Central Michigan University (CMU, CMICH) is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1892 as a private teacher training school and became a public university in 1895. CMU is one of eight research universities in Michigan and is classified as "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity." The university has more than 14,000 students on its Mount Pleasant campus. CMU offers over 200 academic programs for students pursuing undergraduate, master's, specialist, and doctoral degrees. The Central Michigan Chippewas compete in six men's and ten women's sports as part of the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference.

History

CMU was established in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute. Professor Charles F. R. Bellows, who graduated from the University of Michigan, became the first principal of the school in June 1892.

In the first year, 31 students took classes in the Carpenter Building in downtown Mount Pleasant. Bellows looked at where the campus would be and helped build the original Main Building, which opened in September 1893. In the first two years, the school bought land and built a $10,000 school building.

During Bellows' time as principal, he used his own money to create a separate Conservatory for Music, which was added to the school in 1900. He continued teaching and gave talks to teachers across the state. Bellows also worked to advertise the school to attract more students.

In 1895, the Michigan State Board of Education took control of the school and renamed it Central Michigan Normal School. Bellows left the school the following year. He returned to Ypsilanti, Michigan, in 1902 to join the faculty of the Michigan State Normal College (now Eastern Michigan University).

By 1918, the campus had 25 acres with five buildings. On June 1, 1959, the school had 40 buildings on a 235-acre campus and 4,500 students. It was renamed Central Michigan University. This change showed the school's growth in both its academic programs and physical size after World War II. The number of students increased three times over the next 10 years.

To help meet the need for doctors in rural areas, CMU started its medical school in 2010.

• Charles F. R. Bellows (1892–1896)
• Charles McKenny (1896–1899)
• Charles Grawn (1900–1918)
• E. C. Warriner (1918–1939)
• Charles L. Anspach (1939–1959)
• Judson Foust (1959–1968)
• William Beaty Boyd (1968–1975)
• Harold Abel (1975–1985)
• Arthur Emmett Ellis (1985–1988)
• Edward B. Jakubauskas (1988–1992)
• Leonard E. Plachta (1992–2000)
• Michael Rao (2000–2009)
• Kathy Wilbur (2009–2010)
• George Ross (2010–2018)
• Robert Davies (2018–2024)
• Neil J. MacKinnon (2024-present)

Organization and administration

Central Michigan University is led by a board of trustees. This group has eight members who are chosen by the Governor of Michigan, with the approval of the Michigan Senate. These members serve eight-year terms. The board selects and evaluates the university's president, who is currently Neil J. MacKinnon. Paula Lancaster was named Provost and Executive Vice President of Central Michigan University on February 1, 2025. She had been acting in this role since September 10, 2024.

Academics

Central Michigan University (CMU) is described as "selective" by U.S. News & World Report. For the Class of 2025 (enrolled in fall 2021), CMU received 18,517 applications and accepted 14,273 students (77.1% acceptance rate). Of those accepted, 1,909 students enrolled, which is a yield rate of 13.4% (the percentage of accepted students who chose to attend). CMU’s freshman retention rate is 77%, meaning 77% of first-year students stayed enrolled after their first year. Of those students, 61.7% graduated within six years.

Of the 57% of incoming freshmen who submitted SAT scores, the middle 50% of their composite scores ranged from 1010 to 1223. Of the 10% of enrolled freshmen in 2021 who submitted ACT scores, the middle 50% of their composite scores ranged from 19.25 to 26.

Central Michigan University has experienced a large decrease in enrollment in recent years. Between 2012 and 2022, total enrollment at CMU dropped by 46%.

CMU has eight academic divisions:
• College of Business Administration
• College of the Arts and Media
• College of Education and Human Services
• Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions
• College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
• Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine
• College of Science and Engineering
• College of Graduate Studies

Academic work and research at CMU are supported by the Central Michigan University Libraries. The university also owns and operates the Brooks Astronomical Observatory.

CMU’s neuroscience program received an award for being the best undergraduate program in 2013 from the Society for Neuroscience.

The most popular undergraduate majors, based on 2021 graduates, included:

The Central Michigan University College of Graduate Studies offers more than 70 graduate degree programs at the Master’s, Specialist, or Doctoral levels.

As of 2024, the university supported 69 public charter schools across Michigan, serving 29,000 students, through its Governor John Engler Center for Charter Schools.

According to the National Science Foundation, CMU spent $15.6 million on research and development in 2018.

Student life

Central Michigan University has 21 on-campus residence halls. These halls are spread across four areas on campus. In 2006, the 21st and 22nd residence halls opened in the East complex. In 2019, the university closed and tore down Barnes Hall, which was the oldest residence hall and the only one not connected to others. In 2022, the university closed the North Residence Halls.

North Residence Halls (unoccupied): Larzelere, Trout, Calkins, Robinson
South Residence Halls: Beddow, Merrill, Thorpe, Sweeney
East Residence Halls: Saxe, Herrig, Woldt, Emmons; Celani and Fabiano
The Towers: Carey, Cobb, Troutman, and Wheeler ("The Original Towers"), Campbell, Kesseler, and Kulhavi ("The New Towers")

On March 3, 2022, the university announced that Larzelere, Trout, Calkins, and Robinson would close during the 2022 Fall semester due to estimates of how many students would live on campus. These halls have not reopened since.

Most CMU residence hall rooms are two-bedroom suites for four people. Three of the Original Towers (Cobb, Troutman, and Wheeler), which are nine-story buildings, have one-bedroom suites for three or four people. These buildings are mainly for freshmen. The fourth Original Tower, Carey, was renovated in 2020 to have double-occupancy rooms to manage lower student numbers. The New Towers, as well as Fabiano and Celani, are mainly for upperclassmen and have four-bedroom suites. Students living in Robinson, Carey, Celani, Fabiano, Campbell, Kesseler, and Kulhavi pay extra for their rooms.

