About CMU

In September 2008, Central Michigan University’s Board of Trustees authorized the President of Central Michigan University to proceed with the development and implementation of a School of Medicine. As planned, the school leverages the university’s resources in the life sciences to address the state’s anticipated physician shortages, especially in the medically underserved regions of central and northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. This new medical school will also serve as the academic core, complemented by a strong set of biomedical, research-based baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, of a focused biomedical sciences initiative in mid-Michigan. This focused life sciences enterprise will significantly expand Michigan’s existing southerly life sciences corridor into central and northern Michigan, addressing the region’s most significant health concerns and drawing upon its large health care and community infrastructures, intellectual capital, and business potential to provide a variety of new economic opportunities. Moreover, the establishment of a medical school at CMU represents a tremendous benefit to the university, partnering hospitals, and Michigan residents. Teaching hospitals are known to recruit and retain the country’s best physicians and improve the region’s capacity to offer state-of-the-art technologies and specialized surgeries. Often, the latest treatment therapies are made available to teaching hospitals first, and research shows that they have lower rates of death and shorter lengths of stay than nonteaching hospitals.

Trustees approved $22 million in funding for a 62,000-square-foot addition to the existing Health Professions Building. The board previously approved a total of $2 million for architectural and engineering services, for a total project cost of $24 million. The Health Professions Building wing will provide the space needed for the university to open and operate a medical school. Completion of the addition is scheduled for spring 2012 and is designed to meet Liaison Committee on Medical Education accreditation standards and for silver level LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Funding for the project will come from gifts, grants and university reserves.

The School of Medicine is projected to admit its charter class in fall 2012. There will be an annual class of 100 students, or 400 overall based on a four year program. The program will include two years of study at CMU’s main campus in Mount Pleasant, as well as two additional years of on-site clinical rotations. The fourth-year internship will focus studies in many of the areas that directly impact residents of our region: stroke, diabetes, cancer, and neurological diseases. The school will partner with a cluster of regional medical centers to provide the rotations and connect CMU with the region.

The need for a medical school, as proposed, is well documented and CMU is uniquely positioned to address the issue. Both national and state reports document an expected 20 percent shortfall in available physicians nationally by 2020. However, there is increasing concern that the communities of central and northern Michigan will be disproportionately affected. Although 20 percent of the U.S. population lives in rural communities, research shows that only 9 percent of physicians practice in these areas. A community-based medical school at CMU will work to reverse this trend. Studies show that while only 3 percent of all allopathic medical school graduates practice in underserved areas, as many as 64 percent of graduates from programs with a community-based focus go on to practice in underserved communities. Additionally, Central Michigan University lies in the heart of the mid-Michigan region, offering strategic access to local and northern communities that is unmatched by any of the state’s other colleges and universities. With an optimal mix of educated professionals, health care employment opportunities, and nationally recognized life sciences programs, CMU represents the state’s best possible site for the addition of new medical school training in Michigan. The school’s community-based emphasis will also serve to stimulate new research and clinical trials in health-related issues - such as stroke, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - that specifically impact residents of the region.

The foundation for a medical school at CMU has been years in the making. The university is already home to a nationally recognized health professions program through The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions, enrolling more than 3,000 students annually. The college’s ascension to national prominence is a direct result of its quality and diversity of programs and clinical services. The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions is currently affiliated with more than 300 medical organizations and provides a wide range of on-site clinical training experiences. The college’s $50 million state-of-the-art Health Professions Building includes two cadaver labs, virtual reality facilities, clinical procedure labs, human performance facilities, and the latest in classroom technologies designed to maximize student learning and faculty research opportunities.

CMU’s strength in the health care field is evident throughout:
  • For two years running, CMU’s physician assistant class has achieved the highest score in the nation on the standardized Physician Assistant Clinical Knowledge Rating Assessment Tool Exam.
  • CMU’s doctor of audiology program recently is the first in the U.S. to be accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education.
  • The Carls Center for Clinical Care and Education provides more than 10,000 clinical consultations annually to Michigan residents in the fields of audiology, speech-language pathology, physical therapy and psychology.
  • The newly opened Fall and Balance Center provides a full range of diagnostic and therapeutic services for seniors in the field of vestibular and muscular/skeletal disorders that affect balance – one of a few such centers in Michigan and the first in the region.
  • The annual CMU Specialty Summer Clinic engages more than 60 special needs children for weeks of intensive speech/hearing therapy. CMU also operates the region’s only cochlear implant service center.
  • Physical therapy, athletic training, exercise science, health promotion, community health, and health administration, as well as master’s and doctoral-level degrees in neuroscience, round out the top programs at Central Michigan University and work to augment and complement the creation of a medical school on campus.

