Central Michigan University

Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1892 as a private normal school and became a state institution in 1895. CMU is one of the eight research universities in Michigan and is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". It has more than 14,000 students on its Mount Pleasant campus. CMU offers 200 academic programs at the undergraduate, master's, specialist, and doctoral levels. The Central Michigan Chippewas compete in the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference in six men's and ten women's sports.

CMU opened in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute. Prof. Charles F. R. Bellows, a University of Michigan graduate, became the founding principal of the school in June 1892.

For the first year, 31 students attended classes in the Carpenter Building in downtown Mount Pleasant. Bellows surveyed the future location of the campus and was involved in the construction of the original Main Building, which opened in September 1893. Within the first two years, land was acquired, and a $10,000 school building was constructed.

During Bellows' tenure, he organized a separate Conservatory for Music through his own funds, which became incorporated into the Normal in 1900. He continued to teach as a professor and spoke to teacher groups throughout the State. Bellows also led an advertising effort for the school in order to gain more students.

In 1895, the Michigan State Board of Education assumed control of the school, renaming it Central Michigan Normal School. Bellows resigned from Central in the following year. He returned to Ypsilanti, Michigan in 1902 to join the faculty of the Michigan State Normal College (now Eastern Michigan University).

By 1918, the campus consisted of 25 acres with five buildings. On June 1, 1959, with 40 buildings now standing on the 235-acre campus and an enrollment of 4,500 students, Central was renamed Central Michigan University. The designation reflected growth in the complexity of the school's academic offerings as well as its physical growth in the post-war period. Enrollment tripled over the next 10 years.

In response to the need for doctors to practice in rural areas, CMU opened its medical school in 2010.

Central Michigan University is governed by a board of trustees, whose eight members are appointed by the Governor of Michigan with advice and consent of the Michigan Senate for terms of eight years. The board appoints and reviews the President of Central Michigan University, currently Neil J. MacKinnon. Nancy E. Mathews was appointed as Provost and Executive Vice President of Central Michigan University on August 1, 2022, by President Robert O. Davies.