CMU Board welcomes newly appointed Trustees

During its meetings this week, the Central Michigan University Board of Trustees welcomed two new members, set food and housing rates for the 2025-2026 academic year, and received updates on enrollment, academic and student support initiatives.

Board Chair Todd Regis started the formal session Thursday with welcoming words for Trustee Dr. Ashok Kondur and Trustee Jeff Stoutenburg, who were appointed to the Board by Governor Gretchen Whitmer late last year.

Regis also announced that former U.S. Congressman Dan Kildee has been appointed to CMU’s Robert and Marjorie Griffin Endowed Chair in American Government. He cited Kildee’s extensive public service record and dedication to community building as assets to the university.

Housing and food rates

In response to continued rising expenses, Trustees on Thursday voted to approve housing and food rate changes for the 2025-2026 academic year. Effective August 1, housing rates for all on-campus rooms, including graduate housing, will increase 4%. Meal plan rates will increase 3.5%.

Trustee Ed Plawecki said, “We have historically been very competitive [with rates] in the middle, and we will still end up in the middle. We are also below inflation rates.”

Even with these rate adjustments, CMU continues to offer housing and food options that are below the average of Michigan’s 15 public universities.

Exploring health agreements

The Board of Trustees voted to authorize the president to negotiate a possible lease and master service agreement with MyMichigan Health. The lease agreement would be for space in Foust Hall and the service agreement for operating the campus health clinics. President MacKinnon noted that he would be scheduling conversations with health clinic providers and staff in the weeks ahead to further discuss on-campus health care.

President’s report to Trustees

President Neil MacKinnon began his report by recognizing Paula Lancaster as CMU’s Provost and Executive Vice President on a permanent basis. Lancaster has been serving as interim provost since last September.

“I look forward to working with Provost Lancaster to ensure we are delivering excellent and relevant experiences for CMU students to prepare them for successful careers,” he said.

President MacKinnon then acknowledged concerns among students, faculty and staff regarding announcements of policy changes at the federal level.

“We care deeply about this university community,” MacKinnon said. "We are committed to our mission, vision and values.”

He said members of the president’s leadership team are reviewing currently released and rescinded executive orders and working to understand what recent changes will mean for CMU.

Shifting to brighter news, MacKinnon highlighted a record year for research funding, and a recent $3 million NIH grant allowing CMU and research partners to conduct research into the cause of Alzheimer’s disease.

He said CMU is also making progress on strategic priority three,  engaging communities and enriching partnerships through the newly established Community Relations Committee.

“The group seeks to further strengthen community relationships, focusing on collaborative projects that positively impact students, families, community residents and visitors,” he said.

Raising the university’s national profile in online education, President MacKinnon said U.S. News and World Report recently ranked CMU’s online bachelor’s in psychology program first among all Michigan colleges and universities.

Concluding his remarks, MacKinnon said, “The momentum we are building in implementing our strategic plan will drive our progress and meet the mission of our university. Together, we are strengthening our institution while embracing new opportunities for innovation and growth.”

Go Grants

While significant progress is underway on the university’s strategic plan, MacKinnon said he felt CMU needed a way to more deeply engage the community with the plan’s priorities, and that the effort required resources to make an impact.

MacKinnon said he announced the launch of Go Grants during his First 100 Days Reflection event on Tuesday to broaden campus involvement in strategic planning efforts in meaningful ways.

A one-time funding pool of $500,000 has been set aside for this initiative, and funding will come from the president’s investment fund, MacKinnon said. Go Grant proposal amounts can range from $5,000 to $50,000 and between 20 and 25 will be awarded.

“Faculty, staff, administrators and students are encouraged to submit proposals that can help generate momentum on achieving plan priorities and goals,” MacKinnon said.

Enrollment update

Jennifer DeHaemers, vice president of student recruitment and retention, provided an update on CMU student enrollment in Wednesday’s Academic and Student Affairs Committee meeting.

DeHaemers said spring 2025 enrollment numbers show an increase in total enrollment and an increase in the number of student credit hours taken.

“We’ve had a larger increase in undergraduate students, and I think that reflects the work we’ve been doing to recruit students,” DeHaemers said.

DeHaemers explained many of the ways CMU is working to increase applications and enrollment, including:

• More personal outreach to admitted students
• Deposit incentives
• FAFSA workshops and outreach
• Webinars for prospective students interested in several academic programs
• Filling the Director of Transfer Outreach and Community College Relations position
• Heavy international student recruiting

She also said the Free Application for Federal Student Aid process has drastically improved this year.

“We’ve been receiving student aid reports in the financial aid office since December and we are about to start packaging our financial aid next week,” DeHaemers said. “We’re ahead of the game by doing this in late February.”

