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As the University of Minnesota searches for its 15th president, Minnesota magazine asked interested parties on campus and around the state for their perspectives on the qualities and experiences a person should bring to the role. Following are brief excerpts from those interviews.

The Board of Regents established a Presidential Search Advisory Committee and hired the same search firm that found former President Mark Yudof. While those bodies will review candidates and make recommendations, the final decision rests with the regents. Regents have stated they want to complete the search by the end of 2002, although several more months would likely pass before a new president is inaugurated. Bob Bruininks, former executive vice president and provost, is the interim president.

Arne Carlson

Former governor of Minnesota (1991 to 1999), chair of the American Express Funds Advisory Board

"The real challenge for the next president is in the broad area of management. If the University were to put together a broad management team it would be able to focus on items that have been overlooked in the past, such as cost-effectiveness. Can you deliver the same services more efficiently? You need to look to private sector experience. Ideally you would find someone who is recently retired or nearly retired and who has a great love for the University and wants to see it succeed.

"In the second phase you have to look at those areas where the state has a direct stake in outcomes. [The state] has no direct interest in the outcome of the study of, say, Egyptian music, but we do in engineering. So do you fund engineering 100 percent with state funds and rely on fund-raising to pay for liberal arts? The problem is you weaken liberal arts, a foundation that is terribly important to in a career in anything. But you have to [ask these questions].

"Third, there are personal relationships between the president and the management team, the governor, and legislative leaders. There has to be an understanding that bridge-building, human relations, is part of the job. We do it on a regular basis, we don’t do it just during the legislative session. Keep it nonpartisan, involve them 12 months a year. . . . The University has such tremendous resources [and the] University has to be part of solving the state’s problems and providing outcomes that allow the economic engine to grow.

"Finally, once and for all, let’s have a policy from the Board of Regents that we will only hire someone who really, truly, wants to be here in Minnesota. I think we have to realize that we’re one of the top three research universities in the country. This is a place where you finish your career. This should be the pinnacle. We have to learn, maybe not to boast, but to let the public know the accomplishments. These are marvels that we have here."

Robert Bergland (A.A. ’48)

Vice chair of the Board of Regents and former congressman and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

"We want a visionary. The president is really the person who creates initiatives that can’t spring from faculty or staff. Being a visionary is far more important than being a good mechanic.

"The University of Minnesota is in very good shape. This place is in no danger of flying apart. Now, saying that, we do have money trouble. We need to have a serious talk with the legislature about what the public is willing to do and what we need to do [and then] work with the state to come up with a long-term plan. Instead we end up with ad hoc decisions year to year. That’s not a good way to run this railroad. [It has resulted in] increasing tuition at double-digit rates and the state following along with increasing aid. We’ll end up squeezing out [middle-class] families, and that would be a tragedy.

"We have a capacity problem on the Twin Cities campus and [as a result] we’re raising standards. Some very fine students won’t be able to get in. The president will set the tone in increasing cooperation with MNSCU [the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system] to direct students to places that can do a marvelous job. That’s where the vision comes in—someone who rises above the mechanical parts in putting together a long-range plan between the legislature, the University, and MNSCU.

"The president will have to be someone who is honest and forthright. That’s absolutely crucial. Anybody who tries to spin things is going to get caught up in the web. This public in Minnesota is smart. They can smell a rat. Just let the chips fall where they will."

Roy Terwilliger

Republican state senator for District 42 (Edina), retiring in January

"I think they need to have the ability to be accepted by people from all walks of life across the state. There are people in the metropolitan area from a high achievement, academic background and there are people in farming or running small businesses across the state. It takes a unique person to fit that mold. The person has to have a common touch and not be viewed as strictly an academic. It is a necessity that they can be accepted politically. I think that comes [with] being able to be accepted by everyone.

"They also have to be balanced. I don’t want to sound like someone all for athletics, but they should be someone who recognizes that one of the ways you really attract a following to the U is a good athletic program [in] the best collegiate sense. It really helps make a campus experience for students.

"I always felt that the University was one of a kind, that MNSCU is a different system and also important, but in a different way. [The president] will have to emphasize, without putting down the other colleges, that there is only one main economy-driving research institution and that is the University of Minnesota."

Dave Larson (B.A. ’66)

Executive vice president at Cargill, Inc., chair of the Minnesota Core School Initiative, and involved with several colleges and professional schools at the University

"First and foremost, this person needs to have very, very strong leadership skills, what I call a high level of EQ, emotional quotient. Obviously the person also has to have a pretty nice IQ, but the most important thing in my opinion is the EQ. . . . Leaders who have brought organizations along and turned them into great organizations are distinguished by their emotional intelligence. They’re able to connect with people; they’re able to get people to go places they never would have gone by themselves; they’re able to create a vision and then convince people that they can become great.

