List of Eastern Michigan University people

• Charles Eugene Beatty – pioneer of Head Start educational program[1]
• Andrew Blackbird – historian and Ottawa tribe leader[2]
• Lee E. Brasseur – Illinois State University professor, author and expert in field of visualization[3]
• Nancy Jane Dean — Presbyterian missionary in Persia, head of the Fiske Seminary at Urmia
• Andrew Foster – first black deaf person to earn master's degree[4]
• Elizabeth Wells Gallup – educator and exponent of Baconian theory of Shakespearian authorship[5]
• Glenn Goerke – former president/chancellor of University of Houston, Houston-Clear Lake, Houston-Victoria, Indiana University East[6]
• Jackie Jenkins-Scott, President of Wheelock College[7]
• Michael D. Knox (BA 1968), Chair and CEO of the US Peace Memorial Foundation and Distinguished Professor, University of South Florida.[8]
• Charles Edward St. John – astronomer.[9]
• Larry Soderquist – corporate and securities law expert, author, and Vanderbilt University professor[10]

• Anouar H. Smaine - Film director, producer, writer and actor [11] [12]
• Nagarjuna Akkineni – Indian actor
• John Edward Ames – novelist and short story writer
• Kim Antieau – novelist
• Martha E. Cram Bates (1839–1905), writer, journalist, newspaper editor
• Dave Coverly – syndicated cartoonist of Speed Bump[13]
• Warren Defever – rock musician
• Ryan Drummond – voice actor and comedian
• Loren D. Estleman – detective fiction and Western fiction writer[14]
• Dann Florek – actor (Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)[15]
• Zonya Foco – dietitian and author[16]
• Gwen Frostic – artist[17]
• John Hammink – musician, writer and linguist
• John Heffron – winner of NBC's Last Comic Standing 2 in 2004[18]
• Eric Jackson – Panamanian journalist and radio talk show host
• Ella Joyce – stage actress[19]
• Edward Knight – composer[20]
• Greg Mathis – judge; TV personality of Judge Mathis[21]
• Winsor McCay – pioneering cartoonist[22]
• Josef Norris, artist and convicted felon
• Ann Purmell, children's author
• Gary Reed – comic book writer[23]
• Michealene Cristini Risley – author, writer, award-winning director, blogger for the Huffington Post, producer of Tapestries of Hope
• Joseph Sobran – libertarian, author and syndicated columnist[24]
• Philip Southern – photographer, winner of the 2009 YOBI.tv Pics grand prize
• Afton Williamson - actor, (The Rookie, Homeland, The Breaks, Banshee)[25]
• Daniela Yaniv-Richter – Israeli ceramist and sculptor[22]

• Mohammed Al Gergawi – United Arab Emirates business leader
• Rufus T. Bush – 19th-century oil refining industrialist and yachtsman[26]
• Ron Campbell – CEO of Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League[27]
• Jesse Divnich – gaming and financial media industry executive, and co-founder of The simExchange and V.P. of EEDAR[28]
• Bruce T. Halle – founder of Discount Tire Co., the largest independent tire dealer in North America[29]
• John Harvey Kellogg – co-founder of the Kellogg Company; co-creator of corn flakes[22]
• Swift Lathers – founder of The Mears Newz newspaper[30]
• Michael G. Morris – President and CEO of American Electric Power[31]
• Jack Roush – CEO and owner of Roush Racing NASCAR; chairman of the board of Roush Enterprises[32]
• Elle Simone – Chef, culinary producer, test cook, and food stylist[33]
• Kevin Saunderson – record producer
• Larry Warren – CEO of Howard University Hospital[34]
• Chuku Wachuku – Nigerian economist and management specialist[35]
• Mary Collins Whiting (1835–1912), lawyer, business woman, teacher

• Edward P. Allen – Republican Congressman from Michigan's 2nd congressional district[36]
• Rick Baccus – US Army Brigadier General
• Leland W. Carr – Michigan Supreme Court justice from 1945 to 1963[37]
• William W. Chalmers – U.S. Representative from Ohio's 9th congressional district and President of the University of Toledo[38]
• Brenda Clack – Democratic member of the Michigan State House of Representatives representing Gennesee County
• Owen Cleary – chair of the Michigan Republican Party 1949–1953; Michigan Secretary of State 1953–1954; unsuccessful Michigan gubernatorial candidate
• John G. Coburn – four-star general; Commander of U.S. Army Materiel Command; chairman and CEO of VT Systems, Inc.[39]
• Dr. Royal S. Copeland - Mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Senator from New York[40]
• Agnes Dobronski - Michigan legislator and educator[41]
• Frederick B. Fancher – politician; seventh Governor of North Dakota[42]
• William Horace Frankhauser – Republican U.S. Representative from Michigan's 3rd congressional district[43]
• Barbara Gervin-Hawkins – Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives[44]
• Fred W. Green – Mayor of Ionia, Michigan; 31st Governor of Michigan from 1927 to 1931[45]
• Freman Hendrix – former chief of staff and deputy mayor of Detroit under former Mayor Dennis Archer; 2005 mayoral candidate in Detroit
• Dennis M. Hertel – Democratic Congressman from Michigan's 14th congressional district[46]
• John Hieftje – Mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan[47]
• William H. Hinebaugh – Progressive Congressman from Illinois, assistant attorney general of Illinois, and later president and general counsel of the Central Life Insurance Co., of Illinois[48]
• George H. Hopkins – Civil War veteran, Chair of the Michigan Republican Party and Republican Congressman for Michigan
• Harry Humphries – United States Navy Seal member of Richard Marcinko Seal Team 6; tactical instructor with Advanced Hostage Rescue Team at EMU
• Patrick H. Kelley – Republican U.S. Representative from Michigan's 6th congressional district[49]
• Marilyn Jean Kelly – Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice from 2008 to the present[50]
• Sandra Love – Democratic representative in the New Jersey General Assembly[51]
• Alfred Lucking – Democratic U.S. Representative from Michigan's 1st congressional district[52]
• Eduardo Maruri – former President of the Barcelona Sporting Club soccer team from Ecuador; former President of the Guayaquil Chamber of Commerce; founder of the UNO political party; former Assembly Member representing Guayas Province in the Ecuadorian Constituent Assembly[53]
• Bill Patmon – democratic member of Ohio House of Representatives[54]
• Charles E. Potter – U.S. Senator from Michigan[55]
• Carl D. Pursell – Republican U.S. Representative from Michigan's 2nd congressional district[56]
• Marvin B. Rosenberry – Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court[57]
• Ingrid Sheldon – Mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Rodney E. Slater – U.S. Secretary of Transportation under President Bill Clinton[58]
• Henry F. Thomas – Republican U.S. Representative from Michigan's 4th congressional district[59]
• Frank W. Wheeler – Republican U.S. Representative from Michigan's 10th congressional district and founder of Saginaw Shipbuilding Company[60]

