Some media and higher education organizations have praised Wayne State University as a model of higher education for the school’s improved graduation rates, even though its numbers are low compared to other public universities in the state.

WSU reports a graduation rate of 47 percent overall, an increase from 26 percent six years ago. The graduation rate for African-American students at the Detroit university is 20 percent. The graduation rates come from the National Center for Education Statistics. The graduation rates measure the percentage of full-time, first-time students who began in the Fall of 2011 and had six years to graduate.

Despite both rates ranking at the bottom for public universities in Michigan, WSU drew praise from at least one national organization.

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities last month gave WSU an award, commending it for “using innovative strategies or programs to increase retention and graduation outcomes and decrease achievement gaps.” A press release from the university cited a $10 million retention initiative that started in 2011.

The initiative, the university said, “improved student success by hiring professional academic advisors, improving curriculum in general education courses, increasing support for faculty teaching development, bolstering support for underprepared students, establishing first-year experiences for new students and strengthening financial aid.”

In a recent press release, the university promoted the quality of its newest students.

“Wayne State’s incoming students maintain Wayne State’s strong academic standards, as well as its commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment for students,” the university stated.

Wayne State was criticized in 2010 after The Education Trust reported that fewer than 10 percent of African-American students at the university graduate within six years, a significantly lower rate than for white students.

Inside Higher Ed called WSU’s improved graduation rates since 2010 impressive, while Bridge Magazine’s Ron French talked up the university as a model.

“This is a story celebrating the public university with the lowest graduation rate in the state of Michigan,” French wrote in November.

Bridge Magazine cited “success rates,” a measurement which use a slightly different methodology than federal graduation rates and comes from the Center for Educational Performance and Information, a Michigan state agency. (The graduation rates use a methodology from the federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, or IPEDS.)

Richard Vedder, a professor of economics emeritus at Ohio University, took a skeptical view of the idea that Wayne State is a model of success.

“Wayne State is still a troubled institution in terms of the academic performance of their students; there may have been some improvement over the years,” said Vedder, who is a member of the Mackinac Center's Board of Scholars. “It’s still pretty pathetic.”

"At the very least, it doesn't say much about the current state of American higher education if a [47] percent graduation rate merits such accolades, does it?" asked Glenn Ricketts, spokesman for the National Association of Scholars.

WSU’s associate provost for student success, Monica Brockmeyer, said in an email to Michigan Capitol Confidential that the university’s numbers are top in the country when it comes to improvement.

“The latest federal graduation rate results from IPEDS show that WSU is the fastest-improving university in the nation among public universities with more than 10,000 students,” Brockmeyer said. “We are fully committed to continuing this transformation to exceed the 50 percent graduation rate goal established in our strategic plan as well as to narrow and close educational disparities.”

Brockmeyer also said WSU is not below average, given its focus on low-income and first-generation students.

“Our graduation rate is not below average when you consider the students we serve. Many students who thrive and graduate at Wayne State would simply not have the opportunity at other universities. Our university also fares very well in indicators of social mobility,” she said. “While we are proud of these results, we are not complacent. We look forward to continued institutional transformation in the service of our students.”

A state lawmaker in the final weeks of his final term in the Michigan House of Representatives has introduced bills that would restrict the distribution of single-use plastic items in restaurants, including drinking straws. California is currently the only state that has enacted such a ban.

House Bill 6504, introduced by third-term Democratic Rep. Tom Cochran from Mason, would ban single-use plastic items from being sold or offered after December 2023. These single-use plastic items include cotton swabs, cutlery, plates, straws and drink stirrers. The ban would not go into effect unless a “sustainable alternative” that is biodegradable is found.

House Bill 6505 would impose a civil infraction of up to $300 per year on a restaurant that offers a single-use plastic straw to a customer who did not request it.

Cochran said he hopes the introduction of his bills will start a conversation on the potential harm of single-use plastics. He pointed to moves by Aldi and other grocery stores working to provide alternatives to plastic bags as examples of ways businesses could move away from using single-use plastic items.

“I guarantee my bills are not going to get a hearing or any movement. ... I felt very strongly that I wanted to make a statement and hopefully move the conversation forward and I’m working with my colleagues to hopefully get the issue taken up in the future,” Cochran said. “We’re not going to be without plastics, but I think we need to be very aware of the impact single-use plastics have and try to limit their use and the impact they have on our environment.”

In July 2018, the city of Seattle made headlines when it banned single-use plastic straws and utensils at food service establishments. In September, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation limiting full-service restaurants, but not fast-food establishments, from giving out single-use plastic straws unless requested by the customer.

Cochran said that while the idea for his legislation was his own, his bill mirrors the California law as well as the Seattle ordinance.

The Mason representative said residents of the state’s communities would have to make sure neighbors were aware of the new single-use rule if his legislation were enacted. Enforcement of House Bill 6505 would fall on an employee of the Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, or a local health officer.

Charles Owens, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, called the legislation ridiculous.

“It just shows they truly have run out of things to regulate,” Owens said.

Gail Philbin, the state director of the Michigan chapter of the Sierra Club, did not respond to an email and a phone call requesting comment on the bills. Justin Winslow, president and CEO of the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association did not respond to phone and emailed requests for comment.