[runnerup]

> Michigan Tech University, which is the mining industry's MIT

ehhh...Colorado School of Mines is a much more significant powerhouse in the mining industry. I say this as an MTU alum.

> I am surprised the state of Michigan hasn't found a way to help these guys.

Not really surprised, Upper Peninsula doesn't afford many political connections. Families who go to that school aren't well-connected and typically earn quite a bit less than families at University of Michigan. Distance matters too -- it's a very, very long drive so there's not a lot of cross-pollination between the political centers and population centers and the Keweenaw Peninsula.

It's isolated enough from the rest of Michigan that the McDonald's by Michigan Tech is an official supporter of the Green Bay Packers, not Detroit Lions. Wisconsin and Minnesota students pay in-state tuition there. It's really not "Michigan", culturally. It's also very sparsely populated -- the nearest Wendy's is a two-hour drive away.