Meet President Neil MacKinnon

MacKinnon grew up in the small community of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, in Canada – a town of about 8,000 people. As a first-generation college student, MacKinnon attended universities in both Canada and the United States. Now, the dual citizen with more than 25 years of higher education experience is ready to begin his tenure as Central Michigan University’s 16th president this fall.  

University Communications sat down with President MacKinnon to learn more about our next leader. Be sure to check out the video interview at the end of the story for even more fun with UCOMM Intern Aaron Moore and Dr. MacKinnon! 

How did your own experience as a student lead you to pursue a career in higher education? 

I was accepted straight into pharmacy school as an undergraduate student at 18 years old; I knew just a little about pharmacy because I had a close cousin in the profession. The real game changer for me came in my third year of undergrad when I spent a summer doing research with one of my faculty mentors. I was able to go with her to present our research at a conference that year; shortly thereafter that work was published. The idea that research I contributed to could help to inform others and improve the world was very appealing. Similarly, when I completed my master’s degree, I fell in love with the idea of the thesis, the research, and knew I wanted to do more of it. My graduate degree was in hospital pharmacy leadership, and my residency for that program was my first experience leading a team. It was thrilling to see what we could accomplish working together as a team. 

As I pursued my doctoral degree, and later as I took on roles with increasing levels of responsibility, I knew I wanted to have both experiences: leading teams to achieve important goals and contributing to scholarship. As president of CMU, I will do both. I am looking forward to partnering with all of CMU’s stakeholder groups — our students, faculty, staff, alumni, community partners and supporters — and also maintaining my own research program. I even hope to be invited to offer a few guest lectures so I can continue to teach and interact with students. 

You have a background in pharmacy, but you have held faculty appointments in Schools of Public Health and in Colleges of Medicine, too. Why? 

I have been fortunate to work at several great universities, and some of them did not have dedicated schools of pharmacy. Holding appointments in those three distinct areas was extremely valuable, as each discipline has a different perspective on health care. And, the area of my research interest exists at the intersection of all three disciplines: pharmacy, public health and medicine. Much of my work just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic focused on the opioid epidemic in the state of Ohio, which was a problem that required interdisciplinary solutions. The most difficult challenges in the world require us to work collaboratively across disciplines; I hope that is something we can continue to model here at CMU. My faculty position at CMU will be housed in the College of Medicine, but I expect I will have opportunities to engage with faculty in several of CMU’s academic colleges as I continue my research. 

How did your previous roles, including serving as a faculty member, a department chair, a dean and a vice president/provost, help you prepare for this new role at CMU? 

I believe my experience in those roles helps me better understand the perspectives of all our stakeholders. I know what it’s like to be a student – as an undergraduate and a graduate and doctoral student. I’ve been a new faculty member pursuing tenure, and I also know what it’s like to serve as a tenured department chair. I know how challenging it can be to manage a college’s budget while the faculty team is growing and doing innovative work. And, as a “super provost,” at Augusta University, I was responsible for units that included not only academic programs and our research enterprise, but also enrollment management, student affairs, strategic planning and more. These diverse experiences gave me new perspectives on the work of a public research institution, and a great appreciation for the roles everyone plays to bring about the university’s success.  

What made you look at CMU and think, “I’d like to serve as their president?” 

Each of my experiences has led me to the next step in my career, and my most recent role as “super provost” at Augusta University helped to position me for this opportunity. CMU and Augusta University are in a small, exclusive club of R2 research institutions with an allopathic medical school. In many ways, our institutions are very alike in terms of some of the opportunities and challenges we face. Part of the decision was knowing that I had something of value to offer to CMU, knowing that I could help with the goals and priorities established in CMU’s strategic plan. For example, I’ve helped to grow enrollment, both as a dean in a college of pharmacy and as the provost responsible for enrollment management strategies. 

