Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Founded in 1892, it has an enrollment of about 23,000 students. The university offers more than 200 programs of study in a wide range of disciplines and is classified as one of 115 “Doctoral Universities: Higher Research Activity” by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. CMU is also a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU).
The school was established on October 12, 1892, when the Michigan Legislature authorized the creation of Central Michigan Normal School to train teachers for the developing school system in rural areas across Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. The first classes were held in January 1894 at White Pine Village, now part of today’s winter sports complex known as Park Library Auditorium. In 1899, the school became Central Michigan College and offered its first four-year Bachelor’s degree program. In 1959, the college became Central Michigan University after gaining status as a general education institution and adding graduate programs.
Today CMU comprises eight colleges offering more than 200 degree programs at undergraduate-, master’s-, specialist’s- and doctoral-levels: Business Administration; Communication and Fine Arts; Education and Human Services; Health Professions; Humanities and Social Sciences; Music; Science and Engineering; Graduate Studies. Among its facilities are 30 research centers and institutes including two National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratories – particle accelerators used for nuclear physics research – which make it a major contributor to high energy physics research worldwide. Notable alumni include U.S Senator Debbie Stabenow, actor James Earl Jones, NFL player LaMarr Woodley, former First Lady Elizabeth Koppitz Bradfield and businessman Jerry Yang co-founder Yahoo!
In athletics, the university competes at NCAA Division I level as members of Mid-American Conference (MAC) East division since 1948 for most sports except wrestling (Mid-American Conference West division), where they compete as an affiliate member since 2011–12 season. Men’s teams are nicknamed Chippewas (often shortened to Chips), while women’s teams are called Eagles or Fightin’ Eagles depending on sport/position