CMU Board sets housing and food rates for next academic year

During its first meetings under the leadership of Chair Denise Williams Mallett, the Central Michigan University Board of Trustees set housing and food rates for the 2026-2027 academic year. Trustees also approved changes to the Board’s committee structure.

Housing and food rates

In response to the continued rise of operating expenses, Trustees on Thursday voted to approve housing and food rate changes for the 2026-2027 academic year. Effective August 1, standard housing rates will see no increase, with other housing options seeing increases between $134 and $230 per semester. Rates for all food plans will increase by $122 per semester.

“54% of our beds are in standard housing, so more than half of our students would end up with a zero percent increase in their housing cost,” Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services Mary Hill said.

Trustees also approved an additional meal plan for junior and senior undergraduate students in residence halls that provides more flexibility in dining.

Trustee Jeff Stoutenburg said he appreciates the variety of choices offered to students living on campus.

“The point is that there is something for everyone, and there is an entry point that is very affordable for families and students,” Stoutenburg said.

With these rate adjustments, Hill said CMU continues to offer housing and food options that are below the average of Michigan’s 15 public universities.

President’s report to Trustees

CMU President Neil MacKinnon delivered his report to Trustees during formal session Thursday.

He congratulated two senior staff members on their new roles with the university. Kaleb Patrick, who served as interim vice president of CMU Online, has been appointed to the position on a permanent basis. Ben Andera, CMU’s executive director of academic research and computing, added the role of special advisor for artificial intelligence.

MacKinnon highlighted several achievements in Athletics, including the recent grant of $350,000 from The Bob and Renee Parsons Foundation to support student-athletes. The gift enables CMU Athletics to launch EmpowHER Leadership, a women’s student-athlete program designed to cultivate confidence, resilience, and career readiness through mentorship, experiential learning, and community impact.

“We are grateful for the Parsons’ generosity and interest in helping CMU student-athletes succeed,” MacKinnon said.

The president also thanked all the students, faculty and staff who have participated in the university’s innovative Go Grants initiative to make progress on CMU’s 2023-2028 Strategic Plan.

He said an inaugural symposium celebrating the 27 Go Grant funded projects allowed recipients to share their successes and challenges so far.

“It is clear we are doing exciting and valuable work that is moving us closer to achieving the goals of our strategic plan,” MacKinnon said. “That is why I announced a round two of funding for the Go Grants initiative – to build on our momentum this year and get more students, faculty and staff involved.”

The president’s report highlighted a number of campus events that were well attended in January, including the MLK Week celebrations, as well as upcoming opportunities for campus engagement. He also noted the success of the launch of The Central Career Guarantee and other work underway on the Strategic Enrollment Management plan.

“The momentum we have built in the opening weeks of 2026 is undeniable, and we will keep it going,” MacKinnon said. “From our pioneering Central Career Guarantee to our Strategic Plan progress and Strategic Enrollment Management Plan implementation, we are positively shaping CMU’s future.”

Enrollment and retention update

Jennifer DeHaemers, vice president of Student Recruitment and Retention, provided an update in Wednesday’s Enrollment, Retention and Student Success Committee meeting.

Dehaemers said prospective international students continue to struggle to obtain visas to study in the U.S., which is negatively impacting overall enrollment.

“Unfortunately, only a small fraction of the 650 international students who deferred to the spring semester were able to secure a visa to join us at CMU,” President MacKinnon said. “While we are disappointed, we are certainly not giving up.”

Meanwhile, domestic student enrollment increased for the spring semester, and DeHaemers said there are reasons for optimism for fall. She said the number of freshmen and transfer students who have already made a deposit has increased substantially over this time last year.

“It’s showing early excitement from students and their interest in being a student at Central,” she said.

DeHaemers also said CMU is increasing efforts to retain current students.

For the third year in a row, CMU has offered students with a GPA below 2.0 opportunities to attend Student Success Seminars, DeHaemers said, and 163 freshmen and transfer students are taking advantage of the program to improve academically.  

The Central Career Guarantee

Also in the Enrollment, Retention and Student Success Committee meeting, Jennifer DeHaemers said the launch of The Central Career Guarantee was a resounding success that appears to be boosting interest in attending CMU.

“Faculty and staff are really excited and feel like the university is making a bold step forward with this initiative,” DeHaemers said. “We are also hearing from school counselors, parents and students that they are really excited about this too and the way it highlights how we support students.”

DeHaemers said CMU experienced an uptick in deposits immediately after the launch of The Central Career Guarantee.