On retention efforts, DeHaemers said CMU’s recently implemented Student Success Seminars, led by academic advisors, are proving effective. She said the latest retention rate of first time in any college students participating in the seminars is about 92%.

College of Medicine project

The Board of Trustees passed a resolution that authorizes President MacKinnon to engage legislative consultants, legal advisors and development officers to support the continued efforts toward the College of Medicine Saginaw project up to $1.2 million through the end of 2026.

“I think it’s a good move to move the College of Medicine program forward,” Trustee Plawecki said.

Other Board business

In Thursday’s formal session, the Board of Trustees granted emeritus rank to five faculty and staff members, honoring their years of service and dedication to CMU:

• Dennis Armistead, Executive Director of Faculty and Personnel Services
• Steven Berkshire, Program Director of Health Administration
• Elizabeth Campbell, Professor of Finance and Law
• Carl Lee, Professor of Statistics, Actuarial and Data Sciences
• Mark McDonald, Executive Director of Infrastructure, Networks-OIT

Chair Regis also announced the establishment of two new awards to recognize excellence in the CMU community.

• The Central Michigan University Board of Trustees Award will be given to all graduating seniors at fall and spring commencements who have a perfect 4.0 grade point average throughout their CMU educational journey.
• The Central Michigan University Board of Trustees Maroon and Gold Award for Campus Enrichment will be given to students, faculty, staff, administrators, community members and others who demonstrate outstanding service or decision making that enriches the campus experience.

“We want to do everything we can to recognize excellence and how it portrays this university that we serve as Trustees,” Regis said.

Committee meeting highlights

In the Academic and Student Affairs Committee meeting Wednesday, Trustees listened to a presentation on online initiatives from Interim Vice President of Innovation and Online Kaleb Patrick and Counseling, Educational Leadership and Higher Education Chairperson Sarah Marshall.

Patrick said online enrollment increased by nearly 6% for spring 2025, and Innovation and Online has begun new initiatives to continue to increase enrollment.

Marshall outlined grants totaling nearly $900,000 to help more post-traditional students complete their degree. The funding supports initiatives like Central Bound, a partnership with Lansing Community College that allows students to dual admit, dual enroll and apply their financial aid to both LCC and CMU online degrees.

Patrick also described how CMU Innovation and Online is using labor market forecasting software to identify sectors of growth and areas of in-demand skills to match the certificate programs CMU offers.

“We know we need to expand and grow in areas that are opportunities,” Kaleb said.

Also in the Academic and Student Affairs Committee meeting, Interim Vice President of Student Affairs Stan Shingles updated Trustees on the effort to provide more food and transportation options to students who remained in residence halls over winter break.

“The pivot and what you did, making sure that our students who were not making it home were being taken care of and were fed, thank you very much for that,” Chair Regis said. 

During the Finance and Facilities committee meeting on Wednesday, Vice President of University Advancement Jennifer Cotter presented the Advancement Private Support Report to Trustees. She said gifts to the university at the end of January total 80% of the fiscal year fundraising goal, though we are only 60% of the way through the fiscal year.

The meeting of the Trustees-Faculty Liaison Committee included a presentation by Cheryl Barden, faculty member in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and Bridget LaPoint, an ASL instructor. They, along with graduate students Eden Elzerman and Kendall Nuffer, provided details on ASL 593, an experiential American Sign Language study abroad course based in The Bahamas serving K-12 students.

“You didn’t realize the connection you made with students until the last day when not only were we crying, but the students and teachers were crying because of the impact we had on them and they had on us,” Elzerman said.

In the final meeting Wednesday, Trustees heard presentations from several student leaders in the Trustees-Student Liaison Committee. Student Government Association President Carolina Hernandez Ruiz and Vice President Aashka Barot offered a report on SGA activities. Program Board President Kathlyn Allmacher and Vice President Lauren Rupe and Residence Housing Association Advisor Brittnie Vithanage also provided updates from their organizations. The representatives of the three student groups also jointly provided an overview to familiarize the new Trustees with their organizations.

Consent Agenda

Trustees approved several other items on the consent agenda during formal session, including: 

• Authorization for the president to ratify collective bargaining agreements.
• A temporary easement at the Beaver Island Biological Station.
• The Office of Research and Graduate Studies Quarterly Report. 
• Recommendations for faculty tenure and promotion.
• Appointment to the Clarke Historical Library Board of Governors.
• Appointment of a Director of the CMU Research Corporation.

An electronic copy of the president’s report will soon be available on the Board of Trustees webpage, and meeting minutes will be added to the Board of Trustees webpage following their approval at the next scheduled meeting in April.