• Brian Bixler – Major League Baseball player for the Houston Astros[61]
• Jean Cione - All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Player
• Terry Collins – Major League Baseball manager for the New York Mets[62]
• Chris Hoiles – Major League Baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles, 1989–1998[63]
• Bob Owchinko - Major League Baseball player
• Pat Sheridan - Major League Baseball player
• Matt Shoemaker - Major League Baseball player for the Los Angeles Angels
• Jim Snyder - Major League Baseball player, coach and manager
• Bob Welch – Major League Baseball pitcher, two-time All-Star, Cy Young Award winner (1990), and best-selling author[64]

• Earl Boykins – National Basketball Association (NBA) player, formerly for the Houston Rockets[65]
• Laurie Byrd – basketball coach[66]
• Fred Cofield – NBA player for the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls[67]
• Derrick Dial – NBA player, formerly with the San Antonio Spurs, New Jersey Nets and Orlando Magic[68]
• Jessie Evans – University of San Francisco basketball coach[69]
• Frank Douglas Garrett – All-America Basketball, Christian author, academic dean
• George Gervin – Hall of Famer of the National Basketball Association[70]
• Stan Heath – head basketball coach, formerly with University of Arkansas and now with University of South Florida[71]
• Grant Long – retired NBA player[72]
• Harvey Marlatt – NBA player for the Detroit Pistons[73]
• Kennedy McIntosh – 1970s NBA player for the Chicago Bulls and Seattle SuperSonics[74]
• Carl Thomas – basketball player for several NBA teams; current assistant coach for men's basketball team[75]
• Charles Thomas – retired basketball player for the Detroit Pistons[76]
• Webster Kirksey – retired Harlem Globetrotters / Harlem Magicians player; coach at Ypsilanti Roosevelt High School[77]

• John Banaszak – Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end and three-time Super Bowl champion[78]
• Charlie Batch – National Football League (NFL) player, formerly with the Pittsburgh Steelers[79]
• Ronald Beard – coach for the Prairie View A&M University Panthers
• David Boone – All-Star Canadian Football League defensive lineman
• Lional Dalton – player for the Houston Texans[80]
• Éric Deslauriers – Canadian football wide receiver for the Montreal Alouettes[81]
• Matt Finlay – Canadian football linebacker for the Calgary Stampeders
• Reggie Garrett – Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver[82]
• T.J. Lang – offensive lineman for the Detroit Lions[83]
• Jereme Perry – defensive back for Cleveland Browns[84]
• Chris Roberson – NFL player[85]
• L. J. Shelton – offensive tackle for four NFL teams[86]
• Barry Stokes – NFL player[87]
• Bob Sutton – NFL defensive coordinator, currently with the Kansas City Chiefs[88]
• Kevin Walter – NFL player, formerly with Houston Texans[89]

• Tommy Asinga – Surinamese three-time Olympic track star[90]
• Clement Chukwu – Nigerian Olympic track star[91]
• Hasely Crawford – 1976 men's 100m gold medalist in Montreal[92]
• Savatheda Fynes – Bahamian track and field Olympic gold medalist[93]
• Earl Jones – 1984 Los Angeles Olympics 800 meters bronze medalist[94]
• Hayes Jones – Tokyo Olympics 110-meter hurdles gold medalist[95]
• Paul McMullen – 1996 Olympics track star[96]
• Jamie Nieto – 2004 Olympics track star[97]

• Hank Longo - Water ski jump world record holder and Water Ski Hall of Fame inductee[98][99]
• Zach Gowen – professional wrestler
• Dean Rockwell – Olympic team wrestling coach, 1964; World War II Normandy D-Day invasion hero
• Shirley Spork – Co-founder of the LPGA [100]

• John Norman Collins – Michigan serial killer[101]
• Daniel Holtzclaw – Oklahoma City police officer convicted of multiple counts of rape and sexual assault[102]

A total of 23 people have served as the president, 22 men and 1 woman. This includes previous presidents under the school's past names Eastern Michigan College, Michigan State Normal College, and Michigan State Normal School.