University of Minnesota Board of Regents launch campus-level strategic plan discussions

With the University’s systemwide strategic plan, MPact 2025, now in place, the University of Minnesota Board of Regents will launch a series of campus-specific conversations next week to discuss how the Crookston, Duluth, Morris and Rochester campuses will advance the systemwide mission. The first installment in these discussions will focus on the Rochester campus, led by Chancellor Lori Carrell.

Over the coming months, the Board discussions will include overviews of each campus’ unique identities, the types of students it serves and aims to serve in the future, enrollment targets and strategies, as well as strategies and initiatives related to administrative efficiency and cost containment. Campus leaders have also been asked to consider how other University system resources may support campus needs.

Carrell will highlight for the Board the distinctive vision of the Rochester campus, one focused on innovative education that empowers graduates to solve the grand health challenges facing the world, now and in the future. 

UMR’s geography provides a unique platform for this vision against the backdrop of a globally recognized health care destination that’s home to the Mayo Clinic, one of the major employers that help support a nearly 100 percent job placement rate for Bachelor of Science in Health Professions graduates. The campus’ exclusive focus on health sciences education is not only distinct within the U of M system, it’s unlike any other four-year university in Minnesota. 

Also setting UMR apart from its peers locally and nationally is its focus on educational innovation. Rochester faculty dedicate their primary research to student learning and development. Applying educational research to the classroom and student engagement positions UMR to deliver nationally recognized success in educating a diverse student body and eliminating achievement gaps, successes that not only align with MPact 2025 commitments but also support a critical need in health care for greater workforce diversity to better support equitable health outcomes across all demographics.

Carrell will emphasize for the Board that this distinctive identity makes UMR unlike any other institution in the country, and one capable of innovative instructional approaches that fit that unique profile, such as the recently announced NXT GEN MED program, a groundbreaking accelerated degree program in collaboration with Google Cloud and Mayo Clinic. 

Looking to the future, Carrell will reinforce the campus’ bold enrollment goals, which begin with growing enrollment to 1,000 students or more by 2025, an increase of approximately 7 percent from Fall 2020 enrollment. UMR will also expand its focus on career pathways, a cornerstone of its educational model, as well as increasing academic partnership, graduate and professional academic program offerings in Rochester. The campus continues to seek private investment in student scholarships to support industry-specific talent development.

Finally, Carrell will highlight efforts to contain costs on the Rochester campus, including efficiencies related to how its organizational structure is built, its many partnerships (which include leasing all of its physical space) and relying on system services, where possible. “Leveraging the strengths of the U of M system and periodic investment to sustain growth for the relatively young campus will be critical to the campus’ continued success,” according to Carrell.

Public Forum on Police Use of Portable Audio/Video Recorders
In compliance with state law, the Board will accept public comment on the University Police Departments’ use of body-worn cameras. 

The public forum will take place at 8 a.m. on Friday, March 12, and will be conducted virtually. Those wishing to speak must sign up in advance at regents.umn.edu/public-comment. Available speaking slots will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Written comments are also highly encouraged and can be submitted online. 

As part of its March meetings, the Board is also expected to:

• Formally welcome Dr. Calvin Phillips, the University’s new vice president for student affairs and dean of students.
• Discuss the current status and next steps in the public response to COVID-19 with Dr. Michael Osterholm, Regents Professor, McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair in Public Health and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP).
• Receive the report of the Student Representatives to the Board of Regents, an annual report that will be presented by student representative chair Jael Kerandi and vice chair Abdulla Ali.
• Review proposed amendments to Board of Regents Policy: American Indian Advisory Boards in a discussion including Dr. Michael Goh, the University’s vice president for equity and diversity, and Tadd Johnson, senior director of American Indian Tribal Nations relations.

For more information, including future meeting times, visit regents.umn.edu.