University of Minnesota to pick its next president on Monday
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Rebecca Cunningham, James Holloway, and Laura Bloomberg. Photos courtesy of the University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Board of Regents is set to pick the U's next president today.
Why it matters: The leader will take the helm at a crucial and challenging moment for the flagship Twin Cities campus and the system's four other schools.
- They'll have to navigate enrollment declines, budget shortfalls, and a high-stakes bid to reacquire the U's medical center from Fairview Health Services.
Catch up fast: Former president Joan Gabel left last year to become the chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh.
- Former Hormel executive Jeff Ettinger has been serving in the post in an interim capacity.
Zoom in: The three finalists announced earlier this month toured the state for interviews at the U's five campuses over recent weeks. They are:
- Laura Bloomberg: President of Cleveland State University. She's a former dean of the U's Humphrey School of Public Affairs and an alum of the U and St. Cloud State University.
- Rebecca Cunningham: Vice president for research and innovation at the University of Michigan. She started at Michigan's schools of Public Health and Medicine in 1999.
- James Holloway: Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of New Mexico. The professor of nuclear engineering also taught at Michigan and the University of Virginia.
Zoom out: There's a lot of competition for college and university leaders right now, as institutions across the country — including Ivy Leaguers Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania — look for new presidents in light of retirements and resignations.
- One popular higher education publication had more than 130 job postings for top roles last fall, per the Star Tribune.
What's next: All three finalists will sit for public interviews in front of the Board of Regents on Monday. The board will announce its choice later that afternoon.
- Ettinger will remain in his position through the end of June. The new president will be inaugurated on July 1.
Go deeper with the Star Tribune's profile of all three candidates.