Katie Erdman
University of Minnesota President Rebecca Cunningham spent a day in Morris visiting with local business owners, leaders, and people at the Stevens County Fair. On the morning of Friday, August 14, Cunningham attended a meeting with business owners and community leaders. She commented that it was a good meeting and that she learned a lot about the community from these people.
UMN had a booth in the Lee Center at the Stevens County Fair. From the booth, she was able to visit with even more residents from the county. She ventured out into the fair and talked to 4-Hers about their projects.
Cunningham stated that the outlook is good for the Morris campus. There are five campuses in the state, and her role is to review each one and make sure the leaders are good stewards of finances.
As the world changes, there are some courses being removed, with new courses offered. Some of the new courses include: AI Ethics, Podcasting, What Social Science Can Teach Us about Living Well, and Bee Biology and their complex relationships with Humans. There will also be several new areas of study, including Sustainable Food & Agriculture, Public Health, Marketing, and Addiction Studies.
Cunningham stated that the Morris Campus does tremendous work and is a model to others in Sustainability. Part of this is through a partnership with the Morris Model.
As far as infrastructure, Cunningham said there are several planned upgrades this year. They include a new lift station, which is nearing completion near the campus heating plant. This was constructed with Higher Education Asset Preservation and Replacement funding from the 2025 legislative session and replaces a more than 60-year-old system that was far past its expected lifespan. The lift station on campus supports the water treatment plant for the City of Morris as well.
The campus was also able to do some control updates to support effective operation of the boilers. Also underway is the installation of a fire-suppression system in the Briggs Library, a health code improvement for one of the busiest academic buildings on campus. Looking ahead, thanks to the HEAPR funding, the 50-plus-year-old bleachers in the Cougar Sports Center will be replaced next year.
Cunningham stated that she is very proud of the Morris campus. She explained that 70% of the education graduates are teaching here in West Central Minnesota. In terms of fall enrollment, the incoming first-year class is currently on track to be equal to last year. Specific enrollment numbers are confirmed in early October.
