Brief summer schedule: June 28; July 19; Aug. 2, 16, and 30. Weekly publication resumes Sept. 6.
- Board of Regents June meeting highlights.
- Annual operating budget feedback sought.
- Awards and Recognition: The U of M has ranked eighth in the U.S. in the Times Higher Ed Impact Rankings; and more.
Board of Regents June meeting highlights
During its June meeting, the Board of Regents discussed how larger staff and greater efficiency enabled continued accountability amid record-level public records requests. The Board also approved the administration’s recommended fiscal 2024 capital improvement budget, reviewed the administration’s recommended fiscal 2024 operating budget, received an update on systemwide strategic enrollment planning, discussed the University's systemwide distributed learning strategy, and more. See the news release for more details.
Annual operating budget feedback sought
The Board of Regents welcomes input from members of the public and the University community on the recommended FY 2024 annual operating budget. Comments received during the submission window will be compiled and shared with the Board for its consideration. Written comments may be submitted online through June 20, 11:59 a.m.
Awards and Recognition
The U of M has ranked eighth in the U.S. overall in the Times Higher Ed Impact Rankings, which in 2023 ranked 1,591 institutions from 112 countries/regions; Lorenzo Fabbri and Maggie Hennefeld have been selected as the Imagine Fund 2023-25 Arts, Design, and Humanities co-chairs; Harvey Charles has been named the University’s next vice provost for international programs and senior international officer, Prasad Boradkar has been named as the next dean of the College of Design; U in the News features highlights of University faculty and staff cited in the media.
UMN Headlines: June 2023
The June edition of the “UMN Headlines” video series highlights research breakthroughs ranging from TikTok's effects on mental health to a new rapid detection technique for diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, student awards and other successes, and more highlights from around the University of Minnesota System. See past episodes here.
Addressing gaps in Minnesota’s seals of biliteracy program
Minnesota’s seals of biliteracy program recognizes students who have achieved high levels of proficiency in a language other than English. About 2,000 graduating high school students receive a seal each year, but there are large gaps in what types of students earn the award. An initiative led by the University’s Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition aims to address those gaps and help districts offer more equitable access to seals of biliteracy.
Engaging patients where they are at
During Alec Helmke's undergraduate and early professional education, he developed a passion for working alongside marginalized populations and promoting healthcare access. Over the past few years, Helmke, now a PharmD/MHA student, has volunteered at several Mobile Health Initiative events, including those specifically for migrant farmworkers in Minnesota, to engage with patients where they are at and improve health outcomes.
Tretter Collection houses decades of LGBTQIA+ history
The Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies at the University of Minnesota is the largest archive dedicated to LGBTQIA+ history in the upper Midwest. It includes books, zines, pamphlets, and a wide variety of artifacts and ephemera. Curator Aiden Bettine discusses the significance of the archive in this interview.
Apply for the fall 2023 Internationalizing Teaching and Learning Faculty Cohort Program
Applications are now being accepted for the online Internationalizing Teaching and Learning Faculty Cohort Program. As part of this multidisciplinary cohort, faculty will design or redesign a course to deepen the international, intercultural, and global learning of their students. Faculty and full-time instructors from all five campuses are encouraged to apply. Application deadline is July 14.
OVPR launches new artist-in-residence program
The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) has announced a new artist-in-residence program that brings together artists and scientists to spur creative thinking and innovation. The program will fund art faculty who are drawn to collaboration; interested in interdisciplinary artistic, scientific, and technological dialogue; and open to developing new working methods and techniques to share scientific discoveries. Each award must create an artistic outcome (in-person, virtual, or hybrid experience) to be displayed or performed in the Sept. to Oct. 2024 timeframe. Application opens Aug. 14; proposals due Sept. 26.
Research Brief: New links found between personality and cognitive abilities
In a landmark study, University of Minnesota research has shown surprising links between human cognition and personality—pillars of human individuality that shape who we are and how we interact with the world. The research synthesizes data from over 1,300 studies from the past century, representing more than 2 million participants from 50 countries. See additional recent Research Briefs.
Aug. 14-Sept. 1 - Teaching Enrichment Series
The Center for Educational Innovation (CEI) invites the University of Minnesota teaching community to participate in sessions focused on strategies that you can quickly implement into your courses. All sessions are delivered online via Zoom.
Sept. 18-19 - Advances in Learning Health System Sciences conference
The Center for Learning Health System Sciences will host its inaugural Advances in Learning Health System Sciences conference geared towards LHS communities broadly with a focus on Minnesota. The conference will highlight learning health system best practices and lessons learned, and promote discussion while expanding the reach and diversity of the LHS community and activities across an LHS network.
