In a final push for applications, the Regent Candidate Advisory Council is extending the application deadline for the four open positions on the Board of Regents.  

Spots on the 12-person board can now be applied for until Dec. 7 instead of the original Nov. 30 deadline, according to a RCAC press release on Wednesday. Open positions in 2019 include one student at-large position, two at-large positions and one 5th Congressional District position. The state Legislature will vote on these positions during the upcoming session. 

“I will say, when we extend the deadline we get a little more interested attention to the process,” RCAC chair Dan Wolter said. “Obviously, if we had a huge stack of applications immediately before the original deadline we might not have extended it.” 

The extension of regent applications isn’t atypical, Wolter said. 

November’s election may have caused applications to come in later than expected, he said. 

“Even though we’ve had applications open since September, there is literally no one who pays attention to it until after the election,” Wolter said. “If you’re someone who is considering running for regent, it’s important to know who’s running the Legislature, so after the election is when people start to focus.”

In a statement, Wolter said the ideal candidates will have a deep interest in higher education and an understanding of the role of the University of Minnesota as a major land grant and research institution.