7
centralight fall '14
The city and the university grew up
together and thrive today after more
than a century of shared vision
Mount Pleasant is celebrating a
milestone birthday this year –
it's the big 1-2-5.
Yes, the city has been incorporated for 125
years, and it's had a really great friend for 122
of them: CMU.
We have shared a rich history that began in
1892 when, legend has it, a few Mount
Pleasant men brainstormed over hot coff ee
at a local diner to start a little school to
educate rural teachers and future local
business owners.
As the city grew, so did that little college. As
more fl ocked to learn, the city stepped up
to support Central's business needs.
Pretty soon, that small school grew into one
of the nation's 100 largest public universities
with a worldwide network of more than
220,000 alumni, who can all trace the roots
of their education back to the vision of a
select few in rural Mount Pleasant.
Simply put, we all grew up together.
"As a townie and local historian, I've
watched the college grow in size and
number of students, and I've watched the
community of Mount Pleasant change with
it," says Sherry Braun Sponseller, '75, who
attended her fi rst CMU homecoming
parade and game in 1958 and has lived in
Mount Pleasant her whole life.
1893
Central Michigan Normal School
and Business Institute
