Summer Vibes

In mid-July, the grass in front of the McNamara Alumni Center was transformed into a meetup for Qigong on the Lawn, a free event from the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing. The practice combines gentle movement, breathing, and meditation to promote well-being.

Welcome, President Cunningham

In early July, Rebecca Cunningham, M.D., officially began her role as the University of Minnesota’s 18th president. Plans are underway for a fall inauguration celebration on Wednesday, September 18, 2024. Further details on the event will be shared by the University at a later date.

Cunningham most recently served as the vice president for research and innovation at the University of Michigan. During her tenure, the University of Michigan expanded its annual research portfolio to a record $1.86 billion. She also led the design and implementation of the first comprehensive review of the school’s research, scholarship, and creative practice enterprise—a collaborative strategy aimed to bolster discovery and impact, accelerate knowledgetranslation, support entrepreneurial activity, expand statewide economic development, advance undergraduate student success, and strengthen diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Cunningham joined the University of Michigan in 1999 as an emergency medicine physician, with faculty appointments in the Medical School and the School of Public Health. Her research has focused on public health and injury and violence prevention, with scientific collaborations that span engineering, communications, transportation, and public policy.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University and a medical doctorate from Jefferson Medical College. She completed her residency in emergency medicine at the University of Michigan Health System and a postdoctoral research fellowship with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

New tool provides highly localized climate projections for Minnesota communities

Concerned about climate change? A new interactive online tool, MN CliMAT (climate.umn.edu/MN-CliMAT), provides highly localized climate projections across Minnesota—down to the 2.5-mile scale. Users can use data to visualize how even specific towns may be impacted in the coming decades.

Recently launched by the U of M Climate Adaptation Partnership (MCAP) in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Commerce, the tool includes detailed information about temperature, precipitation, lake temperature, ice cover, soil moisture and other variables vital to informing how and where we prepare for the impacts of climate change.

MCAP is a joint program of University of Minnesota Extension and the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. MCAP works to develop critical climate science knowledge, champion climate adaptation leadership, and support climate resilience efforts across communities to ensure Minnesota is making needed progress to prepare for our changing climate. MCAP is a leading multisector group dedicated to climate adaptation and resilience in the Midwest and partners directly with state, federal, and local governments, the private sector, nonprofits, Tribal communities, and community organizations.

“These data are critical for understanding our local climate risks and what future we need to prepare for,” said Heidi Roop, MCAP director. “We’re hearing from engineers, planners, foresters, farmers, homeowners—folks across the board—that they want future climate information relevant to Minnesota to inform and guide their planning and decision-making.”

Available free, MN CliMAT can be used by the public, policymakers, and a range of sectors and industries. “Creating new climate projections is only the first step in planning for climate change,” said Suzi Clark, a climate resilience Extension educator with MCAP. “We want to help people understand the projections and integrate these data into their long-term planning.”

MN CliMAT was funded with support from the Minnesota Department of Commerce, University of Minnesota Extension, and the Minnesota Sea Grant College Program with funds from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Regents approve budget

In mid-June, the Board of Regents approved the U of M’s fiscal 2025 operating budget.

The budget anticipates approximately $5.1 billion in revenue for the coming year to cover approximately $5 billion in expenses, an increase of more than 3 percent in both categories over last year. Continued revenue pressures, inflationary cost increases, necessary spending on critical operational and safety needs, and the internal reallocation of existing resources were cited as challenges.

Approximately $63 million in new commitments will support increased funding for systemwide student financial aid delivered through the President’s Matching Scholarship Fund, additional faculty and services to continue growth in the high-demand Computer Science and Engineering program, new resources to develop and deliver innovative liberal arts curriculum, strengthening campus training and response initiatives such as the sexual misconduct prevention program, and more.

Budget discussions with the board and state lawmakers anticipated an increase in undergraduate tuition primarily due to growing essential costs and flat state investment. The budget includes a tuition and fee plan that increases undergraduate tuition by 1.5 percent at the Crookston, Duluth and Morris campuses, 4.5 percent at Rochester and for resident students at the Twin Cities, and 5.5 percent for non-resident/non-reciprocity Twin Cities students.

To offset increased costs and balance investments in key areas, all University units systemwide will make internal real-locations in the coming year. Along with projected growth in unit-generated revenues, these internal changes will recapture more than $37 million.

The Board continues to welcome public comment on any topic before the Board through its Virtual Forum at regents.umn.edu/boards-virtual-forum. The public can submit audio, video, or written comments to the Virtual Forum from anywhere at any time. All comments are shared directly with Regents and included in the Board’s public docket materials.

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