Established in 1892, Central Michigan University, located in Mount Pleasant, was originally founded as a school for teacher and business education. Today, this doctoral research university is the fourth largest institution in Michigan and among the 100 largest public universities nationally.

Central Michigan University has offered degree programs through its Global Campus unit to working adults for more than 40 years. The University operates a network of CMU Learning Centers in more than 50 locations throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. CMU has awarded degrees through its Global Campus unit to more than 70,000 students since its inception in 1971. Programs are offered at the undergraduate, masters, specialist and doctoral levels, including non-degree certifications.

CMU is the nation's foremost university authorizer of charter schools with 60 schools educating 29,000 students in grades K-12. CMU's Division I athletics program, a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), offers nine intercollegiate sports for women and seven for men. CMU Public Broadcasting operates 10 television and seven radio stations with the largest geographic reach of any Public Broadcasting system in the country. CMU is also home to the headquarters of Special Olympics Michigan.​