Overview of the University

Established in 1892, Central Michigan University has a growing total enrollment of approximately 27,000 students. Classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a doctoral research university, CMU is recognized for strong undergraduate education and a range of graduate and research programs. CMU is a student-focused university with opportunities for leadership and involvement with an energetic team of administrators, faculty, and students.

CMU competes at the Division I-A level in athletics and is located in Mount Pleasant, an expanding mid-Michigan community of approximately 26,000 permanent residents. A recently developed tourist destination point, Mount Pleasant has retained its small-town flavor while embracing a wide variety of special interest groups and outdoor recreational opportunities.

CMU is an active cultural center featuring over 150 concerts, a full six play theatre season, art exhibitions, and nationally known guest speakers and performers. CMU is the home of The Michigan Story Festival, the Central Michigan International Film Festival, and the Griffin Policy Forum. Central Michigan University was originally founded as a school for teacher and business education. Central Michigan University is currently accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. CMU now offers more than 200 academic programs, including 12 doctoral programs.

The 36 academic departments are located within the following colleges:

Twenty thousand students are on the main campus in Mount Pleasant with the remaining student body enrolled at 60 off-campus locations. Graduate students compose approximately 12 percent of the on-campus enrollment and 75 percent of the off-campus enrollment. About 25 percent of the on-campus students are housed in CMU’s 20 residence halls. CMU has more than 140,000 alumni. The more than 900 full-time faculty are committed to both research and teaching. Surveys of alumni and current students indicate that the faculty are noted for the personal attention they give their students. CMU's student and career services are valued by employers and students alike with a 95 percent overall career placement rate of the graduates.

The University's 480-acre main campus has 51 major facilities highlighted by well-landscaped malls and attractive park-like settings. The School of Medicine will be housed in a new $24 million state-of-the-art building (scheduled for completion prior to admission of the charter class) connected to the Health Professions Building. The Health Professions Building is a 170,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art building completed in 2003. The building provides advanced technology resources and modern research, clinical, and instructional spaces that promote the interdisciplinary nature of healthcare and support student-centered learning and the advancement of new knowledge. Other additions to the physical campus in the last ten years include a music building, a $50 million addition and renovation of the library that incorporates the latest information technology, a $50 million dollar education and human services building completed in 2009, and the addition of five new residence halls. The entire campus is linked by a high-speed network and the majority of classrooms are mediated as the result of a multi-million dollar investment in information technology. Ongoing capital improvements total over $100 million. CMU also operates a biological station at Beaver Island, which is unique among North American biological stations because its insular location provides access to truly exceptional freshwater ecosystems within the Great Lakes basin.

CMU operates a budget of approximately $344 million; an academic budget of more than $150 million. The University's endowment is over $80 million, having seen significant growth in the past five years.

Future Perspective

CMU is a university on the move. Recent years have seen its faculty, staff, and student leaders create a strong institution with solid academic programs, research, and service activities in niche areas that are in high demand. With this momentum, the University has become one of the nation's largest institutions and has gained the Carnegie classification as a doctoral research university. The University is poised to develop beyond its historic regional focus, establishing a stronger national presence.

The CMU community is working to continue to strengthen the University as a place of excellence in undergraduate teaching and learning, in selective graduate programs, in service to its state and region, and in research and scholarship.

The CMU leadership has succinctly characterized the direction of CMU as follows:
  • Create an environment that supports teaching and learning as the top priority.
  • Provide educational experiences and programs that enhance diversity and global perspectives.
  • Enhance the infrastructure for research and creative activities.
  • Provide service for the public good.
  • Strengthen the institution’s culture of integrity.

The CMU strategic planning process is dynamic. The latest updates, the original vision plan, meetings of the Strategic Planning Committee and other information relative to strategic planning at CMU are available from the CMU 2010 web site at www.planning.cmich.edu.