Michigan colleges and universities

Scientists from around the world are expected to flock to East Lansing to conduct research at the $730 million Facility for Rare Isotopes, which officially opens Monday. Its particle accelerator is faster than yours. 

A federal civil rights agency is looking into why CMU ended men’s track and field and then revived its men’s golf program. University President Bob Davies said a tight budget (track costs more to run than golf) not racial bias was the reason. 

CMU’s president and board chair say they understand the difficulty of reversing steep enrollment declines and have big decisions to make in the next budget cycle.

The majority of Michigan’s public universities, and half its private colleges, are below the national average in the percentage of their low-income students who earn a degree. Some do far better than others in ensuring these students graduate.

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.