The University of Minnesota Board of Regents named Laura Bloomberg, Rebecca Cunningham, and James Holloway as finalists to be the 18th President of the University of Minnesota System. The finalists rose to the top of a pool of four lead candidates unanimously endorsed by the Board’s Presidential Search Advisory Committee.
Finalists will visit the Crookston, Duluth, Morris, Rochester, and Twin Cities campuses to meet with students, faculty, staff, and the public in a series of open forums, each including a brief presentation and moderated Q&A session.
On Monday, UMC hosted finalist Dr. James Holloway, as the first introduced candidate. Holloway currently serves as the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of New Mexico and believes the University of Minnesota Institution has a wide variety of excellent programs, and all U of M universities have the opportunity to work together. “I love universities centered on their state, and that’s a key part of their being,” said Holloway, “Not every university is like that, but the University of Minnesota is, and that to me is extremely attractive.”
Holloway has spent much of his career at the University of Michigan and enjoyed many aspects of living in the Midwest. He finds many similarities between Michigan and Minnesota. “This is an absolutely beautiful state, and I’ve visited many times (typically in the twin cities),” said Holloway, “But everybody has been friendly and engaged, so just from that perspective, I think it’s a wonderful state that I enjoy, and I’d like to spend more time here.”
During the forum, Holloway had a talking point regarding what he called “Student Success,” which stems from the college student experience ranging from mental health, classroom environment, and campus safety. Holloway voiced his opinion on why these aspects should be prioritized within universities. “Many of our students have challenges outside of the classroom that many folks of my generation didn’t necessarily experience,” said Holloway, “Students that struggle with food, housing, or mental health challenges. In many ways, there is a success here that more students can go to college, but at the same time, it is an important responsibility for us to ensure whoever comes, we know they can succeed, and we help them succeed.” Regarding the mental health crisis, Holloway believes it is crucial for campuses to offer treatment for student but also emphasize prevention, and that could pay dividends to later success.
UMC has seen challenges with retaining and increasing enrollment in past years. Holloway was asked during the forum how he may go about revitalizing the campus and how more students can be drawn to the campus. “There are things that are going to happen Crookston that you’re not going to see on other campuses or in Minneapolis,” said Holloway, “Different people have different needs. I think some learners would greatly in this environment, who may not thrive in the twin cities and vice versa.” Holloway explained that making UMC more visible may attract incoming students not looking for a large community such as Minneapolis/St. Paul, and that each community offers different opportunities. The objective here is to inform students what each campus provides so they can make the best decision tailored to their preferences.
The next University of Minnesota President candidate that will be hosted by UMC for the open forum will be Dr. Laura Bloomberg on Wednesday, February 14, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Kiehle Auditorium.
