Changes on campus highlighted by expansion, class sizes

Central Michigan University has a different face now than it did 10 years ago, from the changing skyline to the ever-changing goals of faculty and staff.

“In the past 10 years, the university has probably changed more than in the previous 20,” said chemistry professor Bob Howell, who has worked at CMU for 32 years.

Howell said there has been a large influx, at least in the chemistry department, of young faculty and a university-wide increase in focus on research that was not seen 10 years ago.

He said one instrumental person in these changes was former University President Michael Rao, who served from 2000 until June 2009, when he left for the presidency at Virginia Commonwealth University.

“He was just very dynamic and very positive,” Howell said.

In addition to the increased focus on research, there also is an expansion of graduate programs throughout the university, including programs in audiology, health professions, history, education, and material science.

Technology

Another large change on campus has been the addition of technology and a technical support staff.

“They’re giving us ideas of how to use technology in the classroom,” said health sciences professor Rich Parr, who has been teaching at CMU for 43 years.

The technical support does not touch on the fact that 10 years ago, there was almost nothing in the way of computer labs for classes, said English temporary faculty Carol Riddle.

There also was a physical expansion of the university into new buildings. Some more recent additions and renovations are the Education and Human Services Building, the Health Professions Building and the renovation of the Charles V. Park Library.

“I used to know campus really well — now, I see an address and it’s in some building I’ve never been in,” said Riddle, who has been a faculty member for 20 years.

Keeping up

With these expansions into new buildings, there also is a growing number of students. On-campus enrollment has increased to 20,444 in 2009 from 17,789 in 1999.

That is a concern for some faculty who feel it may become difficult to keep up the level of their program with the growing class sizes.

Professor David Gillingham of the School of Music said the completion of the Music Building has given the program more notoriety — although it is able to be more selective with students, the classes are getting larger as well.

“It’s amazing that we can do as much as we do with the faculty we have,” Gillingham said.

Because of many of the changes buildings and the emphasis on research at CMU, Howell said he has noticed a shift in the image of the university.

“If you look at what’s happening to the university — our image nationally is much better than it was,” Howell said.