Serving the UMN community since 1900

The Minnesota Daily

Serving the UMN community since 1900

The Minnesota Daily

Serving the UMN community since 1900

The Minnesota Daily

Daily Email Edition

Get MN Daily NEWS delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Regents holding last meeting of summer

The Board of Regents is holding its last meeting of the summer Wednesday.

Before breaking up into committees, regents heard a presentation detailing the public’s perception of the University.

Vice President for University Relations Karen Himle presented the findings from a University survey, which included focus groups and interviews, that was generally favorable to the school.

However, slightly more than 60 percent said being a good financial manager is important for the University, while less than 40 percent said that characteristic actually describes the school “well or completely” – an area that Himle said concerned the University.

The presentation also included data that weighed the effectiveness of the Driven to Discover campaign.

Results show that the campaign has educated the public about the University, although 32 percent of those who had been recently exposed to it in 2007 said they learned nothing from the ads.

Regent Steven Hunter said he’s heard from people that the campaign seems to focus too much on research and brushes undergraduates under the rug.

The campaign will focus more on reaching greater Minnesota next year, Himle said – an audience which hasn’t been targeted before.

The Finance and Operations Committee also discussed a detailed financial plan for the four biomedical buildings set to go up by the new stadium.

The University is responsible for 25 percent of the project’s total cost of $292 million, Chief Financial Officer Richard Pfutzenreuter said.

Because legislation mandates that the University can’t pay its part with tuition revenue, Pfutzenreuter said the unit occupying the buildings is historically responsible for covering the cost.

The full Board of Regents will hear about the plan later Wednesday and the Educational Planning & Policy Committee is scheduled to hear an update on the Northside Partnership.

Check mndaily.com for more updates from the meeting.

Leave a Comment

Accessibility Toolbar

Comments (0)

All The Minnesota Daily Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *