Trine takes $13.8 million proposal to St. Joseph County, Mich.

STURGIS, Mich. — Trine University wants to form a $13.8 million partnership with St. Joseph County, Mich., to promote economic growth and innovation and entrepreneurship, according to reports in a Sturgis, Mich., newspaper.

The university has been involved in discussions with the St. Joseph County commissioners and is asking for a one-time investment of $6.9 million from the county. Trine University would match that investment.

Steuben County Commissioners rejected a similar proposal last month. Trine had asked Steuben County government agencies to commit $6.9 million to a project that would have created centers for entrepreneurship, biomedical engineering and technology commercialization lab on Trine’s campus. Trine officials said the university also would spend $6.9 million on the project, much of it for operating costs.

After the Steuben commissioners turned down the plan, Trine President Earl Brooks II said the university would continue to move forward with the project and would meet with county commissioners from St. Joseph County, Mich.

The partnership proposal was first presented to St. Joseph County Commissioners during a March 24 work session. Since then, a county finance committee has met twice, according to reports in the Sturgis Journal.

Tuesday, Trine Senior Vice President Michael Bock made two stops in St. Joseph County to meet with Sturgis school administrators and Gary Wheeler, president of Glen Oaks Community College, according to reports in the Sturgis Journal.

St. Joseph County commissioners are scheduled to meet again April 19.

According to the Sturgis Journal, County Commissioner John Dobberteen has said the partnership is possible without costing county taxpayers anything extra, because the county has $12 million in a delinquent tax fund that has been building with interest for 30 years.

Trine University has not yet released any information on a possible partnership with St. Joseph County.