University President George Ross: ‘CMU remains strong’

Central Michigan University president George Ross delivers the State of the University address Thursday at Plachta Auditorium in Warriner Hall. “It is a privilege to attend CMU,” Ross said. (Adam Niemi/Staff Photographer)

Central Michigan University President George Ross said the “transformative power” of education has been driving CMU for the past 120 years.

Ross delivered his State of the University address Thursday in Plachta Auditorium to an audience of about 300 people and stressed the importance of education.

“A good education helps us appreciate the need to embrace the future,” he said. “At CMU, we do not isolate ourselves in the ivory towers of academia. Instead, we partner with communities, schools, businesses, lawmakers and students and families.”

He noted significant academic achievements from last year, including the College of Education and Human Services receiving full accreditation, the College of Medicine receiving preliminary accreditation and the academic prioritization of over 400 programs on campus.

Ross said more students are turning to CMU’s Global Campus to take classes.

“We added 22 new online courses, and from (the first summer session) through the spring semester, we had 22,295 online course registrations- 4,300 more than last year,” he said.

Ross said the turmoil surrounding the 2010-11 academic year did nothing but make CMU stronger.

“Despite challenges facing higher education and difficulties facing our campus last year, I’m here to tell you that CMU remains strong,” he said. “… Thanks to more than 1,000 dedicated and excellent faculty and 1,500 outstanding staff who share their knowledge, their critical thinking and their personal time with students.”

Ross said CMU will work together toward a common vision of what the university can be.

“Our future isn’t just the vision of the Board of Trustees or the cabinet or senior leadership. It’s not just the vision of George Ross,” he said. “This vision reflects what you already are doing. It continues a journey started on this day 120 years ago.”

Academic Senate, shared governance and communication are key factors in Ross’ plan to lead CMU to excellence in the future.

“We will achieve excellence by redefining shared governance with the Academic Senate. We will achieve excellence through mindful communication, and we will achieve excellence by challenging each other, every day,” he said.