CMU Trustees to consider 2026-2027 housing and food rates

The Central Michigan University Board of Trustees will meet in its formal session at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 12, following scheduled committee meetings on Wednesday, February 11, 2026.

Items on the agenda for the February sessions include discussion and consideration of housing and food rates for the 2026-2027 academic year, upgrades to simulation centers in The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions and Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine at CMU, and plans for the future of administrative and instructional space in Troy, Michigan.

Other items on the meeting agenda include:

• Pooled Operating Cash and Endowment Fund Investment Policies updates
• Beaver Island Biological Station easement
• Advancement private support report
• Blackbaud Solutions agreement for campaign software
• Emeritus rank for faculty and staff members
• Faculty personnel transactions
• Office of Research and Graduate Studies quarterly report
• New and changing endowments, awards and scholarships

Under the leadership of Chair Denise Williams Mallett, the Board of Trustees has reconfigured its committee structure. The Board added five new committees to better address the changing landscape of higher education, putting a strategic focus on areas such as enrollment, advancement, workforce development, and campus climate. The Enterprise Risk Committee has been dissolved; however, work in that area will continue through CMU administrative offices. Chair Williams Mallett said the revised committee structure reflects practices at peer institutions nationally and across Michigan.

The three new committees meeting Wednesday are: the Enrollment, Retention and Student Success Committee, the University Advancement Committee, and the Innovation and Workforce Partnerships Committee. The new Access, Belonging and Community Impact Committee and the Athletics Affairs Committee will hold their first meetings in April.

Highlights for Wednesday’s committee meetings include (all times approximate):

• Policy and Bylaws Committee, 2:00-2:10 p.m. – CMU General Counsel John Danner will join the committee to discuss proposed changes to the Board of Trustees Bylaws for the addition of the new standing Board committees.
• Academic and Student Affairs Committee, 2:10-2:25 p.m. – Provost and Executive Vice President Paula Lancaster and Vice President of University Engagement and Student Affairs Shawna Patterson-Stephens will join the committee to discuss Spring semester activities, faculty personnel transactions, the Office of Research and Graduate Studies quarterly report, and public school academy activities.
• Enrollment, Retention and Student Success Committee, 2:25-2:40 p.m. – The committee will discuss the launch of The Central Career Guarantee, Strategic Enrollment Management Plan projects, Spring 2026 Student Success Seminars, and Fall 2026 enrollment with Vice President of Student Recruitment and Retention Jennifer DeHaemers.
• Finance and Facilities Committee, 2:40-3:10 p.m. – Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services Mary Hill will join the committee to discuss items including housing and food rates for the 2026-2027 academic year, audio-visual system replacement, and public media operations.
• University Advancement Committee, 3:10-3:20 p.m. – Vice President of University Advancement Jennifer Cotter and trustees will discuss the objectives of the newly formed committee.
• Innovation and Workforce Partnerships Committee, 3:20-3:30 p.m. – Provost and Executive Vice President Paula Lancaster and trustees will discuss the objectives of the newly formed committee.
• Trustees-Student Liaison Committee, 3:30-4:00 p.m. – North American Indigenous Student Organization members will provide a presentation on the group’s mission, goals and activities. Student Government Association President Akua Acheampong and Vice President Kathryn House, Program Board President Kendall Fowler, and Residence Housing Association Director Max Fusaro will also provide written updates from their organizations.
• Trustees-Faculty Liaison Committee, 4:00-4:30 p.m. – The director of the College of Education and Human Services’ Counseling Program will describe how  students develop the clinical skills necessary to meet the mental health, educational and career needs of society. Dr. Sheri Pickover will be joined by two student interns for the presentation.

Agendas for the November meetings, including Wednesday’s public committee meetings and Thursday’s formal session, are available on the Board of Trustees Agendas and Minutes webpage.

Board of Trustees meetings are open to the university community and members of the public. All meetings will be held in the President’s Conference Room in the Bovee University Center, with seating for up to 25 individuals in the adjoining Lake Superior Room.

All meetings are also available via live stream:

• View the  Wednesday committee meetings via live stream. 
• View the  Thursday formal session meeting via live stream.

Per the Board of Trustees Bylaws, individuals wishing to address the Board of Trustees during the public comment period must submit a request in advance of the formal session in one of two ways:

• Complete the “Request to Address the Board” online form. 
• Visit the Office of the President in Warriner Hall to complete a request card.