Go Grant Recipients

In the spring of 2026, CMU students, faculty, and staff submitted more than 110 Go Grant proposals — a similar total to the inaugural year of the program. Members of CMU’s Budget Priorities Committee reviewed each new Go Grant submission and recommended projects to the president based on their potential positive impact on the university and community. The president and a small group of senior leaders selected the final recipients and determined the funding amounts of each Go Grant. 

The following 2026 grants have been selected for first-time funding and Keep Going! Grant funding; recipients were notified during the week of May 4-8, 2025. Grants marked with an asterisk (*) were student-led submissions.

Use the links below to jump to initiatives related to:

• Priority One
• Priority Four
• Multiple Priorities
• Keep Going! Grants
• 2025 Go Grant Recipients

Enhancing Recruitment with Real-Time Data Collection Technology
Patty Young, Undergraduate Admissions

This initiative will equip CMU admissions recruiters with digital tablets to be used during visits to schools, recruitment events, and college fairs. These tablets will enable recruiters to collect and share information with prospective students in real time, capturing and storing data more quickly and accurately. This allows CMU to begin more personalized, relevant communication to students more quickly. 

Lunch Buddies Program
Symantha Datillo, Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center

Lunch Buddies is a school-based mentoring program serving school children in grades K-5. The program pairs trained CMU student mentors with elementary school students for weekly lunch and recess engagements, helping young children develop positive attitudes and behaviors around school, healthy nutrition and physical activity. These mentoring sessions focus on health, social-emotional development, and help to foster a strong sense of belonging and self-esteem.

Transforming Faculty Leaders through Digital Learning & Literacies
Katie Edmiston, CMU Libraries, and Troy Hicks, College of Education and Human Services

This initiative builds on the success of the existing Digital Learning and Leadership Faculty Fellows Program, a yearlong skill-building program that has equipped 31 faculty members to better incorporate digital literacy, multimedia and AI into their classrooms. The Go Grant funding will engage faculty from the first fellowship cohort alongside new faculty participants and will include a focus on using Adobe Express as an instructional tool. This program will help to develop faculty leaders in areas directly relevant to students’ next-step success, career outcomes, and readiness to lead in an increasingly digital world.

CMU Rural Innovation Initiative
John Gustincic, Department of Entrepreneurship, College of Business Administration

This pilot program will target high school students in rural Northern Michigan, particularly those in lower-income communities, with a series of Rural Innovation Workshops. These programs will provide hands-on innovation education, exposure to emerging technologies, and structured pathways to higher education and workforce readiness.

Applied Science Workforce Pathways: Portable STEM Demonstrations for Recruiting
Dale LeCaptain, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

This initiative aims to help community college students envision a pathway to degree attainment and career success through CMU’s applied science majors. These portable demonstrations provide clear examples of how CMU coursework connects to real-world workforce needs in fields including chemical manufacturing, semiconductor materials, brewing analytics, environmental lab testing, and biotechnology. The program will present clear links to careers with major employers in the region and help prospective students visualize clear career trajectories prior to entering CMU.

CMU-branded Quadruped for Learning, Outreach, and Research
Patrick Seeling and Patrick Kinnicutt, Department of Computer Science

This initiative will provide a quadruped robotics platform for course-embedded projects, outreach teams, and research, and will provide students experience access to interdisciplinary, future-of-work skills in robotics, AI, and data-driven problem solving. The CMU-branded quadruped robot will also be used in recruitment activities and community engagement activities.

Free Menstrual Products Initiative*
Harsna Chahal and Carolina Hernandez Ruiz, students

This initiative aims to create a sustainable procurement and restocking system for free eco-friendly menstrual products in 66 campus dispensers. This initiative supports student success by removing a basic health barrier that can impact attendance, academic performance, and student well-being, while also promoting sustainability through the use of biodegradable, plastic-free products.

