The Slow Death of a Small Town
Mt. Pleasant, Michigan Sinks Slowly into Irrelevancy and Silence
Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, according to the 2020 US census, lost almost 18% of its population. This was quite a shock to the local community. Furthermore, Isabella County, where Mt. Pleasant is located, had the 4th largest population loss amongst Michigan’s 83 counties. This news also knocked the local citizenry back a bit.
Nevertheless, in a few days, this rather disturbing news barely made a ripple in the minds of the local residents. Many of them were convinced that the final population figure was too low. They, of course, blamed the US census takers. Many complained that the student population of Central Michigan University (CMU) was not added to the city’s overall population total.
Unbeknownst to the majority of residents of Mt. Pleasant, this was another inconvenient fact that continued to contribute to the city’s emerging, and rude, wake-up call.
Of course, The Morning Sun, noted the US census numbers. Most readers just grumbled about the US government’s inability to do a proper count of the town’s people. Ironically, The Morning Sun, left Mt. Pleasant about four years ago. Again, most people never noticed. Such is the newspaper business today. And people’s innate ability to avoid any “bad” news — if possible.
Yet, for Mt. Pleasant to lose it local newspaper was like the canary in the mineshaft - calling out for help. No one heard her. Hence, the paper’s final demise, and move to Alma (a smaller town 15 miles to the south), was greeted by indifferent silence.
No. The US census takers were not wrong. A new reality was dawning for this small university town in the central region of Michigan. In fact, many longtime residents did indeed recognize a disturbing change occurring to the face of the city. But they chose not to mention it too loudly. Why?
Mt. Pleasant is the 21st century version of a ‘company town’.
In truth, Mt. Pleasant is run by a handful of families (and their cronies) who control or dictate the economic, political, and social fortunes of the local populace.
Central Michigan University is the unspoken face of Mt. Pleasant. Period.
Everything revolves around the school. Simply put, you did not criticize the university. Even if it was warranted. The school is considered a ‘sacred cow’. Being unduly harsh in one’s estimate of CMU could get you the unwanted attention of the “locals”.
Translation: One could find themselves ostracized or, worse, unemployment if one did not cease or desist in expressing their derisory comments concerning CMU. This understood reality held sway in Mt. Pleasant for decades.
Until 2022. Then. All hell broke loose.
Point of fact, a firestorm represented by a convergence of “historic forces”, within and outside the Mt. Pleasant community, manifested itself into creating an inescapable tidal wave of anger, dismay and shock.
What happened?
First, the local business community began to contract — dramatically. The ‘lockdown’ during the Pandemic had triggered a considerable shockwave upon the city’s two main thorough ways — Mission Street and Picard Street. But particularly for Mission Street.
In 2011, CMU had over 27,000 students attending it. But that, in retrospect, and unbeknownst to the local community, would represent the high-water mark for the university.
By 2022, there was, maybe 10,000 students attending CMU. This massive loss of students (and customers), plus the lockdown of the city in 2020, and don’t forget, the rampant fear and paranoia of being infected by strangers at restaurants or stores, decimated the number of shoppers (‘foot traffic’) frequenting local businesses.
Bridge Michigan, a non-profit news source, published a survey in June 2021 that indicated the challenges and problems confronting Mt. Pleasant’s small business community was not unusual. In truth, it was pretty much the ‘norm’ for most small towns throughout Michigan.
In short order, several local businesses collapsed in Mt. Pleasant. The sudden loss of revenue (and customers) could not be absorbed. The after-effects of the ‘Covid-Lockdown’ remains a lethal factor in many Michigan communities, including Mt. Pleasant.
Thus, unsurprisingly, major businesses in Mt. Pleasant sank like the Titanic - Sears, K-Mart, JC Penney’s and Kroger’s. All fell by the wayside. Major restaurant chains such as Big Boy, Ruby Tuesdays, Krankers, Italian Oven, Senoritas, and Pizza Hut were a few of the better-known cuisine casualties.
Other business closed as well. Many of these closures became quite conspicuous due to their dark windows facing those who drove on Mission Street.
But the news about Central Michigan University’s enrollment collapse sent a massive 10.0 Richter earthquake throughout the town. You could see and sense the fear, panic, and disbelief in the eyes of the local community.
