05/08/2026
Former Central Michigan University Trustee Todd Anson wrote that presidential leadership at CMU allowed the university’s decline in a column in Midland Daily News on April 19. He also wrote that the current CMU Board and President Neil MacKinnon are “ill-equipped” to address the financial challenges the university faces.
Central Michigan Life sat down with Anson, MacKinnon and Chair Denise Mallett to understand these concerns and where the university stands.
During his interview, Anson said one of his biggest frustrations with MacKinnon’s leadership is the decision to scale down the project of moving the College of Medicine (CMED) to Saginaw.
MacKinnon said the university is focusing on strengthening its partnership with Covenant HealthCare and MyMichigan Health.
"The other part we are working on since I was president is really striking the partnerships with those two big health systems, because again, we don't own our own healthcare system," MacKinnon said.
Along with this, Anson said CMU should invest in differentiating itself from other universities in order to bring more students in after the university faced a decade-long challenge of declining enrollment.
MacKinnon and Mallett said addressing enrollment is one of their main priorities.
https://www.cm-life.com/article/2026/05/d_toddansonopinion_news_043026
