Michigan colleges and universities

CMU acknowledged that new housing is necessary as part of a larger strategy to attract new students following steep declines. But its board said Thursday “now is not the right time” to advance new housing plans given ongoing economic uncertainty. 

As CMU works to turn around a 43-percent drop in enrollment since 2012, the director of undergraduate recruitment had his last day on April 7, the university confirmed. 

It’s a tale of two university systems: The state’s flagship schools, along with Michigan Tech, have expanded enrollment in the past decade while 12 other public universities lost a collective 46,000 students, amid a smaller pool of high school graduates. 

CMU has lost more than 11,000 students since 2012. In an internal email, the school’s head of recruitment placed blame with the administration, which she said has been outhustled by competitors for students from metro Detroit.

Referencing the popular musical “Hamilton,” Grand Rapids Community College president Bill Pink said if he is confirmed as the next president of Ferris State University, he will be in the ‘room where it happens’ to encourage more people to pursue higher education.