Making research a priority
 
The opportunity to conduct relevant and applied research is central to the educational experience and outreach of Central Michigan University. CMU and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs support the university's research and creative endeavors by providing services and resources for faculty, staff and students. Relevant support includes:

Commitment to funding

  • CMU 2010 funding has included $5 million to advance five key university priorities, all of which are relevant to the work of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs: teaching and learning, diversity and global perspective, research and creative activity, public service, and integrity. ORSP will continue to advance university priorities as the university moves beyond CMU 2010 during 2009.
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  • CMU's commitment to internal funding of research translates into 10 consecutive years of awarding more than $750,000 each year in internal funding for faculty and staff research.
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  • Central Michigan University has dispersed in recent years more than $3 million in Michigan Research Excellence Funds to help establish 11 new centers, including the National Dendrimer and Nanotechnology Center, the Center for Brain Research and Integrative Neuroscience, Institute for Management Consulting, Central Michigan Center for Educational Research, and the Center for Transnational and Comparative History.

Providing research and creative resources

  • CMU's library resources are among the finest in Michigan, with millions of electronic books, journals, databases, periodicals, manuscripts and other resources and treasures in two CMU libraries that provide the foundation for research and expression - Charles V. Park Library and Clarke Historical Library. The university's Off Campus Libraries System has become a model for collaborative resource sharing nationwide.
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  • CMU ranks 18th in a national list for most productive research universities with 15 or fewer Ph.D. programs, as determined by the Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index, the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and the firm Academic Analytics.
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  • CMU students engage in research in increasing numbers and at all levels - undergraduate, graduate and doctoral. More than 700 students exhibit their research at CMU's annual Student Research and Creative Endeavors Exhibition, an April event coordinated by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. CMU's support for undergraduate student research has increased more than 40 percent in the past five years through awards of Student Publication and Presentation Grants and the Student Research and Creative Endeavors Grants