Minnesota’s taxpayer-supported colleges and universities are at a crossroads. In 2011, the chief executives of the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State Colleges & Universities systems will leave their positions, along with the governor of the state. The state will continue to face fiscal challenges, and the campuses will have to figure out how to do more with less. As Tribune columnist Lori Sturdevant recently observed, this will require a “paradigm shift.” In such times, citizens and policymakers can benefit from clear information on what their colleges and universities are doing well, and what they are doing not so well. That is why this report card delves into Minnesota’s two public university systems.