"If we could find somebody who is also highly respected as an academic it would be preferable. But if I had to make a choice between a highly respected academic who’s got mediocre leadership skills and someone who’s not an academic but has extraordinary leadership skills, it’s going to be the latter. I’d like them both, but strong leadership is more important.

". . . We have a conundrum. It’s a land-grant school, but we’ve got this problem with a lack of enough support from the state government. We’re supposed be fairly accessible, and we’re supposed to have a very broad offering. The conundrum is you can’t get the funding to do that. I personally don’t think we should go in the direction of Michigan, but there are probably some things that are going to have to be dropped and things decided about what to really focus on. The next president has to decide what we’re going to be."

Harlan Jacobs

President and founder of Genesis Business Centers, a Columbia Heights, Minnesota, company that provides professional services and incubator programs for high-tech start-up companies

"What the constituency that we serve at Genesis Business Centers and in our incubator program would like to see is the new University president continue to make sure the University of Minnesota is a leader in basic research and continues to attract faculty and students who are the best in the world.

"The new president has to continue to build on the perception and the reality that the University knows how to conduct world-class basic research, and more importantly, that it knows the proper role, the lawful and honorable role, that it should take in helping technology to get out of the laboratory and into marketplace so that more Minnesotans have jobs and there’s a greater enhancement of the tax base. And this can all come if the tone is set at the top.

"I’d also hope that the new president will look at progressive models around the country. We have one next door in Wisconsin and one in Pennsylvania. Those two states have some highly innovative programs in the areas tech transfer and seed capital and funding of local opportunities.

"I’m not espousing that the president get on his or her bully pulpit and say ‘We’re going to fund start-ups.’ That’s not the role of the University. But he or she can be a part of the Greek chorus that helps the investment and business community to understand that right here in our own backyard are some great companies; all they need is a little local talent and a little local money to get started and stay here. We don’t want taxpayers to fund excellence at the University of Minnesota that in turn leads to jobs in Boston and California."

Julie Kirihara (B.S. ’81, Ph.D. ’88)

President and founder of ATG Laboratories, an Eden Prairie, Minnesota, company that does molecular cloning work for drug discovery, vaccine development, and other research for businesses and academic and governmental institutions; and president of MNBIO, the local chapter of a national trade association for the biotechnology industry

"I would hope that the next president would be a visionary and would have a global picture of what the University is and should be. From an industry perspective, I would hope that this person would carry on the vision that Mark Yudof had for biological sciences. One of his main areas of emphasis was helping those departments to increase in their prominence through capital expenditure, new buildings, and additions to the faculty. It’s one of the areas of the University that brings in a large part of the research grant money.

"There has also been an emphasis in digital technology, and our industry blends with IT. Computer science and engineering are definitely very important within the medical and biological sciences. So I see those—biological sciences and digital technology—as two very strong areas that can’t be ignored. I hope that focus is retained.

"But of course, we can’t forget the other aspects of the University. . . . I just took a Split Rock Arts Program class this summer, for my right brain! The University has to be all things to all people—have breadth and be well-rounded."

David Taylor (B.A. ’67, Ph.D. ’77)

Dean of the General College, served on the search committee that resulted in the hiring of Mark Yudof in 1997

"The question always becomes, what sets of skills are needed to move the institution along as it has defined itself at this point in time? What we probably need is someone who can resonate to the direction that has been set, who can embrace the plan and bring energies to it while at the same time looking for other opportunities to exercise their particular genius.

"A [major] issue that has to be wrestled with is talking about both access and excellence, not access versus excellence. The University of Minnesota, given its land-grant basis, has to supply opportunities for personal growth for all citizens of the state, even as we compete with other research institutions for recognition. We’ve done it without sacrificing either. I think the success of the next president will depend upon understanding how the state views that issue.

"The academy is an interesting creature. Unless you are attuned to the nuances of politics and power and decision-making, it would be difficult to come in and lead the University [without experience in] a peer institution.

"The interesting thing will be to see whether or not the culture is ready to embrace leadership that might come from either women or persons of color."

Sallye McKee (Ph.D. ’87)

Associate vice provost, Office for Multicultural and Academic Affairs

"I would value a person who has a commitment to us as a land-grant institution, who could provide leadership that would help taxpayers and citizens understand why we are one of the state’s crown jewels and what that means to their lives and to the building of social capital for our state, our nation, and the world.

"I would like someone who could balance notions of access and equity with excellence and forward-thinking vision. Someone who could help position us as we build capacity to serve and as we create new knowledge. Someone who could help the University be versatile in attracting and maintaining outstanding talent, who pays very close attention to many different diversities.

"So I’m asking for a superperson. And I guess, too, I’m asking for a person who’s fair-minded, who’s a good listener. I think our work force at the University is in need of someone who speaks to their value. And I think that person has to be able to articulate our challenges in ways that we feel empowered to seek solutions that are out of the box.

"I really believe that a research university cannot be all things to all people. But we do have to pay close attention to the fact that, demographically, Minnesota has experienced some great shifts in who lives here and who we have to educate.

