Last week, the University of Minnesota had the opportunity to cast a vision for the expansion of University of Minnesota Rochester.

President Rebecca Cunningham, Executive Vice President Gregg Goldman and Rochester Chancellor Lori Carrell shared this vision with the Destination Medical Center (DMC) Corporation board and the community at the 10-year turning point of the DMC’s 20-year initiative.

“In this time of growth for Rochester, the University of Minnesota is ready to expand its impact, footprint in downtown Rochester, commitment to be a driving force in the future of Minnesota’s health and life sciences workforce, and leadership role in creating a healthier Minnesota,” says President Cunningham. 

The DMC initiative seeks to position Rochester, Minnesota as the world’s premier destination for health and wellness, and to create a hub for bio-and-medical technology innovators. Over two decades, Mayo Clinic, the private sector and the state of Minnesota will invest more than $5 billion to transform Rochester's physical and cultural landscape, creating more than 35,000 jobs and $2 billion in new tax revenue.

“The Rochester campus’s challenge is to expand the talent available to fuel its growing health and life sciences sector,” says Carrell. “The University of Minnesota has a scalable solution to this challenge — expand the Rochester campus facilities and academic programs, co-designing with the employers and sectors that our graduates will serve.”

This solution also fuels the needed growth for the aspirations of MedTech 3.0, Medical Alley and Greater MSP.

The facilities expansion will be designed for well-being, supporting Rochester students and all who live, work, learn and play in downtown Rochester, America’s City for Health. This includes a three-part plan: 

1. lab classrooms in Discovery Square, adjacent to BioLabs;
2. an academic building to serve as the heart of the campus that includes high-tech, active learning classrooms, an academic house for faculty and success coaches to support students, a new national research endeavor focused on learning innovation and a gathering space for a campus with facilities that are dispersed throughout downtown Rochester; and
3. a P3 residential and recreational subdistrict adjacent to Soldiers Field.
    

Updates on the progress for this vision will be shared as available.