Then the number of professors and administrators being fired, then the number of university staff being dismissed, and, finally, then the number of other university employees being pushed to the sidewalk became public knowledge.
To say the least, these terminations were breathtaking and shocking in their scope. Mt. Pleasant was no longer sleep-walking with concern to CMU.
CMU sank from having the 4th most students at a Michigan university to 7th. And the prospects of sinking even lower are quite real. CMU ranks near the bottom in academic standards amongst Michigan universities.
In 2019, Forbes ranked the top 650 universities and colleges in America. Seventeen Michigan schools made the list. But CMU was ranked #589 overall. Amongst Michigan’s (17) universities, only Wayne State University (#601) was ranked lower than CMU.
I taught full-time in the history department at Central Michigan University for six years. CMU was known for its parties — not its academics. After experiencing great success as an academic at CMU, I left in May 2011 to work for US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on issues concerning Human Right. I was the 82nd Franklin Fellow selected.
Sadly, a decade later, CMU’s shallow academic reputation had finally caught up with the school. But there were other critical factors that undermined CMU’s ability to attract students.
The dramatic rise of costs at CMU in getting a university education; the mountains of debt that CMU students had to incur in getting that education; plus, as mentioned earlier, CMU’s terrible reputation as an institution of higher education, seriously wounded (mortally?) the school’s ability to attract students.
All these factors were crucial in creating the present crisis at CMU. But, the foundational reason for CMU’s recent difficulties occurred a decade ago. The CMU administration made an ill-fated and tragic decision to build a medical school. To put it bluntly, this catastrophic “decision” has essentially bankrupted the university.
To pay for the medical school, the university’s best programs were seriously defunded to help finance this ‘white elephant’. As a result, today, CMU’s finances are in a shambles. The university is broke. Period.
In June 2021, CMU President Bob Davies announced that only (24) STEM-related programs would be fully funded. This contentious and controversial decision reflected CMU’s new academic direction and its academic priorities.
Unsurprisingly, half the CMU faculty (consisting of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences professors) completely freaked out. They demanded that a vote of “NO” confidence take place. It did.
The result was that the CMU faculty had essentially fired President Davies. However, the Board of Trustees remains in President Davies’ corner — for now. Hence, Davies is still in charge — no matter how tenuously.
Along with all the on-campus drama occurring at CMU, the local and state media has eaten CMU alive. A major expose on CMU’s growing difficulties was published by The Detroit News, written by award-winning education reporter, Kim Kozlowski, struck a deep nerve within the Mt. Pleasant community.
Plus, numerous T.V. news stories about CMU’s calamitous situation makes recruiting new students an almost impossible task. It should be noted that Kozlowski has recently published another story about CMU being investigated by the US Department of Education’s Civil Rights division for basing its decisions concerning the school’s athletic program upon race.
The bad news just keeps coming for CMU. As expected, the community is reeling and badly shaken. And there appears to be no end to it.
As of right now, Mt. Pleasant is in a state of shell shock from the unfolding of all these “factors” that have slammed into it, and the university over the past few days, months, and years. What will happen? No one dares to guess.
Obviously, the city of Mt. Pleasant will never be the same. Yes, things will eventually smooth out. But significant aspects of Mt. Pleasant’s and CMU’s cultures are gone forever. Demographic forces ensure that CMU’s numbers will likely remain small. There are 8% to 9% fewer high school graduates in Michigan. Fact. Hence, the needed young people are simply not there anymore.
Will Central Michigan University be closed? For now, no.
But if the enrollment numbers continue to diminish!?! Who knows.
Yes, CMU could very well be a casualty within the new, cold blooded and unforgiving reconfiguration of America’s education landscape, within Michigan, as well as throughout America.
Since 2017, approximately 600 colleges have closed. In May 2022, Lincoln College, a private college in Illinois, will close after 157 years! Others will follow suit — you can bank on it.
For now, the slow death of Mt. Pleasant remains. Without question, significant economic, educational, political, and social forces are turning America upside down.
And the city of Mt. Pleasant and Central Michigan University have discovered that they cannot escape these contemporary “forces”. Thus, their final fates remain undefined.
They have no choice but to ride out the storm that has engulfed the nation.
They must endure one of the most unpredictable and volatile periods in US history.
They are reaping the whirlwinds of history — with no endgame in sight!!