edu/pres/mission.html

– As context: U-M is a jewel in the rough. It and other Universities in the State are among the prime attracters of human capital. This is noteworthy considering the constant outflow of human capital from the State. It is among the worst in the country (if not the worst) in attracting human capital   (http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-censussort122007-sort.html)

– Especially at a time when many describe the economic situation as the worst in 80 years (http://www.reuters.com/article/governmentFilingsNews/idUSN0749084220081008), coupled with the fact that Michigan’s economy is among the worst in the country (e.g. Michigan’s January unemployment rate is at 11.6 percent, the highest monthly mark recorded in the state since 1984; for comparison, the  national unemployment rate for January was 7.6 percent), this State education policies cannot afford to price-out intelligent prospective students.
We cannot afford to avoid solving the problem now, because we are afraid of the future.

– May sound like a long-shot, but the long term renewal of this State lies in how well it attracts and retains human capital. The University is positioned to just that. (“developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future”)

– Therefore, by “pricing intelligent prospective students out of attending this University”, we are doing this State and more importantly, the country, a major disservice.