Central Michigan University is home to 14,135 students this semester, which is 331 fewer students than last year's enrollment. That's what Vice President of Student Recruitment and Retention Jennifer Dehaemers told the Board of Trustees during the Academic and Student Affairs Committee meeting Wednesday.

DeHaemers said that the decrease comes from a significant drop in the university's international enrollment.

"The fact that they're down, we weren't surprised by that," Dehaemers said. "Disappointed? Yes. Suprised? No. It doesn't mean that we're working any less hard to try and increase those numbers again."

She stated that there are some factors outside of the university's control that are contributing to the decrease in international students, such as changes in procedures and increased wait times for visas.

"There was a 30-day period where they just closed all the visa appointments down," Dehaemers said. "April to May is a really busy time for students to be going for those interviews and getting those visas to arrive for the fall semester, whether it's here or anywhere else in the U.S."

Despite the drop in enrollment, CMU saw an increase of 117 students in the university's domestic enrollment.

The university has been implementing four strategic priorities to help recruit and retain students:

Increasing market share
Distinctive positioning
New online programs
Student Success

During the meeting, Dehaemers stated that the university will draft a strategic enrollment management plan, which President Neil MacKinnon has pushed for since the beginning of his tenure at CMU. They hope to reveal the plan during the trustees' meeting in November.

"We continue to really try to get the message out about what a great place this is," she said. "We host over 10,000 prospective students a year. We have great financial aid packages. The students have a great experience when they come here, and so it's just we've got to get that message out better than we did this year."

Finance and Facilities Committee

Associated Vice President of Facilities Management Jonathan Webb updated the Board on his department’s projects.

This summer, the facilities team worked on 90 projects, which value was over $30 million, Webb said. Some of them were:

Renovations in Foust Clinic to accommodate co-located student, staff and specialty clinics;
Merrill Dining renovations: north side that has “Grab and go” was completed on time, and the southern part that will have a coffee bar and a seating area should be done by the end of the year;
Building of access controls across campus, which is now 82% complete;
Park Library spaces transformation into study areas;
Fire systems modernization in Towers residence halls.

Additionally, Mary Hill, vice president of Finance and Administrative Services, raised a question to change the name of Graduate Housing to University Apartments. The Board will consider this decision at its formal meeting on Thursday, Sept. 18.

“Over time, the demand for different types of housing has changed, and we want to clarify that those apartments are open also to upperclassmen,” Hill said.

Two new endowments were also announced at the meeting.

Vice President of Advancement Jenn Cotter said CMU now offers the James C. Chapin Memorial Scholarship to support a student-athlete, preferably one pursuing a degree within the College of Business Administration, and the Bonnie Jean Varker Schultz Endowed Scholarship for students in the pre-veterinary pathway.

Trustees Faculty and Liaison Committee

The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences developed the CLASS Hub that will provide students within the college opportunities to build their portfolio and find a career path after college.

The Hub started last fall and had its grand opening in March of 2025. Matthew Katz, career pathways coordinator, said the goal for the organization is to help students find a career outside of college.

“(It’s) for students who love what they do in college, but don’t know what to do after college,” Katz said.

The Hub works to help students struggling to find a career path within their major. The Hub gives students access to alumni and employers, internship and career fairs, study abroad opportunities and career advisors for students.

“We’re gonna help you get a job while you’re studying what you love," Joshua Adams, coordinator of recruitment and community outreach, said.

Policy and Bylaws Committee

Trustee Denise W. Mallett said the committee reviewed the policy and bylaws of the Board of Trustees.

“I’m pleased to report that 95% of it was solid,” Mallett said. “We’ve had a really good structure, but we had an opportunity to go back and make some, I think well-needed current adjustments to our policy and bylaws as a board.”

If the Board approves the amendments during its formal session, a new version of the bylaws will be uploaded to the CMU's website.

The CMU's Board of Trustees formal meeting will take palce at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18.