Holly is a village in north Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,997 at the 2020 census. The village is located within Holly Township. It is about 15 miles (24 km) south of Flint and 55 miles (89 km) northwest of Detroit.

Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It was established in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute as a private normal school. After the Michigan State Board of Education took over governance of the school it became a state institution and was renamed Central State Normal School in 1895. The institution became a full university and gained its current name Central Michigan University in 1959 under the university's 6th president Judson W. Foust.