NEWS

CMU's strategic plan goals get a lift for '25-26

As plan progresses, trustees approve updated goals and objectives

| Author: Ari Harris | Media Contact: Aaron Mills

At the September 2025 meeting of the Central Michigan University Board of Trustees, CMU President Neil MacKinnon recapped progress made on the 2023-2028 Strategic Plan and its four priorities. And, following the president’s report, Trustees approved new plan goals and adjustments to existing objectives, goals and measures.

Celebrating past progress

During his year-end report, President MacKinnon highlighted the work of students, faculty and staff to advance the four strategic priorities. Among the highlights noted in his presentation were:

Additional plan progress updates have been added to each of the plan priority pages, MacKinnon said. 

Updates to prior goals

Joe Garrison, assistant to the university president for strategic planning and university budget officer, said the university’s strategic plan is a living, working document and that plan goals and priorities would shift with progress and changes in the higher education landscape.

“As an example, there is a great deal of uncertainty about federal funding for research at this time, so we are adjusting our Priority One goals,” he said. “And, following a pilot program on dialogic practices, the Priority Three working group determined that CMU should pursue more tailored learning opportunities for students, faculty and staff.”

Garrison said working groups for all four strategic plan priorities had submitted suggested changes for edits, and those were accepted by the Trustees and reflected in the updated plan goals. These include:

  • Growing collaboration between Priority One and Priority Two working groups to establish a governance structure for defining and tracking immersive learning experiences and the development of a comprehensive learner record system.
  • Adjusting Priority One goals related to federal research funding and international student recruitment to provide flexibility amid uncertainty in the higher education landscape. 
  • Shifting activities for the Community Relations Committee from Priority Three to Priority Two, better reflecting the group’s purpose to serve the local community.
  • Broadening the definition of transferable skill development in Priority Three to include more than dialogic practices.
  • Updating measures for several goals within Priority Four, including student retention efforts and campaign readiness efforts.

Adding new goals

In addition to updating existing plan goals, Garrison said working groups also added new goals to several priorities.

“As we mark some plan goals complete, we are able to pursue new opportunities to engage the broader university community in our strategic work,” he said.

Some of the new goals added for 2025-2026 include:

  • Adding goals, tactics and measures related to CMU’s strategic enrollment management plan and efforts to strengthen and grow CMU’s online programs.
  • Increasing partnerships with community colleges and expanding workforce development opportunities, as well as strengthening connections with younger students (Pre-Kindergarten through high school) within Priority Four. 
  • Broadly engaging the campus community to include diverse perspectives in capital project planning as part of Priority Four goals, as well as inventorying practices related to employee exit surveys.
  • Emphasizing employee retention with the addition of goals related to professional development opportunities, pathways to leadership, and the Search Optimization Specialist program in Priority Three.

Go Grant work continues

In February 2025, President MacKinnon announced funding for 27 Go Grant projects, providing nearly $575,000 to support initiatives tied to all four strategic priorities.

Several projects are already underway or complete, including:

Many other Go Grant projects are still underway, Garrison said. The university is planning to host a Go Grants symposium in Spring 2026 to encourage Go Grant recipients to share their successes, challenges, and outcomes.

CMU’s multiyear strategic plan is available on the cmich.edu website. All stakeholders are invited to view the plan goals and measurements, and can get involved in efforts to move CMU forward by emailing spt@cmich.edu. 

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