The University of Minnesota formally began their search for a new school president after Joan Gabel announced she will be leaving for the Pittsburgh University starting next school year. 

Gabel leaves her position after slightly under four years in the Twin Cities. She has led the university through a tumultuous period, marked by a global pandemic and social change and upheaval following the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests throughout the state and country. 

The board of regents will select their first interim president in nearly two decades, and will ultimately select the 18th president of the University of Minnesota. 

The board of regents, the selection committee for the next president, has also seen turnover this month. Former regent Ken Powell resigned amid the search. 

The board of regents held a special meeting last Thursday to discuss their search in light of Gabel’s resignation on April 3. Board members expressed the need for a fast-paced selection process due to the upcoming budget decisions and regent elections. Some regents have said they hope to have a new president selected by May, while usually selection processes can take place over the course of a few months. 

The board of regents met again this Monday in another meeting to discuss matters related to the search, including their search for an interim. Notably, the salary of the interim president is yet to be settled. 

According to Torey Van Oot of Axios Twin Cities, “regents expressed an interest to appoint an interim leader with executive experience and ties to the state and university who will “stay the course” until a new, permanent president is picked.”

The university is hoping to receive feedback and input on their upcoming decisions and they sent out a comment form to the university community and to the wider Minnesota public. 

On April 24, the university community received an email alerting the community about the opening of the application period for a new interim president. The board of regents announced it will be a seven day application period concluding on May 1. 

Board chair Janie Mayeron said in the email, “I am confident we will attract strong candidates who will fulfill the Board’s priorities for this interim systemwide role.” She continued to write on the issues important to the university and the board, stating “Those priorities include maintaining momentum on key initiatives, such as the MPact 2025 system wide strategic plan and the PEAK initiative; building strong relationships and trust, both with our internal community and with external stakeholders; and preparing the University for our next president.” 

The candidate pool will be broad, including internal and external candidates. The board decided on certain areas of the selection process including candidate requirements and how the regents will go about their selection on behalf of the university. 

According to Torey Van Oot of Axios Twin Cities, “regents expressed an interest to appoint an interim leader with executive experience and ties to the state and university who will “stay the course” until a new, permanent president is picked.”

The search for the next president of the University of Minnesota comes at an important time for the university community. The most recent school year has been filled with controversy and stories of conflict between students and the greater university. Graduate students have unionized for better pay and benefits for themselves and there has been continued talk about safety and police presence on campus. 

University of Minnesota community members who wish to follow the president selection process should check their emails for upcoming messages from the board of regents. Those who wish to contribute their voice to the discussion can submit their comments by contacting the board here.