2025 Go Grant Recipients

The following 27 grants were selected for funding and notified during the week of May 5, 2025. Grants marked with an asterisk (*) were student-led submissions.

Use the links below to jump to initiatives related to:

• Priority One
• Priority Two
• Priority Three
• Priority Four
• Multiple Priorities

Charter to CMU Chippewa Scholars Program
Shanese Ross-Pierre, The Center for Charter Schools

This $30,500 project will develop a cohort-based support system for junior and senior high school students attending a CMU-authorized charter school as they prepare for their next academic step. The program will provide comprehensive academic support, college exploration and preparation, career and professional development opportunities, and more. By fostering meaningful connections between these charter school students and the CMU campus, the program seeks to create a pathway to higher education, especially for first-generation and historically underrepresented students.  

Intellectual Property Management System
Melinda Brakenberry, Office of Research and Graduate Studies

A $28,149 grant will fund the purchase of technology and software to improve the management of intellectual property at CMU. The number of invention management disclosures, patent oversight and technology transfer agreement tracking has increased significantly, and this initiative would bring management of these in-house as opposed to relying on costly external organizations. The new system will create increased transparency and ease for faculty and staff so they can log in and learn more about status updates.

Leveraging Professional Development to Support Campus Research Infrastructure
Sarah Hall, Office of Sponsored Programs

A $17,257 grant will provide professional development opportunities to those who participate in externally funded research and creative endeavors. It will allow access to the Society for Research Administrators International’s (SRAI) LevelUp program, and a CMU-developed 4-part training course for interested faculty, staff, and students. This initiative will help increase the research and graduate enterprise as well as develop efficient policies and processes.

InSciTE Program One-Year STEM Speaker Series and Panel Initiative*
Morgan Mussehl, student, member of the InSciTE program

A $10,000 grant will give Integration of Science, Technology and Engineering (InSciTE) students resources to organize eight seminars and two panel discussions that will bring STEM speakers to campus. This initiative encourages future education and campus engagement for students in the InSciTE program. Once each semester, a panel of STEM professors will meet for a Q&A event, providing career insights, showcasing career paths and highlighting cutting-edge research. Once a month, a speaker series guest will introduce students to industry leaders, researchers, and innovators in their field.

Supporting the Fashion Association of Merchandising and Design*
Mary Germilhac, student, member of the Fashion Association of Merchandising and Design

Photography plays an important role in Fashion Merchandising and Design. This $7,500 student-submitted grant proposal will purchase photo studio equipment for use by FMD students and others. 

Manuscript Completion and Research Productivity Mentoring Program
Kirsten Weber, School of Communication, Journalism and Media

This grant will help faculty interested in improving their research productivity. The $5,000 grant will fund four single-semester cohorts of eight faculty members, who will submit new manuscripts for publication.

Developing Blackboard Training Resources for Students
Marnie Roestel, Office of Curriculum and Instructional Support

A $5,000 grant will be used to develop ways to help students better understand and use Blackboard Ultra. The new videos and quick-start guides will train students to get the most out of the latest learning management system, streamlining the learner experience.

CMU Audiology & Michigan Lions Bear Lake Camp Partnership
Nicole Ferguson, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

This partnership project seeks to reduce health care disparities and will benefit hard-of-hearing children and their families. With this $5,000 grant, CMU audiology students and faculty members will provide hearing healthcare services and education at the Michigan Lions Bear Lake Camp.

Paint the Town Maroon
Community Relations Committee

This $25,000 grant was submitted by the Community Relations Committee, a 28-member group representing community leaders and business owners and CMU faculty and staff. Through games, incentives and activities, the Paint the Town Maroon initiative will encourage campus members and visitors to explore the Mount Pleasant community and will invite community organizations to demonstrate their CMU pride.

A CMU Musical Anthem
Will Anderson, School of Communication, Journalism and Media

To bolster CMU pride and create a new soundtrack for our campus, this $5,000 project would develop, write, record and promote a new, exciting CMU anthem. The song could be used for CMU events, social media, and more; the project also includes the creation of a unique interpretive dance.

STEAM Camp for Rural Michigan Schools
Karen E.H. Grossnickle, Department of Physical Therapy

This grant aims to help middle school students in rural communities gain understanding of and exposure to STEAM fields, including health professions. The $5,000 grant will fund a pilot one-day camp experience hosted by faculty and staff in the Department of Physical Therapy.

Feasibility Study for an Office of Educational Outreach 
Troy Hicks, College of Education and Human Services 

As CMU continues to seek new ways to bolster education and support teachers, this $21,700 project would develop a framework to guide the possible creation of an Office of Educational Outreach. This new unit, if created, would support professional development opportunities for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade communities and serve as a policy research center to aid rural education.

