Michigan College Access Network Relaunches Programs Halted By DOGE Cuts

Michigan Advance

December 9, 2025

A Michigan nonprofit working to boost the number of Michiganders pursuing education beyond high school is restarting two programs intended to help students explore their options for college, and to support university students in completing their programs.

The Michigan College Access Network partners with AmeriCorps for its AdviseMI program, which places corps members in high schools with low numbers of students going to university, as well as its College Completion Corps, which has corps members serving as coaches on college campuses to assist students in navigating their college experience.

However, the Department of Government Efficiency – which the Trump Administration has reportedly disbanded, despite having less than eight months left in its status as a temporary organization – terminated nearly $400 million in grants to AmeriCorps in April. AmeriCorps is an independent agency of the U.S. government which supports various volunteer programs throughout the country.

Both the AdviseMI and College Completion Corps program were included in the cuts, disrupting access to the programs and displacing 60 corps members.

Due to advocacy work and successful legal challenges lodged against President Donald Trump’s administration, funding for several programs has been restored, allowing the Michigan College Access Network to relaunch the programs last month.

“It’s been a difficult year for our AmeriCorps staff, but we are proud to send members back in classrooms and on campuses, ready to uplift students across Michigan,” said Ryan Fewins-Bliss, the network’s executive director said in a statement Thursday. “Our advisers and coaches are ready to guide students to and through postsecondary education to reach their career goals.”

James Nelson, director of curriculum, instruction and assessment at Morley Stanwood Community Schools in Morley, Mich., cheered the return of the programs. He noted the program’s support for the state’s goal to increase the number of working-age Michiganders with a skill certificate or college degree attainment to 60% by 2030.

“With staff time being strained, a college adviser is crucial in meeting the needs of our students as they explore the transition to college,” Nelson said. “They provide focused, caring and relevant knowledge needed for students to be successful in education past high school.”

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