President's Biography
MICHAEL RAO
President of Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University’s vision to be a “nationally prominent university known for integrity, academic excellence, research and creative activity, and public service” has become acutely focused under the leadership of President Michael Rao, one of the three longest-serving presidents among Michigan’s 15 public universities.
Since 2000, the president has played a major role both in developing and advancing the university’s academic programs and services and in advocating for higher education as a leader on state and national boards and councils. His national stature includes appointment as the only Michigan university president on the board of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. His Midwestern leadership was recognized formally in 2007 with the Chief Executive Leadership Award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, District V.
Rao has guided the university’s strategic plan — CMU 2010: The Vision Plan — which focuses efforts on five priorities to promote regional leadership and attain national excellence. His many national-scale achievements and initiatives have included:
- Developing a focused core of master’s and doctoral degree programs and undergraduate degrees in engineering
- Leading a feasibility study and taking steps to open a much-needed medical school in the region
- Raising academic performance at all levels at the university
- Expanding research, clinical care and creative work
- Strengthening the undergraduate experience with opportunities for students to engage in their fields of study and study abroad
- Progressively improving CMU’s living/learning environment with a focus on increased sustainability and environmental responsibility
During Rao’s tenure, CMU has been ranked as one of the top 20 most productive research universities in the nation among universities in its class, according to Academic Analytics and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Also, two CMU faculty members have received the prestigious Michigan Professor of the Year award from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Since 2000, CMU’s facilities and human resources have continued to expand and improve to meet students’ needs, and CMU has increased its faculty positions significantly, reflecting the president’s commitment to continue building a core of talented teaching professors and researchers despite challenging budgets. Research-based initiatives such as the Center for Applied Research and Technology (CART) also have demonstrated the university’s focus on research in specified areas of excellence including nanotechnology, DNA sequence-based testing and neurological diseases.
Facility additions and improvements during Rao’s tenure include the 2001 opening of an expanded and remodeled Park Library, the 2004 opening of a technologically advanced Health Professions Building proclaimed by national media as a “next-generation classroom,” the 2004 and 2006 opening of five new residence halls, and the opening in 2007 of a new wet lab at CART and an academic center at the CMU Biological Station on Beaver Island. A new education building opens in Spring 2009. After nearly two years of feasibility studies, the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to establish a rurally focused, M.D.-granting medical school.
The president plays a major role with constituents who help shape the future of the university by engaging in external partnerships, fundraising, and promoting higher education funding reform in Michigan. In the year ahead, the president’s external communications with legislators, community leaders and CMU alumni will continue to help build understanding and support for the many ways CMU invests in the intellectual capacity and success of Michigan’s residents and communities.
Rao came to CMU from Montana State University Northern, where he served as chancellor. Previously, Rao served as president of Mission College, where he also served as dean. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Rao served in the private sector. Prior to his extensive work in California higher education, Rao worked with and then led a team to develop academic master plans for five new branch campuses of the University of Washington and Washington State University.
Rao earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida and a Ph.D. from the University of Florida. At UF, he served as an assistant to the president with duties that included acting as a liaison to the state and providing leadership in matters of university governance, university relations, budgeting, and affirmative action.
The president’s spouse, Monica, serves as University Outreach Liaison and is a professional watercolorist and graphic designer. The couple has two sons: Miguel, 9, and Aiden, born May 25, 2008. The Rao family is engaged regularly in community activities including civic, cultural, social and athletic events.
Rao is a member of Michigan’s Strategic Economic Investment and Commercialization Board, part of a $2 billion job creation plan, and was appointed chair of the Measures of Success subcommittee. He is also a director of the Michigan Educational Trust. In addition to his membership on the board of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), Rao serves on committees of the National Association for State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC), chairs the Mid-American Conference Council of Presidents and chairs the board of the CMU Research Corporation. He previously was a member of a subcommittee of Michigan’s Cherry Commission on Higher Education and Economic Growth, chaired two NCAA Membership Certification Peer Review Teams, and was a member of the Mount Pleasant Area Community Foundation Board of Trustees.