Central Michigan University President Neil MacKinnon answered questions and concerns from students at the Student Government Association's town hall event on Monday, Jan. 27.

MacKinnon, who is approaching his 100 days as CMU's president, said this role means expressing his love for teaching and research.

“I also approach this position as a dad who has three daughters in university,” MacKinnon said. “So all the issues I hear about, the quality of the food, being on waitlist, I live that as a dad as well."

Corey Micho

CMU President Neil MacKinnon addresses students' questions about his vision of CMU and concerns regarding safety and finances at the SGA's Town Hall at the Bovee University Center on Jan. 27. (CM Life | Corey Hogue)

Vision for CMU

MacKinnon said that his vision for CMU will be following the strategic plan put in place by the pervious university administration.

“The university went through a whole visioning just over a year ago," MacKinnon said. "It was called a strategic plan. I know students were consulted as a part of that. ... I don’t have plans to change that because it’s a great plan."

MacKinnon said that the plan focuses on encouraging student engagement, bettering relationships with community members, creating a culture at CMU that recruits and retains the best faculty and staff, and continuing to improve both environmental and economic sustainability.

MacKinnon said he recently established a community relations committee to strengthen and expand relationships with a focus on community wellbeing and economic growth.

It is an advisory with a total of 30 members: half of them are from CMU, and the other half are local community leaders. He said the committee will be working in a similar vein to achieve a type of synergy between CMU and Mount Pleasant.

Some of the duties include but are not limited to organizing internships and professional opportunities for students by allowing better cooperation between Mount Pleasant and CMU, MacKinnon said.

MacKinnon also spoke about the College of Medicine's move to Saginaw, which is expected to give better opportunities for students and relieve some space. He said the project is in the planning and building design stages, with a final budget and other details to be finalized in the coming months.

Addressing enrollment

Many students raised the question about the declining enrollment.

CMU's enrollment was the highest in Fall 2015 at around 25,000 students. At the end of the 2024 fall semester, the student body stood at around 14,500 students.

MacKinnon said other universities in Michigan are also facing enrollment difficulties because the overall population of high school graduates is declining. But he said that this semester, CMU's enrollment went up by 79 students.

“We’ll take that, right?" MacKinnon said. "That’s an increase, OK, so what we need to do, though, is really build on that. One of my very first acts as president, has been to commission ... a strategic enrollment plan."

Students' concerns about safety, finances

Addressing the question about improving campus safety, MacKinnon recalled personal experience from his time at Augusta University.

He said as a father of three daughters who do go to Augusta and are frequent joggers, he takes campus safety seriously. He said he has faith in CMU Police Department along with other security measures taking place.

MacKinnon also said that the installing of locks and swipe cards on academic and residential buildings, a process that started before he became president, is ongoing and will eventually be equipped for every building. He said he also went on a night walk in his first month at CMU with the CMUPD and SGA to get a feel of night life on campus, in order to identity areas of improvement.

Another question was about the financial distress students may endure while at CMU.

MacKinnon said that as a public research university, he wants CMU to be “accessible no matter your income."

He said that as president, an often-hidden part of his job is connecting with donors and fundraising to create and maintain scholarships for students.

But he said that there's still a balancing act between the needs of the university through tuition and other means and retaining faculty and staff.

Looking into the future

MacKinnon also addressed multiple executive orders that President Donald Trump signed in the last weeks regarding diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, and other policies impacting both the federal government and sectors across the country.

MacKinnon said that after consulting with the head of CMU's general counsel and Vice President of Legal Affairs, John Danner, there are no widespread changes that the university has to make at the moment.

MacKinnon ended the Town Hall on a positive note and with a message for students: Have fun.

"Yes, you cross a stage with a degree, so I want to see you (students) at commencement, so please continue on," MacKinnon said. "Yes, I want you to get a job that not just pays well, but you find fulfilling. But don't just think about the end product. You are in very special place at CMU."