Each of the three remaining communities—East, South, and Towers—is connected to one of three Residential Restaurants. The Towers have the Eatery, South has the Merrill Virtual Dining Hall, and the East Complex has Dine&Connect. Both East and Towers have markets that stay open until midnight.

Some residence halls are official Living Learning Communities linked to specific academic departments. These communities allow students to study and work together with others in similar programs.

• Beddow Hall – Business
• Herrig Hall – Music
• Emmons Hall – Health Professions
• Woldt Hall – Science and Engineering
• Sweeney Hall – Education and Human Services
• Thorpe Hall – Honors Program
• Calkins Hall – Leader Advancement Scholars & Public Service Residential Community
• Troutman Hall – Multicultural Advancement/Cofer Scholars
• Cobb Hall – Public Service
• Kulhavi Hall – Transfer Students

CMU has only co-ed residence halls. Sweeney Hall was the last to change from female-only to co-ed in the fall of 2010.

Construction began on two new buildings, Celani and Fabiano, near the East Quad in spring 2005. These buildings are similar in design to the New Towers, which opened in 2003. On December 1, 2005, one building was named The Ben and Marion Celani Residence Hall to honor Thomas Celani and his wife Vicki. On April 20, 2006, the other building was named the Fabiano Family Residence Hall to honor John S. Fabiano and his family. These halls opened in the fall of 2006, along with a new Residential Restaurant for the six East Area halls.

CMU recognizes academic, social, and professional Greek organizations that follow university rules, including anti-hazing policies. Currently, there are 9 fraternities and 11 sororities. Other groups related to honors, degrees, and multicultural backgrounds also exist. Each group has its own history and offers networking opportunities. There have been incidents involving fraternities, including one where a fraternity allegedly used KKK outfits and traditions during recruitment.

On March 2, 2018, 19-year-old student James Eric Davis Jr. shot and killed his parents when they came to campus to take him home for spring break. After the shooting, Davis fled, and the campus was locked down. About 15 hours later, police arrested him and took him to a local hospital. The incident disrupted student travel and campus activities for several days. Davis was charged with two counts of murder and one count of unlawful firearm possession. He was later found not guilty by reason of insanity and sent to a psychiatric institution.

The campus’ student-run newspaper is Central Michigan Life. It is published every Thursday during the academic year and updated daily on www.cm-life.com, which receives 1 million page views per year. CM Life was named one of the top three non-daily newspapers in the nation in 2007, 2018, and 2019 by the Society of Professional Journalists. It also won the best college newspaper in Division I in Michigan eight of the past 10 years. CM Life has won the National Pacemaker Awards by Associated Collegiate Press in 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1989, 1990, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2019. It was also a finalist for an online Pacemaker in 2010. CM Life has won first place for the Best College Media Company in the nation seven years in a row (2014–2020) by College Media Business and Advertising Managers.

There are two student-run college radio stations, FM 91.5 WMHW-FM and FM 101.1, a student-produced newscast called News Central 34, and a student-run college television station, MHTV. In 2005, a student-operated music label called Moore Media Records (MMR) was established.

The university also owns and operates WCMU-TV, the region’s PBS station, and WCMU-FM, the NPR affiliate. These stations serve most of Northern Michigan, including the eastern Upper Peninsula, through a network of repeater stations.

In 2003, White Pine Music, the recording label of the CMU School of Music, was established.

On February 2, 2008, Central Michigan University’s online magazine, Grand Central Magazine, was launched. Updated weekly, the magazine is run through CMU’s Department of Journalism and features articles on sports, entertainment, style, technology, and travel.

In September 202

Athletics

The school's athletics programs are connected to NCAA Division I. CMU was part of the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1950 to 1970. Most Central Michigan teams compete in the Mid-American Conference. The only exception until recently was the women's lacrosse team, which became a full varsity team in the 2015–2016 school year. Before that, the team played in the Southern Conference but joined the MAC for the 2021 season.

The football program has produced players like Antonio Brown and Joe Staley. Before moving to Division I, the football team won its second NCAA Division II national championship in 1974 by beating the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens 54-14. Important Division I years include 1994, 2006, 2007, and 2009, when the team won the MAC Football Championship Game. In 2009, the team finished the season ranked #23 in the final AP Poll and #24 in the final Coaches Poll, which was the first time a CMU football team ended the season ranked in the Top 25 at the NCAA Division I-FBS level. Since 2014, the football program has participated in college bowl games, and its players continue to set MAC records each year.

CMU's wrestling team often beats the Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans in dual meets. In 2008, the team won its 10th straight MAC championship and its seventh straight conference tournament title. The Chippewas tied for seventh at the NCAA Championships, earning a school-record 69 points. Four athletes received All-America honors.

The women's basketball program has achieved new success. In 2018, the team reached the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. The team defeated the LSU Lady Tigers and the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first two rounds but lost to the Oregon Ducks in the third round.

In 1958, the men's swimming and diving team came in second place behind the North Central at the second annual NAIA national meet, which took place in Muncie, Indiana.

In May 2020, the university stopped its men's track and field program due to budget cuts caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In June of the same year, CMU received a special permission from the NCAA Division I Council that allowed the football program to stay in the Football Bowl Subdivision and gave the school two years to meet FBS requirements for men's programs.

Notable alumni

• U.S. Representative Dan Kildee
• U.S. Representative Brenda Lawrence
• Governor Matt Bevin, 62nd Governor of Kentucky
• Former NBA All-Star and coach of the Grand Canyon Antelopes, Dan Majerle
• Four-star General William Kernan
• Four-star General Jimmy Ross
• Anthony Zinni, United States Marine Corps General
• Stephen Lanza, United States Army Lieutenant General