The President’s Office at Central Michigan University accounts for 0.3% of all expenditures on campus. Its budget is $1.2 million, according to the 2025-26 operating budget.

Erica Peters, the President’s chief of staff, said she and Amy Turley, administrative coordinator, are responsible for managing the President’s Office budget.

“At the start of each fiscal year, we receive our allocation in terms of our base budget and then manage that responsibly over the course of the year, and so just being really diligent stewards of our resources and making sure the President is aware of any ... anomalous expenses that come up,” Peters said.

The President’s Office expenses cover six staff salaries, benefits, supplies and equipment. President Neil MacKinnon’s salary is $500,000, according to the 2025 salary list.

In comparison:

Western Michigan University’s Office of the President budget is about $1.8 million, said Paula Davis, WMU’s spokesperson. WMU’s president’s salary is $525,000, according to WMU News.
Ferris State University’s president’s salary is $450,000, according to its budget report. The President’s general fund discretionary budget (doesn’t include staff salaries) is about $200,000.
At Eastern Michigan University, the President’s Office’s expenditures are $1.8 million. The President’s salary is about $482,700.

When it comes to revenue, CMU’s President’s Office doesn’t have a traditional revenue-generating function, said Joe Garrison, the university budget officer. Presidents can fundraise, but donors’ funds aren’t included in the general fund budget because they are marked for specific purposes, Garrison said.

This way, the office receives part of its revenue from tuition and part from state funding. That’s because the university has a hybrid budget model, which means if some areas of the university don’t generate revenue, they are funded internally, Garrison said.

“We have some areas that are part of our infrastructure,” he said. “Everybody needs to utilize those. ... Everybody benefits from the snow being plowed. Everybody benefits from being able to use the network.”

In addition, CMU’s Operating Budget reflects the President’s Division revenue and expenses. The President’s Office is a small component of the overall division budget, Garrison said.

Some other offices in the division are: Office of Information Technology, Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity, Office of General Counsel, Legal Services, University Transformation Office, Office of HIPAA Compliance and University Communications.

Garrison said these divisions are a part of the president’s division because they shouldn’t function elsewhere.

“The Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity, HIPAA privacy and internal audit, those three areas, they have a responsibility to the entire institution,” Peters said. “It would be challenging to embed them one layer down in a separate division. They may lose some of their ... independence.”

However, organizational structures can change over time, Garrison said. For example, former President Robert Davies moved the Office of Information Technology under the President’s Division, and current President MacKinnon created the University Transformation Office.

In total, the division’s revenue is about $1.2 million, and expenses are $32.8 million.