Sept. 28-Oct. 26 - Designing and Delivering Online Learning
Designing and Delivering Online Learning will help participants explore and make plans to implement effective pedagogical practices in online courses. This four-module seminar is open to faculty and instructors systemwide and will be delivered online via Canvas activities and Zoom. The four Zoom meetings will be held on Thursdays, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
U of M Crookston releases 10th edition of Inspired Art Journal
The University of Minnesota Crookston Writing Center recently announced its tenth issue of the Inspired Art Journal, a publication of creative works by Crookston students, staff, faculty, and alumni. This journal includes prose, poetry, visual arts, and photography. A meet-and-greet event was recently held where the featured artists were recognized for their talent and were able to pick up a copy of the journal.
Crookston dedicates library to Roger D. Moe
With hundreds of people in attendance, including dozens of former and current legislators, U of M Crookston formally dedicated its library to longtime senator and campus supporter Roger D. Moe on June 2. The ceremony and reception included remarks from several regional and national leaders, a ribbon-cutting, an outdoor garden party, and tours of the library, including information on the current building’s groundbreaking in the late 1970s where Moe was present with shovel in hand.
Steel bridge team advances to national competition
U of M Duluth took home first place in the American Institute of Steel Construction’s regional steel bridge competition held in May. Teams were scored on assembly time, design aesthetics, and load tests. The UMD bridge was assembled from pieces that met set size requirements, spanned approximately 20 feet, and carried a load of 2,500 pounds.
June 18 - Juneteenth celebration
The University of Minnesota Duluth will join Duluth and Superior to celebrate Juneteenth. The UMD Office of Diversity and Inclusion will greet the public at the NAACP annual Juneteenth event at the Central Hillside Community Center, 12 E. 4th Street, Duluth, from noon-5 p.m.
Science on Deck tours and presentations
Large Lakes Observatory will offer summer Science on Deck events aboard the Blue Heron research vessel. The ship is part of the University National Oceanographic Laboratory System and is chartered by research scientists to explore any of the Great Lakes. The tours are free and open to the public. Upcoming events include June 30 (docked at the Great Lakes Aquarium), and Aug. 4 and Sept. 29 (docked at Pier B). 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Awestruck at the planetarium
The UMD Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium invites the public to Wonderstruck Wednesdays. Upcoming events include a presentation by the Arrowhead Astronomical Society on June 14, “Exploring the June Sky” on June 21, and “Beyond Bizarre + Telescope Viewing” on June 28.
U of M Morris, Red Lake Nation College sign articulation agreement
U of M Morris chancellor Janet Schrunk Ericksen and Red Lake Nation College (RLNC) president Chief Dan King have signed a transfer articulation agreement between the two institutions. Students from RLNC will now have the option to transfer to U of M Morris to complete a baccalaureate degree.
A learning experience like no other
Olivia Kingston ’23 welcomes opportunities to gain hands-on experience, so when Associate Professor Lisa Bevevino came to her with a unique manuscript project, she eagerly agreed. Kingston’s completed paleography project allows future medieval and ancient studies students to see—and feel—what went into making an ancient manuscript.
UMR Chancellor's List - Spring 2023
Each semester, UMR recognizes students who have achieved high academic achievement with a Chancellor's List designation. To earn this academic honor, a student must have earned a 3.666 GPA or higher and have completed a minimum of 12 credits graded A-F.
Beyond the Nest: Trailblazers
The last episode of this season of UMR’s alumni podcast Beyond the Nest concludes with U of M Rochester's origin story and a look at the class of 2013. Listen to learn more about how this group of trailblazers helped to create a new and innovative approach to higher education and what they’re up to now on the eve of their 10-year class reunion.
New research could improve performance of artificial intelligence and quantum computers
A University of Minnesota Twin Cities–led team has developed a new superconducting diode, a key component in electronic devices that allows current to flow one way but not the other in an electrical circuit. The research could help scale up quantum computers for industry use and improve the performance of artificial intelligence systems.
A dedicated pathway to peace
Early in life, Hortense Minishi set a goal of working at the United Nations to promote peace. After becoming a human rights lawyer in her native Kenya, Minishi moved to Minnesota and just finished her master of human rights degree from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. In 2022 she received the Exceptional Woman of Peace Award from a UN consultative organization called Pathways for Peace.
Meet ‘Dr. C’
Over the course of his 21-year career, transplant surgeon Srinath Chinnakotla has performed over 1,600 life-changing surgeries, with a special focus on pediatric transplantation. This includes groundbreaking operations for children of all ages. Read about what he likes most about his work.
Featured events
June 16 - Opening Talk & Party: Doug Argue - Letters to the Future
June 17 - Juneteenth Celebration
June 18 - Music in the Gardens | Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
June 23 - A Celebration of Life for Jean-Nickolaus Tretter
June 24 - Bison Gazebo Naturalist Volunteers | Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve
June 25 - Dakota Sacred Hoop Walk
July 27 - U of M Day with the Minnesota United
Through Aug. 16 - Exhibit: Ukraine: War and Resistance
Through Sept. 15 - How It Started, How It’s Going: Interactivity and High-Tech Culture