Social Media Ambassadors Pilot Program
University Marketing and Communications team

This pilot program will recruit, train and engage current CMU students to become CMU-focused social media content creators. Students will gain hands-on learning and resume-building experience in social media strategy, digital content development, multi-department communications collaboration, data analytics and more. Content created will promote CMU’s recruitment, enrollment and retention efforts, and showcase outstanding academic programs and student service offerings university-wide.

Different Minds, One CMU
Cheryl Danner, Kristie Miner and Zulfia Zaher — CMU Counseling Center and the Strategic Communication Program in the College of the Arts and Media 

This Go Grant proposal is a neurodiversity-affirming initiative aimed to support current and prospective students, with a consultation piece for faculty and staff. The program will bring mentorship, one-on-one coaching and community support to any student or prospective student who identifies as neurodivergent, helping them make connections with other students, as well as faculty and alumni, who can offer hope and strategies to enhance their college-going experience. Further, the initiative aims to help CMU design experiences that are clear, predictable and accessible to all students, not just those who disclose a disability or diagnosis. Developing comprehensive strategies to support all students, including neurodivergent students, will strengthen belonging and make CMU a place all students want to be.

Indigenous Storytelling
Chris Ogozaly, WCMU Public Media

This Go Grant will fund the pilot episode of a television series highlighting Indigenous foods and culture. WCMU, in collaboration with Chef Sam Anglin and CMU’s Allen Foundation Culinary Nutrition Center, will increase awareness of Indigenous cultures and foodways, fostering exploration of diverse ideas, ideologies and perspectives. The visual storytelling will also contribute to the preservation, celebration and sharing of the history and traditions of a valued neighbor and partner: the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe.

Leadership Camp
Steely Pegg, Residence Life in the Division of University Engagement and Student Affairs

This pilot program will engage high school-aged prospective students in a multi-day camp focused on personal growth and leadership development, based on the Social Change Model of Leadership Development. Participants will experience unique on- and off-campus activities, engaging with local leaders and campus-based students, faculty and staff, to learn more about CMU and the greater Mount Pleasant community.

The CMU LeadForward initiative will offer learning and professional development opportunities to all faculty and staff interested in pursuing future administrative leadership roles. The program will pair experienced leaders with emerging leaders on campus through a series of networking events with campus, alumni and community leaders; monthly themes connected to the Leadership Standards and shared readings; speakers; coaching sessions focused on Clifton Strengths; and informal sessions between mentors and mentees.

StrengthsFinder Coaching
Vernique Jackson, Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute
Priorities One through Four

The StrengthsFinder assessment is a coaching tool that helps individuals identify their key strengths, which can help them begin to explore potential career paths. The original Go Grant provided funding to train coaches to deliver coaching sessions and leadership workshops; the Keep Going grant will provide funding to continue the program.

New Faculty Community Cohort
Gabrielle Likavec, CIS
Priorities One and Three

The original Go Grant funds were used to establish cohorts among newly arrived faculty members and equip them with tools, resources, professional development and mentorship to help them find and build community as they achieve their personal and professional goals. The Keep Going grant will provide funding for a second year of cohort development and support. 

Paint the Town Maroon – second annual event
Community Relations Committee
Priorities Two and Three

The original Go Grant provided funding to host the first Paint the Town Maroon initiative, which delivered CMU-themed kits to nearly 200 local businesses in the Mount Pleasant community. The initiative partnered with the Fire Up! Fest to bring more maroon and gold into the community. The Keep Going grant will provide funding to continue the initiative for a second year.

InSciTE STEM Speaker Series and Panel Initiative*
Lucille Nobis, student, InSciTE program 
Priority One

In the first year of the Go Grant, this initiative provided resources for students in the Integration of Science, Technology and Engineering (InSciTE) program to organize eight seminars and two panel discussions that brought STEM speakers to campus. The Keep Going grant will fund a second year of this student-led initiative and encourage future education and campus engagement for students in the InSciTE program.

Enhancements for the Student Activity Center
Melissa Walton, University Recreation
Priorities One and Three

The original Go Grant funding was used to make enhancements in the Student Activity Center to ensure that people of all abilities could enjoy recreation and fitness activities. The Keep Going grant will fund the purchase of some additional accessible equipment for the SAC.

