In Governor Granholm’s final State of the State address,she outlined measures that will be taken to improve Michigan’s dwindling economy.

Several of the factors affect students.

“…It made absolutely no sense to abandon the Michigan Promise Scholarship last year and break a promise to 100,000 Michigan families counting on it to send their kids to college,” Granholm said.

Granholm plans to restore the scholarship in her proposed budget for fiscal year 2011 which is set to be released Feb.11

“…My budget for the year ahead will restore the Michigan Promise Scholarship, identify a creative way to pay for it, and give it a new focus — keeping our young people in Michigan when they earn their degrees,” she said.

Granholm also said she will draw the line against additional educational cuts in the year ahead.

“Sure the choices we face in the budget are tough,but is there a single family in Michigan that would choose to make ends meet in hard times by first sacrificing the needs of the children?,” Granholm asked.

Granholm believes in order for the Michigan economy to rebound, education must be a priority.

“Common-sense also tells us that to create a new economy we have to invest in education,” Granholm said.“Virtually every economist and anyone who’s read the want-ads recently would agree — today’s jobs demand a college degree or technical training.”

The governor outlined several initiatives she believes will help combat economic problems in Michigan.

Granholm wants to invest in Pure Michigan tourism advertising.

“For every dollar we invest in these award-winning ads, we get back $2.23 in state-tax revenues from tourists spending money in Michigan,” she said.

Granholm also wants to come up with state funds for a federal matching program for road construction. She said this would create 10,000 jobs.

“The federal government will give us $2 billion over the next four years if we can come up with a 20 percent match in state funds,” she said. “That’s like an 80-percent off coupon on our roads.”

Granholm plans to fight hard for Michigan’s fair share of federal funding for projects such as Project Phoenix.

Project Phoenix is a plan to help abandoned auto factories “rise from the ashes” as new centers of economic activity.

“I’ll keep pushing Washington to give our auto-suppliers access to the funds they need so that they can diversify and create new jobs in new industries,” Granholm said.

A major part of her economic plan is centered around spurring small business development.

Granholm wants to shift from focusing on large corporations to helping small businesses.

She plans to do this through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation which will create a training program available to 1,000 prospective entrepreneurs in twelve small business assistance centers across the state.

The plan for growth in small businesses would also include a tax credit.

“Other states already provide incentives to these investors,so we must make Michigan’s tax credit competitive in order to get the result we want- more jobs for our citizens,” Granholm said.

Granholm wants citizens of Michigan to maintain hope in the recovery of the state.

“With faith in ourselves and love for our families, we have pushed forward into an uncertain future determined to find in this new era the opportunity that always defined this amazing place we call Michigan,” she said.

“With your commitment and mine, and by the grace of God, let us go forth.”