"I want everybody to understand that, in an age of globalization, multiculturalism is not an option, it’s an imperative. And I want the new president to feel that multiculturalism is an imperative."

Art Rolnick (Ph.D. ’73)

Senior vice president and director of research at the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank

"Mark Yudof did an excellent job raising the prestige and visibility of the University and in rebuilding the physical infrastructure, which was clearly in need of repair. Looking to the future, I would say that it’s now time to focus on the intellectual infrastructure. Recognizing that we can’t compete in all areas, the new president needs to focus on what the University provides the state and on our comparative advantage: our star departments, making sure they continue to grow through hiring world-class scholars.

"I do part company with those who advocate that the University needs to take a more direct role in promoting the local economy, that the University needs to build stronger links, stronger partnerships with local businesses. I find that a bit worrisome. The University’s product—the gold it produces—is its well-educated students and its basic research.

"It’s fool’s gold to go after doing the type of research that is more commercially oriented. It’s a mistake for a number of reasons. One, it takes resources away from what I consider the fundamental mission of the University, which is teaching and basic research. And two, if we start to judge the University more on the number of patents than on the number of academic journals that are published, we end up producing a product that the private sector would have done on its own. It may look good in the short run, but the University needs to be forward-looking and needs to look many, many years down the road. The product that it can produce—the gold, if you will—is the students and the basic research, and it should stick to that mission."

Dan Feeney

Professor of veterinary radiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine and chair of the Faculty Consultative Committee

"Obviously you want a strong leader, someone who is a visionary. [But you also want] someone who will be consultative, who is highly credible as an academic leader, and who is tenurable at the University of Minnesota [The core requirement of tenure is "demonstrated . . . effectiveness in teaching and professional distinction in research"]. This individual will be the figurehead for the faculty and if this figure is not tenurable, their credibility will be compromised.

"Look at the recent study [in which] the University of Minnesota was ranked the third best research university among public institutions. How did we get there? We’ve had good leadership, a good relationship with the state, and highly productive faculty. If you look at peer group rankings for faculty salary we’re 26th or 27th [out of 30 peer research institutions]. People stay here for the research rapport, the research productivity, and the collegial research environment, in addition to the terrific students. The faculty has a very vested interest in this institution. One of the great characteristics of the University of Minnesota is the very dedicated faculty.

"The big thing is that we want this institution to stay on track on its upward plane. If we lose momentum it is hard to get it back. We have strong faculty governance and the administration does work with us [in making important decisions]. It’s not adversarial and we’ve had great results. That fosters buy-in and a number of things that keep people motivated. In a circumstance like this you can recruit the right person [and create] a shared vision through the consultative process."

Richard (Pinky) McNamara (B.A. ’56)

University of Minnesota regent, CEO of Activar, former Gopher football player, and namesake of the McNamara Alumni Center

"What we have to do now, if we’ve learned something [from Yudof’s tenure], is get a person who understands how to improve student life. Students are why we’re all here. Yudof understood the importance of a good student experience here [and] he appreciated good faculty. Good faculty make the difference and you have to pay to recruit and retain them.

"The person should truly understand athletics. They seem to be the front porch of your institution. We need a person who thinks student life includes athletics. It should be student first, athlete second. Being a student-athlete is a wonderful deal; it was great for me. [But] you can’t cultivate an athlete-first attitude, because then that’s all you’re thinking about. We need to understand the importance of having a good program [in] every sense.

"What it comes down to, I think, is that you have to have done it before in spades. You’ve had to think about what it takes to run a big school. It’s great if you’ve improved student life before, hired good faculty, and truly understand athletics."

Christina Frazier

President of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly and a Ph.D. candidate in work, community, and family education in the College of Education and Human Development

"I’d like to see someone who will continue to be a cultural leader. I’m going into my fourth year on campus [and] I think the University community has taken huge steps in developing as a community. We need a person able to come in and embrace the University culture, be a part of it.

"Over the past five years, they’ve really focused strongly on the undergraduate student experience. They’ve improved it in tremendous ways—done a spectacular job. Now it’s time to look at the graduate and professional students [and the] tremendous contributions they make to the community. There are 40,000 undergrads, but there are also 13,000, plus or minus, graduate and professional students. A president needs to [tell the public] what they do for the state: the research and discoveries, the service they provide, the [graduate] alumni who are leaders in their communities.

"We need someone who is able to struggle with our current debate about whether we are moving away from liberal arts and toward vocational arts or the other way around. Someone with the insight to look at what the trends are in higher education and can give professors, staff, and students a way to really think about the intellectual future of the University.

"We have struggled for years to create a more diverse faculty. A president who has influence could assist in building a diverse faculty. That would impact the types of graduate and professional students who come here as well."

Chris Coughlan-Smith is senior editor of Minnesota. Shelly Fling is editor.