The University of Minnesota Crookston Has Huge Impact on Crookston. Will You Support UMC?
You may have noticed Crookston feels more active and busier lately. Sure, things are always a little more relaxed over the summer as people are enjoying vacations, and high school and grade school students are enjoying their time out of the schools. Likewise, at the University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC), many faculty and some staff are off for the summer, and only a handful of college students are around—some working at internships around the region. 
With fall semester well underway, it’s nice to have a bit of bustle back on campus and around Crookston. With a campus community of more than 1,000 students, faculty, and staff in a town of just under 8,000 residents, UMC does have a noticeable effect on the local community. And that’s important, because Crookston is one of only three other communities outside the Twin Cities metro area with a University of Minnesota campus. The others are Duluth, Morris, and Rochester. UMC is also rather unique in that it has the U of M’s Northwest Research and Outreach Center and a regional office of U of M Extension both adjacent to the campus. We are able to partner with these other parts of the University of Minnesota easily and efficiently.
According to an economic impact study released earlier this year by Tripp Umbach, the University of Minnesota System contributes more than $8.6 billion to Minnesota’s economy. The economic impact of the Crookston campus alone on the state’s economy is $63.6 million along with a $3.6 million impact on local and state taxes and an employment impact that supports 763 jobs throughout the state. UMC employs more than 250 faculty and staff directly. Learn more at www.government-relations.umn.edu/content/universitys-impact.
Our students, their parents, and families shop at Crookston’s local businesses, eat at local restaurants, use local services, and enjoy local amenities, as do our faculty and staff. It’s easy to see why Crookston seems more active since new student welcome weekend in mid-August.
Additionally, the research that is conducted on campus has been increasing over the past several years. The events, programming, and cultural activities on campus (so many of which are free and open to the public) have grown in number. And our student-athletes have been working hard and improving in one of the most competitive NCAA Division II conferences in the nation, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
As chancellor of YOUR local University of Minnesota campus, I want to make sure you know you are always welcome on the Crookston campus. UMC is YOUR land-grant university right here in your backyard. I personally invite you to join us for home games to cheer on our Golden Eagle athletics teams, or for our music, theater, and cultural events, or any of the many informative and entertaining events we sponsor.
I also ask you to consider supporting the treasure that is UMC in any way you can. From little things like wearing maroon and gold on Fridays (or any other day of the week) to considering financial gifts both large and small to support student scholarships, research, programs, and/or facilities. I pledge to work together with the leaders of Crookston to benefit both the campus and community. I also pledge to build and encourage even better relationships through initiatives like the Small Business Development Center, Meet Crookston Through Service, and the activities of the Crookston Campus-Community Connection, among others.
Please join me, our students, faculty, staff, and alumni in supporting the University of Minnesota Crookston, and show your pride in the local maroon and gold! Together we can do great things for our shared community, region, state, and country.
Sincerely,
Mary Holz-Clause
Chancellor
University of Minnesota Crookston