PREPaRE CMU (Workshop 1): Building Capacity for School Safety and Crisis Preparedness*
Alexandria Beavers, student, Department of Psychology

An $8,500 grant will fund a one-day workshop to train 50 CMU faculty, students, and staff to effectively implement crisis prevention intervention and recovery measures. The National Association of School Psychologists Prevent, Reaffirm, Evaluate, Provide, and Respond Examine (PREPaRE) workshops offer essential skills that address growing concerns around mental health and school safety in education. Workshop 1 focuses on promoting safe, supportive learning environments through crisis prevention and intervention strategies.

PREPaRE CMU (Workshop 2): Building Capacity for School Safety and Crisis Preparedness*
Judith “Kay” Dale, student, Department of Psychology

An $11,250 grant will fund a two-day workshop to equip 50 CMU faculty, students, and staff with crisis prevention and preparedness skills. The National Association of School Psychologists Prevent, Reaffirm, Evaluate, Provide, and Respond Examine (PREPaRE) workshops offer essential skills that address growing concerns around mental health and school safety in education. Workshop 2 focuses on crisis response and recovery to prepare faculty, students and staff to lead efforts in creating safer, more supportive learning environments.

CMU Music in Our Communities
Alicia Valoti, School of Music

A $7,500 grant will allow CMU music students and faculty to perform concerts and offer master classes in western Michigan and Upper Peninsula high schools and communities. By taking performances off campus, more Michigan citizens will be able to engage in musical and educational opportunities that showcase CMU’s reputation, talent and standard of excellence.

Enhancements for the Student Activity Center
Melissa Walton, University Recreation

Enhancements will ensure that all CMU students can enjoy the amenities and activities available at the CMU Student Activity Center. The nearly $47,000 grant will implement space and equipment upgrades so that students of all abilities can make use of SAC facilities. 

Makerbot Innovation Center UpgradeScott de Brestian, Department of Art and Design

This nearly $45,000 project will replace 15 3D printers in CMU’s MakerBot Innovation Center. MakerBot Innovation Center allows CMU students in all disciplines to create, design and experiment with 3D printing. The space is also used in research and creative endeavors by departments in nearly every academic college.

Building Student Resiliency for Healthy Living, Social Engagement, and Improved Academic Performance
Melissa Hutchinson, CMU Counseling Center

A $25,000 grant will fund a pilot project to develop proactive and peer-led mental health support programs. The goal of the project is to improve students' resiliency and ability to manage stress and anxiety. A counselor-led group experience and a peer education program will be designed to build confidence with stress management so students can be successful in and outside of the classroom.  

New Faculty Community Cohort
Brooke Moore and Gabrielle Likavec, Office of Curriculum and Instructional Support

This $25,000 grant aims to help new CMU faculty members thrive at CMU. The funds will be used to establish cohorts among newly arrived faculty members and will equip them with tools, resources, professional development and mentorship to help them find and build community as they achieve their personal and professional goals.

Embracing AI at CMU 
Stephen Juris, Department of Biology 

As the use of AI expands into higher education, this $47,500 grant seeks to keep CMU current with the rapidly evolving technology. The funds will be used to convene targeted workgroups tasked with developing guidance and curriculum recommendations for the use of AI on campus, and will also fund a pilot AI infrastructure program. 

Innovative learning through technology
Katie Edmiston, CMU Libraries

A $28,000 grant will broaden students' digital literacy and access to cutting-edge technology by acquiring new equipment and technology for student check-out from the CMU Library. This initiative will further streamline the learner experience by improving access to required art, audio, and video technology. Equipment funded by this grant will enhance real-world experiences of students across a variety of majors and disciplines.

Improving Student Retention through Trauma-Informed Campus Training

Kirsten Weber, School of Communication, Journalism and Media
Nikita Murry and Danny McQuarters, Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

A $30,000 grant will develop and implement a professional learning community to train CMU faculty and staff in trauma-informed teaching practices using the Trauma-Informed Skills for Educators (TISE) program. Faculty and staff training would encourage change in campus culture using trauma-informed practices. The program’s goal is to improve student retention through becoming a trauma-informed campus. 

Decrease Approval Time for Research Projects
Belinda Adamson, Office of Research and Graduate Studies

A $25,000 grant will hire a vendor to revise electronic application forms used by the Office of Research Compliance. Streamlining the application process will enable ORC to improve the content of these application forms to better illustrate the quality of CMU research. Enhanced form content also should encourage faculty and students to initiate future research projects.

StrengthsFinder Coaching Certification and Training
Vernique N. Jackson, Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute

The StrengthsFinder assessment is a coaching tool that helps individuals identify their key strengths, which can help them begin to explore potential career paths. This $35,000 grant will train 4 Student Affairs staff members to become StrengthsFinder coaches, enabling CMU to offer student coaching sessions and leadership workshops.