Part of the decision was also culture and climate. CMU’s mission statement is very different from those at most universities. Most mission statements are so cookie-cutter that you could remove the institution’s name and replace it with someone else without much difference. But CMU said it will define its success by the success of its students and its graduates, and by its impact on the communities it serves. That’s a powerful commitment. Coupled with the Leadership Standards, that says a lot about the community here at CMU. 

My family and I have been in Mount Pleasant many times, staying here regularly during my daughters’ dance competitions. We were familiar with the area, and we like the people here. There’s a real sense of community among people who aren’t afraid to work hard and get things done. We were excited to be part of that, to become part of the community and to be involved around town. My wife, Leanne, and I have taken many walks around campus and around town, including through the beautiful parks, and we feel very at home here. I grew up in a smaller community in Nova Scotia, and this feels like a very natural fit.  

Coming so recently from Georgia, are you worried about the weather this winter? 

(laughs) No, again, I grew up in Canada and completed my master’s degree in Wisconsin. I’ve lived in colder places, and I love ice hockey – there’s not a lot of that in Georgia, so I plan to drop into a few games here. 

I love that Michigan experiences all four seasons. My family and I have made many trips to the state, both for my daughters’ dance competitions and for vacations, and we love it here. The late spring, summer and fall in Michigan are beautiful. My wife and I love to take long walks with our dog, Bentley, and we’re really looking forward to doing that more often here in Mount Pleasant. 

How do you envision spending your first few months on the job? 

There are two things I need to do right away, and they may sound like they are in conflict. First, I’ve got to start meeting people and listening to them. That means spending time with our students, faculty and staff, and with local and state leaders and community partners. I need to build my knowledge and understanding of CMU and understand how we fit into the region. I want to ask people about their dreams for this university and what they hope it can contribute to their communities.  

But I also need to get to work! We have a fresh new strategic plan with important priorities that are already in progress. We can’t rest on this year’s enrollment success; we need to build on it. We need to grow our research enterprise. We need to keep moving on our goals and sharing our progress transparently. I also need to be prepared to tackle the issues right in front of us – to be ready to be a steady hand to get CMU through the challenges we face. 

Listening is important, and it will continue. There’s no “100 days of listening and we’re done” limit. I plan to be very engaged with the community and to spend a lot of my time talking with others.  

It sounds like people will be seeing quite a bit of you. What should they know about you as a leader? 

I’ve had some wonderful mentors who have helped me become a better leader, who have shown me how important it is to lift and support the people around me. My job as president will be to inspire, uplift and support others – I believe that is my purpose. I enjoyed the way author Peter Lencioni describes leadership in his book, “The Ideal Team Player.” He calls out humility, hunger or passion, and emotional intelligence as the necessary attributes of a leader. Humility is necessary; I will be asking a lot of questions and will need to rely heavily on others for guidance and expertise. The desire to see growth at CMU is what drives the hunger – if CMU looks the same in five years that it does today, I will have failed in my role. And supporting others is important to me. In my last role, I had 22 direct reports with almost no turnover during my tenure. I want to make sure people know that they have my support.  

Tell us a little about who you are outside of your professional role. What kinds of things do you enjoy? 

I’m a proud “dance dad.” My three daughters, Breagh, Ashlynn and Kaylee, have all competed in dance for many years, and I was a great behind-the-scenes supporter. I lugged a lot of gear to a lot of competitions all over the country. They did all kinds of high school and club competitions, and they also competed in Scottish Highland dancing, which is a celebration of my Scottish heritage. I’m the proud owner of several kilts! I enjoy exercise as a necessary way to step away from work. Higher education leadership is intense, and we need a way to unplug and care for our mental and physical health. At Augusta, I often joined our student-athletes for working out and even was able to do some physical training with our Army ROTC cadets. I mentioned that my wife, Leanne, and I really enjoy taking our dog Bentley out for long walks – I’m looking forward to several of those this fall.  

Is there anything else you’d like our community to know? 

I am excited to be here, and I am looking forward to being very engaged at CMU. I hope that students, faculty and staff will come and introduce themselves to me when I am out and about, and I’m excited to start attending events and getting to know the campus better.