Michael Rao

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (March 2008)

Michael Rao

Michael Rao, Ph.D., is the twelfth and current president of Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Serving 27,000 students, Central Michigan University is Michigan's fourth largest university and one of the 50 largest of the publics in the united states. CMU is a doctoral/research university and is NCAA Division I-A. He was elected by his peers to serve as chair of the board of the Mid-American Conference and received the CASE V Executive Leadership Award in 2007.

A native of Florida, and some of his academic work involving phenothiazine drugs is published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry. His work continues occasionally with an analytical chemist with whom he examines properties of hyperbranched polymers designed for drug delivery. He has been an administrator for twenty years, beginning his career at an AAU institution. He then served thirty clients in higher education in the private sector before becoming a dean.

Dr. Rao was assistant to the president at the University of Florida. He later served as a dean (1992–1994) and as president (1994–1998) of Mission College in California. He then served as chancellor of Montana State University - Northern. In 2000 at the age of 34, Rao was chosen president at Central Michigan. Much of his current work focuses on interdisciplinary academic program development, economic development through commercialization of research, fundraising for the university, and outreach to the Central Michigan region.

Dr. Rao is married. His wife, Monica, is an artist and graphic designer. They have one son, Miguel.