Intellectual Property Management System
Krista Welke, Office of Research and Graduate Studies
Priority One

The first Go Grant funds were used to purchase technology and software to improve the management of intellectual property at CMU, and to develop a new system to create increased transparency and ease for faculty and staff to learn more about status updates. The Keep Going grant will provide the balance of the funds required to complete the project.

Fire Up! Fest
Dan Gaken, Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute
Priorities Two and Three

Originally called the “Campus to Community” initiative, the 2025 Go Grant funded an inaugural Fire Up! Fest event that engaged students, faculty, staff and community members in a fun-filled event in downtown Mount Pleasant. The Keep Going grant will provide some funding to allow campus and community partners to host a second event in 2026.

COMPASS
Melissa Hutchinson, CMU Counseling Center
Priorities One and Three

In 2025, the initial Go Grant funds provided support for a proposal for “Building Student Resiliency for Healthy Living, Social Engagement, and Improved Academic Performance,” which later became the COMPASS program: Community Outreach Mental Health Persistence And Student Success. The Keep Going grant funds will provide support to continue the program into a second year.

Psychologically Safe CMU
Nikita Murry, The Center for Collaborative Learning and Engagement; Georgina Wilson, College of Education and Human Services; Danny McQuarters, Jr., Student Involvement and Community Engagement
Priorities One and Four

In 2025, Go Grant funding was awarded to the “Improving Student Retention through Trauma-Informed Campus Training” initiative, which became the “Psychologically Safe CMU” program. The initiative developed and began to implement a professional learning community to train CMU faculty and staff in trauma-informed teaching practices. The Keep Going grant funds will support this program for a second year.

Charter to CMU Chippewa
Shanese Ross-Pierrie, CMU Center for Charter Schools
Priorities One and Four

Launched in 2025, the Charter to CMU Chippewa program offered comprehensive academic support, college exploration and preparation, career and professional development opportunities, and more to students enrolled in one of the numerous charter schools authorized by CMU. The Keep Going grant will renew some funding for this project in its second year.

Decrease Approval Times for Research Projects
Belinda Adamson, Office of Research and Graduate Studies
Priority One

The 2025 Go Grant provided funding to hire a vendor to revise electronic application forms used by the Office of Research Compliance. The Keep Going grant will help with streamlining the application process, encouraging more faculty and students to initiate future research projects.

Embracing AI at CMU 
Stephen Juris, Department of Biology 

As the use of AI expands into higher education, this $47,500 grant seeks to keep CMU current with the rapidly evolving technology. The funds will be used to convene targeted workgroups tasked with developing guidance and curriculum recommendations for the use of AI on campus, and will also fund a pilot AI infrastructure program. 

Innovative learning through technology
Katie Edmiston, CMU Libraries

A $28,000 grant will broaden students' digital literacy and access to cutting-edge technology by acquiring new equipment and technology for student check-out from the CMU Library. This initiative will further streamline the learner experience by improving access to required art, audio, and video technology. Equipment funded by this grant will enhance real-world experiences of students across a variety of majors and disciplines.

Improving Student Retention through Trauma-Informed Campus Training

Kirsten Weber, School of Communication, Journalism and Media
Nikita Murry and Danny McQuarters, Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

A $30,000 grant will develop and implement a professional learning community to train CMU faculty and staff in trauma-informed teaching practices using the Trauma-Informed Skills for Educators (TISE) program. Faculty and staff training would encourage change in campus culture using trauma-informed practices. The program’s goal is to improve student retention through becoming a trauma-informed campus. 

Decrease Approval Time for Research Projects
Belinda Adamson, Office of Research and Graduate Studies

A $25,000 grant will hire a vendor to revise electronic application forms used by the Office of Research Compliance. Streamlining the application process will enable ORC to improve the content of these application forms to better illustrate the quality of CMU research. Enhanced form content also should encourage faculty and students to initiate future research projects.