In the past year, Central Michigan University saw several changes in its administration. From former President Bob Davies to former provost Nancy Mathews, CMU parted ways with 179 of its employees and introduced new faces.

Separation Agreements

According to the Director of Employee and Labor Relations Scott Hoffman, separation agreements can be used as a method of maintaining a healthy relationship with an outgoing employee and as a way to help transition them from one job to another.

However, not every employee has a separation agreement with the university.

These agreements are produced for at-will employees, who are “full-time benefit-eligible employees with no designated end date,” according to CMU’s Senior Officers Handbook.

“So senior officers, (vice presidents), deans … they are all considered at-will employees,” Director of Employment and Compensation Cali Clark said. “So if they separate employment, typically, they’re all eligible for a separation payment.”

These agreements can give an outgoing employee a year’s salary, money from leftover vacation time or even the ability to stay with the university as a faculty member.

“Often they minimize cost from the university,” Hoffman said.

Over the past two years, the college has paid out over $4 million in separation agreements:

Davies: $1,703,112

Outgoing Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the College of Medicine George Kikano: $1,180,707

Former Executive Vice President and Provost Nancy Mathews: $526,333.19

Former Executive Vice President and Provost Mary Schutten: $99,820.76

Former Vice President of Student Affairs Renee Watson: $226,377.32

Former Physician Assistant Program Director Debra Kimball-Christie: $116,915.00

Former Executive Director of Student Programming and Activities Jennifer Nottingham: $109,837.04

Former Football Video Operations Coordinator John McDowell III: $63,441.52

CMU does have transitional services for employees who are not considered at-will. Some of those services are allowing employees to maintain their insurance for 18 months, money from unused vacation time, and resources for filing for unemployment or retirement.

“We really try to help with a transitional period until, hopefully, they’re able to find other employment within that period of time,” Clark said.

Search firms

To fill in the highest positions at the university, CMU sometimes hires search firms, Clark said.

Central Michigan Life obtained six search contracts under the Freedom of Information Act. Those documents showed:

WittKieffer was hired to find a new CMU president on Feb. 29, 2024. Their services cost around $183,334, according to the letter of agreement.

Greenwood Asher & Associates was used to find a new dean for the College of Health Professions, according to the proposal signed on June 14, 2024. Their services cost $84,000.

Greenwood Asher & Associates was hired again on Jan. 7, 2025, to search for vice president of communications and chief marketing officer. The agreement read that their fees will be “based on the industry standard formula (of) 33 1/3% (i.e., 1/3) of the first year’s estimated cash compensation or GA&A’s minimum fee of $60,000, whichever is higher.”

A contract with Bowlsby Sports Advisors was signed on Nov. 21, 2024, to hire a new football head coach. Their services cost $48,000.

Parker Executive Search was hired to find a new men’s basketball head coach on April 7, 2025. Their services cost $35,000.

College Sports Solutions was hired to find a women’s volleyball head coach on Dec. 3, 2024. Their services cost $15,000.

Clark said CMU chooses to use search firms because the university hopes to hire the best candidate for the position. Different search firms specialize in certain things, such as enrollment, athletics and presidential search, Clark said.

“They are actually, for lack of a better word, a headhunter,” Clark said. “They make contacts, they call people and identify those individuals who might be interested but never thought about applying for a position.”

Typically, the vice presidents are the ones who determine if CMU will use a search firm, and it is normally only for the highest ranking positions at the university, Clark said. The university follows a policy when working with search firms.

When CMU works with a search firm, the university makes sure the firm is following the university’s process: Central still forms a search committee, selects people they want to interview and ultimately makes the hiring decision, Clark said.

Clark said senior positions are hired by the person they report to. For example, Athletic Director Amy Folan hires head coaches and CMU President MacKinnon will hire the vice president of University Communications.

The search process itself is confidential, Clark said, so the candidate’s employment at that time isn’t jeopardized. Search firms also have timelines they work in. Clark said a vacancy is filled in within about two months.