About the President
Dr. Neil MacKinnon was unanimously appointed as the 16th president of Central Michigan University on September 26, 2024 by the CMU Board of Trustees.
MacKinnon brings more than 25 years of higher education experience to his role as president, including experience as a faculty member, department chair, center director, dean and provost. MacKinnon joined CMU from Augusta University in Georgia, where he served as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.
During his three-and-a-half-year tenure in the role, MacKinnon led the university’s gains in enrollment and research funding, expanded the university’s international reach and reputation, and developed a reputation as a highly engaged, student-centered leader.
As provost, MacKinnon served as co-lead on the creation and implementation of the university’s strategic plan, Creating a Legacy Like No Other, and charged the creation of the institution’s first-ever Strategic Enrollment Management Plan. During his final semester as provost, Augusta University experienced an 11.9% year-over-year enrollment gain. He also implemented a new $1.8 million student success initiative that included proactively identifying students at risk of stop-out, and commissioned the Smart Growth Task Force, which led to the hiring of more than 100 new faculty and staff positions to support students’ personal and academic needs.
In his expanded role as a “super provost,” MacKinnon provided leadership for all eleven academic colleges and the university’s online presence, the university library, the research enterprise, enrollment, strategic planning, student success and belonging initiatives, academic planning, and more. He also served as the university’s representative on the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Under his leadership, research funding for AU increased 17.8% over the last year. He guided the launch of Augusta University Online, which included developing AU’s own internal online program management system, and the establishment of a new School of Public Health. He also supported a new strategic international engagement plan, developing new global partnerships in programs including public health, cybersecurity, and arts, humanities and social sciences. In the summer of 2024, he supported the launch of a new four-year medical college in Savannah, Georgia.
On campus, MacKinnon was known for his regular attendance at events and his engagement with students. He often joined athletic teams for workouts and practices and annually participated in physical training with the university’s army ROTC cadets. His “omnipresence” at university activities and his engaging social media presence helped him build strong connections with students, faculty and staff.
Prior to his role at Augusta University, MacKinnon served as dean of the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati for seven years. As dean, he oversaw a $34 million building renovation and a $5 million renovation of the College’s research labs. Under his leadership, the College received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award in 2018, 2019 and 2020 – the only pharmacy school in the country to receive the award all three years.
In this role, MacKinnon launched online certificate programs and master’s degree programs in pharmacy leadership and pharmacogenomics and personalized health care, as well as three BS/MS dual-degree co-op programs in cosmetic science, the first programs of their kind. Under his leadership, the College set new records for new student enrollment, research funding and new philanthropic donors.
MacKinnon has held teaching and research roles throughout his career in higher education. At the University of Arizona, he served as a tenured professor, section chair for the department of Public Health Policy and Management, and director for the Center for Rural Health at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. The Center houses the State Office of Rural Health for Arizona. He began his academic career as an assistant professor at Dalhousie University, where he held appointments in pharmacy, health administration and medicine. He also provided consulting services for government health organizations, health care organizations, and clients in the pharmaceutical industry for more than a decade.
MacKinnon’s research interests include health policy, rural health, patient safety and community pharmacy. He has been a principal investigator or co-P.I. on 46 grants and a co-investigator/collaborator on 32 grants. He has 7,890 citations with a h-index of 35 according to Google Scholar and he has co-authored more than 200 journal articles, reports and book chapters, more than 150 scientific posters, and more than 350 presentations at scientific and health care meetings. He will maintain an active research program as president of CMU and will hold a faculty appointment in the CMU College of Medicine.
MacKinnon earned his PhD in pharmacy health care administration from the University of Florida, Gainesville. He also holds a master’s degree in hospital pharmacy from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He completed his residency in hospital pharmacy administration at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics and was a fellow at the DuBow Family Center for Research in Pharmaceutical Care. In 2007-08, MacKinnon completed the Harkness Fellowship in international health policy and practice through the Commonwealth Fund. In 2014, he attended the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.
MacKinnon and his wife, Leanne, have three daughters, Breagh, Ashlynn and Kaylee and a mini labradoodle, Bentley. He is a proud “dance dad,” as his daughters all competed in Scottish Highland dance and performed on studio and high school dance teams. A dual American and Canadian citizen, he does weight training, is involved in church activities, and has been known to wear a kilt from time to time.