Founded in 1892, Central Michigan University (CMU) celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2017. CMU is one of 15 public universities in Michigan, and one of six public doctoral universities classified with high research activity by the Carnegie Classification system. CMU offers instruction at its main campus in Mount Pleasant, Michigan; its medical school’s educational facility in Saginaw, Michigan; and at 27 locations worldwide through the CMU Global Campus.
In the course of fulfilling its mission to educate students and conduct research to solve today’s urgent problems, CMU employs residents and spends millions of dollars that support businesses throughout the state. This activity translates to economic benefits, in addition to the social and cultural benefits that are typically associated with institutions of higher learning.
Central Michigan University retained Anderson Economic Group (AEG) to perform an analysis of the benefits of CMU’s presence in Michigan. The purposes of this report are to:
- Provide information on the university’s students and alumni; and
- Estimate the economic impact of CMU in Michigan, accounting for university spending, affiliate spending, student spending, and incremental alumni earnings.