LANSING — Two prominent Democrats received their party’s nomination at the Michigan Democratic Party Convention Saturday for the two open seats on the University Board of Regents.

Laurence Deitch, a two-term incumbent seeking re-election for another eight-year term, is joined by Denise Ilitch, a government relations lawyer and magazine publisher, on the Democratic ticket.

The Republican Party nominated two University alums at their convention Aug. 22 for the eight-person Board: Susan Brown, who lost a regental bid in 2006, and John LaFond.

Regent Rebecca McGowan, another Democrat and two-year incumbent, chose not to seek re-election.

All four candidates expressed a desire to maintain excellence at the University, keep costs low and work with Michigan businesses to stimulate the state’s economy and improve educational resources.

Over the course of his two terms, Deitch was an outspoken critic of the Michigan Stadium expansion and a staunch supporter of the University’s affirmative action policy before the passage of the statewide ban on race- and gender-based affirmative action.

He counted his work on the addition of sexual orientation as a protected category in the University’s non-discrimination policy as a significant accomplishment, along with the addition of domestic partner benefits for University employees.

Deitch said the University will be key to the Michigan’s economic rejuvenation, which is why he said he’d like to see continued work with other state universities and businesses to produce new technology.

Deitch, who said he is not likely to seek a fourth term if he wins in November, said he wants to keep the University affordable and accessible to University students.

Part of making sure talented students can attend the University regardless of their family’s economic circumstances, Deitch said, is making sure the University’s commitment to financial aid increases with tuition.

“Every year when I have to vote on the cost of next year’s tuition, I’m very cognizant of what it means to our students and their families,” Deitch said. “It would be very disingenuous to say it’s not going to go up.”

Disingenuous, Deitch said, because of the numerous factors that go into the process of drafting the budget. He cited the inconsistency of state funding and the cost of maintaining a high-caliber faculty as reasons why tuition increases are necessary.

A member of the family that owns the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings and Little Caesars Pizza, Ilitch said she wants the University to be affordable for every qualified student.

Ilitch said she’d like to look into state tuition freezes adopted in other areas of the country.

“I would like to focus on strengthening financial aid and having a restraint on tuition increases,” Ilitch said. “For some it’s affordable and accessible, and for some it’s not,” Ilitch said. “With the rising costs of tuition, I think it is taking some students out of the game.”

In addition to looking at possible tuition freezes, Ilitch said she’d like to look at increasing University revenue streams and using the endowment to curb college costs.

“Many times when running large organizations, it’s very easy to just raise costs,” Ilitch said. “I’m a revenue person, so I’d like to be able to have the opportunity to look for more revenue streams.”

Ilitch said she was interested in expanding the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations and creating a school of labor at the University.

“It would allow those students to learn more about labor and, I think, in the long run, can then bring partnerships between labor and business,” Ilitch said.