University President Mark Yudof will team up for two weeks with Gov. Arne Carlson and Mankato State University President Richard Rush on a business trip that will take them to Finland and Norway.
The delegates were invited by Carlson, who departs today for St. Petersburg, Russia. There Carlson will tour the Hermitage Museum, which features a fire and security system designed by Minneapolis-based Honeywell Inc.
Yudof and his wife Judy depart Sunday along with six top University administrators and Rush. The party will stop in Finland, where it will meet with University of Helsinki officials to discuss research opportunities that could benefit Minnesota.
Carlson will catch up with the group in Helsinki and they will meet with Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari.
“The president of the University of Minnesota ought to be involved in bringing trade and investment to the state,” Yudof said. “It makes a lot of sense to expand the relationship with both the private and public sectors in Norway and Finland.”
The trip, estimated to cost $73,000, will cost Yudof $4,960 for hotel, air and transportation. The University Foundation will pay for Judy Yudof’s flight; she must pay the rest of her expenses. The state Legislature sets aside money for the University president to travel.
Since Minnesota has the second largest Finnish population in the United States, Yudof said he purposely found the time to take the trip.
“I’ve turned down five trips to every one I’ve taken,” Yudof said. “This one just seems to make sense.”
— Jeremy Taff