“CMU’s mission statement says we are defined by the success of our students and alumni,” President MacKinnon said. “The Central Career Guarantee is an extension of that mission and powerfully demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that our students become successful alumni.”

New committee structure

In the meeting of the Policy and Bylaws Committee, Trustees discussed changes to their bylaws that adds five new standing committees. The new committees are:

• Enrollment, Retention and Student Success Committee
• University Advancement Committee
• Innovation and Workforce Partnerships Committee
• Access, Belonging and Community Impact Committee
• Athletics Affairs Committee

"We have refined how we’re going to present information for our committees so we can bring information to the group that keeps us focused on a strategic direction,” Trustee Sharon Heath said.

Other committee highlights

In the meeting of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee Wednesday, Vice President of University Engagement and Student Affairs Shawna Patterson-Stephens reported on the division’s progress in filling positions and drafting their mission and vision statements.

“We are working toward the cultivation of a learning environment where everyone can feel like they belong, where they thrive and where they are valued,” Patterson-Stephens said. “We are looking at our policies and practices to make sure the things we offer are being streamlined and are really tailored to the student experience.”

She reported that University Apartments, formerly Graduate Apartments, was opened up to undergraduate students this year and is now fully occupied.

Also in the Academic and Student Affairs Committee meeting, Provost Lancaster said the awards through the Office of Research and Graduate Studies in the second quarter of the fiscal year totaled $3,380,085.

“Despite some significant headwinds and uncertainty, our faculty and staff — with the support of the Office of Research and Graduate Studies — are on track to meet or exceed last year’s total,” Lancaster said.

In the inaugural meeting of the Innovation and Workforce Partnerships Committee, Provost Lancaster described the group’s proposed function. She said it will monitor the progress and impact of key existing or new innovative partnerships, with the hope of either increasing the workforce through recruitment and initial skill and knowledge development or strengthening the workforce through advanced training and development.

During a meeting of the Trustees-Student Liaison Committee, members of the CMU chapter of the North American Indigenous Student Organization provided a presentation on the group’s mission, goals and activities. Students described NAISO as a family away from home. They also spoke of increasing their collaboration with other NAISO groups at peer institutions and with all of Michigan’s tribal communities.

Trustee David McGhee said, “NAISO reminds us of the significant role that space cultivated by students plays in affirming their identity, supporting their holistic development and ensuring their overall success.”

The Trustees-Faculty Liaison Committee welcomed Sheri Pickover, director of the College of Education and Human Services’ Counseling Program. She explained how students in the Master of Arts in Counseling program develop the clinical skills necessary to meet the mental health, educational and career needs of society.

The program offers in-person, online and hybrid courses, as well as tele-mental health services that Pickover says allows them to make a greater impact in communities throughout the state.

“One of the reasons we launched the online program was to reach the mental health deserts, primarily in northern Michigan and the upper peninsula,” Pickover said. “I love seeing the map that demonstrates that we’re having an impact.”

Clinical Mental Health Intern Jocelyn Prewett said CMU’s Counseling graduate program provides opportunities and experiences that make a difference for students and the communities they are reaching with counseling services.

“We're not just being prepared to serve in the future; we're already serving the community,” she said. “I’m so grateful to CMU for this education and how well they’ve prepared us.”

Other Board business

In Thursday’s formal session, the Board of Trustees granted emeritus rank to three faculty and staff members, honoring their years of service and dedication to CMU:

• Alison Arnold, executive director of the CMU Rural Health Excellence Institute
• Alan Gumm, professor in the School of Music
• Kimberly McKibben, Office of Information Technology

Trustees also authorized the contracts necessary to purchase and install upgraded audiovisual systems in simulation centers used by students in The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions and Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine at CMU. The systems are estimated to cost approximately $1.6 million, paid over five years.

Consent agenda

Trustees approved several other items on the consent agenda during formal session, including:

• Pooled Operating Cash and Endowment Fund Investment Policies updates
• Beaver Island Biological Station easement
• Advancement private support report
• Blackbaud Solutions agreement for campaign software
• Public Broadcasting activity
• Faculty personnel transactions
• Office of Research and Graduate Studies quarterly report
• New and changing endowments, awards and scholarships
• Authorization to begin bargaining and for the president to ratify and sign employee bargaining agreements
• Authorization to negotiate and sign a lease agreement for the Troy, Michigan office

An electronic copy of the president’s report will soon be available on the Board of Trustees webpage, and meeting minutes will be added to the Board of Trustees webpage following their approval at the next scheduled meeting in April.