CMU to open rural health, teacher prep hub in TC Connect

Travis Snyder, The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
·3 min read

May 1—TRAVERSE CITY — Central Michigan University has had a presence in Traverse City for more than 40 years now, and was one of the early collaborators with Northwestern Michigan College's University Center in the 1990s.

Soon, the CMU footprint will grow through the opening of a new hub located at the Traverse City Connect building on East Grandview Parkway.

The CMU outreach hub will be anchored by CMU's Innovation and Online programs and the CMU Rural Health Equity Institute. Staff will be moved in and the facility will be in operation the week of May 13.

The Rural Health Equity Institute is an initiative started in July 2023 to assist rural communities in addressing the needs of its residents, healthcare and social services.

Alison Arnold, who serves as the executive director of the Rural Health Equity Institute, said her team is "thrilled" to be a part of the new CMU Outreach office.

"The institute takes a rural lens and collaborates closely with communities to respond to local needs and tackle health disparities to improve access to services, expand telehealth capacity, advance data solutions and tools, and deliver education and training," Arnold said. "The forum will promote a discussion of opportunities for cross-collaborations between education, healthcare, and community efforts focused on improving health and well-being."

The university recently received a $15 million grant from the state to invest in rural education, and construct the new hub.

Funds from the grant will be used to address certified teacher shortage in rural school districts.

"Hiring and retaining certified teachers is a struggle for public schools across Michigan — especially those in rural settings," a CMU news release noted.

Establishing a credentialing hub will help existing school staff who are not yet certified, as well as prospective teachers in rural communities who can earn educator licenses at no cost.

The name of the initiative is the Michigan Consortium for Addressing Rural Education Expansion and Retention (MiCAREER) Resource Hub, which also will offer ongoing professional development and support for teachers.

Kaleb Patrick, interim vice president of innovation and online, said that districts in more urban regions (like Detroit and Grand Rapids), have access to educator prep programs, but that's not the case in rural areas like northern Michigan.

"We're committed to the northern Michigan region for many years now, and this initiative is one more example of that." he said, adding that CMU has had a presence in Traverse City since 1979, and was a part of the initial group that started at the NMC University Center when it first opened in 1995.

"We will always be a part of the University Center," he said. "But we also feel the need to expand beyond that, and provide opportunities to rural communities."

Patrick said that the university will depend on collaboration with Eastern Michigan University, Michigan State University, Northern Michigan University, Saginaw Valley State University, as well nine northern Michigan intermediate school districts to address the rural education needs in the region and find solutions.

CMU consortium partners will begin development of the new hub this month. Dr. Paula Lancaster, dean of the CMU College of Education and Human Services, said she expects programs to start no later than August.