This message along with a second, shorter version, began airing across Michigan today. The ads acknowledge the difficult truth of our current reality: Michigan families are struggling. And so, we are doing everything we can do to support them.
Roughly a quarter of Michigan workers have filed for unemployment over the past five weeks. Working students and families have lost jobs or wages as businesses scaled back operations, and many more face mounting financial pressure and uncertainty about the future.
The caring response — the CMU response — is to do all we can do to offer support and stability during this time.
That is why we froze tuition rates for undergraduates for the next academic year. It is why we are offering deferred payment options for fall tuition, fees, and room and board, giving students until as late as Nov. 1 to make payments. We will work with every student to develop a flexible payment plan that meets their needs and educational goals.
Over the past year, we have increased the amount of need-based scholarships and tied our Maroon and Gold Merit Recognition Scholarship to a percentage of tuition instead of a specific dollar amount. We’ve increased the number and value of scholarships available to transfer students and made it easier to transfer credits from other institutions.
Finally, we will guarantee on-campus employment for any student who needs to work while they attend classes, and we will work with local businesses and organizations to ensure additional employment is available for students.
We will continue to look for ways to keep a CMU education affordable and attainable for every student — because it is in our culture to do so. It is in the language of our mission statement: “We provide student-centered education …” It is reflected in our core values of excellence, innovation, compassion and social responsibility.
As CMU Chippewas, we Take Care of others — we pay attention to what is happening around us and take action. And putting the needs of students first is a key element of CMU’s Leadership Standards. We are service-oriented, caring, compassionate and responsive. We are focused on students and believe in the positive impact of education in their lives.
I invite you to share these ads, and our new webpage, with others. These uncertain times pose unique and difficult challenges for our students, but we are here for them. We are doing everything we can do, because that’s what Michigan does. That is what we, the people of Central Michigan University, do.