Central Michigan University

From a humble 1892 beginning upstairs over a downtown store in the village of Mount Pleasant to the fourth-largest university in the state, Central Michigan University's growth is tribute to the determination of visionaries who saw the Lower Michigan crossroads town as a potential home to a world-class learning center. First a private enterprise, then a state school, Central Michigan Normal School and Business College, the school would change names four more times to be known as Central
State Teachers College, Central Michigan College of Education, Central Michigan College, and Central Michigan University on the road to making its founder's 19th-century dreams a 21st-century reality. With a total enrollment of 27,452, Central Michigan University offers a broad selection of more than 3,000 courses and 25 degrees.

Jack R. Westbrook is a retired editor of the Michigan Oil & Gas News magazine. In Central Michigan University, he applies the journalist's eye to the shapers of the school's heritage and buildings that honor them. Vintage photographs from Clarke Historical Library and Mount Pleasant Area Historical Society, along with some modern scenes, plus concise captions vividly tell the Central Michigan University story.