Alumni Association Home > Past Issues > 2009 > January-February 2009	Print View

Carlson with Rosenthal (center) and Michel. Photograph by Mike Lee

The Alumni Association encourages members to get to know their legislators and become ambassadors for the U. When I learned that Paul Rosenthal was member-elect for District 41B, which includes south Edina and west Bloomington, I wanted to meet him as soon as possible. I arranged a meeting at the state capitol with Rosenthal and my state senator, Geoff Michel (J.D. ’91), who was first elected in 2002. Michel has not only voted his support for our state’s flagship institution time and again, he coauthored the on-campus football stadium bill.

Michel and I have had many conversations by phone, e-mail, and in person, including at my home for legislative coffee parties—informal gatherings to bring legislators and alumni together in their districts. My goal was to begin establishing the same type of relationship with Rosenthal. I learned that he’s a native of New York and a graduate of New York University, so he doesn’t have an established relationship with our institution (though his wife, Liz McCall Rosenthal, attended the U).

When we met in the chambers of the House of Representatives, I told my legislators about the concentration of University graduates in their district. The combined population of Edina and Bloomington is 129,000, and nearly 10,000 of them are Golden Gopher alumni who care deeply about the U. I also shared with them some wonderful news announced a few hours earlier. Best Buy founder Richard Schulze and his family foundation are giving $40 million, the second largest gift in University history, to U researchers who are intent on finding a cure for type 1 diabetes.

I assured Rosenthal and Michel that I would continue to share with them the good news about the U and also talk to them about its needs. As a U ambassador, I need them to understand that the University can help change the world if our three most important funding sources—the state legislature, the federal grants-making agencies, and private donors—provide support at levels that ensure continued excellence.

I also told my legislators that I understood how U alumni could help them as well. My mother, the late Kathryn Sughrue, was a Kansas state representative for 14 years. She was always interested in what was important to her constituents, and she welcomed hearing from them directly. Of Minnesota’s 67 senators and 134 representatives, 25 are newly elected. Whether new or veteran, each of these elected officials needs to hear your story—why you believe in your heart that it’s important for the state to support the University.

Call your legislators’ offices today to request a meeting. Tell them that you’re a constituent and a proud alumni ambassador for our great university. To learn more, go to www.SupportTheU.umn.edu.    

—Margaret Sughrue Carlson (Ph.D. ’83)

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