Presidents of three Mich. universities say consolidation not needed

DETROIT (AP) -- The presidents of Michigan's three top research universities say there's no need to consolidate the schools into one statewide system. The Detroit Free Press recently reported that Mary Sue Coleman of the University of Michigan, Allan Gilmour of Wayne State University and Lou Anna Simon of Michigan State University made the remarks Tuesday at a Detroit Economic Club event. The comments came as a bill started working its way through the state Legislature to establish a commission to look at restructuring the university system. Under the state's constitution, Michigan's public universities are autonomous. The bill has been referred to a committee for study. The three schools are part of the University Research Corridor, which describes itself as among the top research and development clusters in the nation. Published: Thu, Oct 6, 2011