About President Cunningham

Dr. Rebecca Cunningham began her appointment as the 18th President of the University of Minnesota System on July 1, 2024.

As President, Dr. Cunningham is working closely with the U of M community and Minnesotans broadly to design and implement a bold new vision that effectively positions the five-campus system for continuous success.

President Cunningham is focused on prioritizing an accessible, world-class education for students and advancing the University’s powerful mission to enhance the health, safety and prosperity of people across the state, nation and world.

President Cunningham maintains a faculty appointment in the School of Public Health’s Division of Epidemiology & Community Health.

Before joining the University of Minnesota, Dr. Cunningham served as the Vice President for Research and Innovation at the University of Michigan, where she was responsible for expanding its annual research portfolio to a record $2 billion. At Michigan, Dr. Cunningham led a universitywide strategy that bolstered discovery and impact, accelerated knowledge translation, supported entrepreneurial activity, expanded statewide economic development, advanced undergraduate student success, and strengthened diversity, equity, and inclusion.

President Cunningham was elected in 2019 to the National Academy of Medicine.  In 2023, Crain’s Detroit Business named her a “Notable Leader in Higher Education.” And in 2024, Twin Cities Business recognized President Cunningham as a member of its TCB 100 cohort, which recognizes people in and around the Minnesota business community who are likely to make news and drive change in the year ahead.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University and a medical doctorate from Jefferson Medical College. President Cunningham completed her residency in emergency medicine at the University of Michigan.