Strategic Imperative 3

Our campuses are situated in vibrant communities with a wide variety of arts and cultural experiences. Minnesota ranks among the top states for number of artists per capita, including by number of actors, designers and musicians, while the Twin Cities metro area was ranked among the top five most vibrant arts communities of 2024 by SMU DataArts. Through this dynamic initiative we will build interdisciplinary bridges from the arts to other aspects of education, research and scholarship that support and nurture our minds and spirits to express, understand and improve our connections with the communities in which we live. 

Key early actions:

• Create an Integrative Arts and Design Initiative to grow and enhance learning that infuses creativity into student learning experiences at the University of Minnesota that benefits our communities. 

• Incentivize the creation of community-based partnerships through Extension and relevant academic partners to grow our engagement with and impact on our communities and economy. 

• Create public programs featuring the arts, design, and innovation on each of our campuses, designed and/or led by faculty, staff or students, engaging members of the campus community and the broader communities in which we reside to have arts-based experiences as they navigate campus spaces. 

More than 350,000 University of Minnesota alumni live and work in Minnesota. We will continue to strengthen communities through innovative partnerships with Minnesota employers, addressing workforce needs, expanding and upskilling talent and collaborating on knowledge creation that fosters long-term success and keeps businesses rooted in our state. Building on the reputation of our headquarters economy, we will collaborate with employers of all sizes to start, grow and/or nurture their presence in the state, beyond simply connecting them with our graduates. The University of Minnesota also supports a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, having launched a record 25 startups in 2024 and ranking second in the nation in university startup creation. We will continue our leadership in this area to fuel economic growth and job creation across Minnesota by transforming knowledge into world-changing startups. 

Key early actions:

• Conduct broad workforce assessments to support the development of programs and resources, with an emphasis on AI, that provide certifications, upskilling and related strategies to serve Minnesota. 

• Develop innovative partnerships and strategies to understand and contribute to the workforce needs of Minnesota employers. 

• Accelerate the growth of partnerships with Minnesota and U.S. public and private organizations to grow the National Security Research Institute. 

• Through strategic enrollment planning, design processes and initiatives that anticipate the future needs of the state while preparing students for career success and long-term impact. 

Healthier communities are strong communities. That’s why the University of Minnesota trains nearly 70 percent of Minnesota’s physicians, dentists, pharmacists and other health professionals. We will continue to drive innovation in our health science programs across our campuses to address the healthcare workforce needs throughout Minnesota so that communities can have high-quality healthcare closer to home. We’ll sharpen our focus on expanding the healthcare workforce through new and expanded training programs and facilities in Duluth, Rochester and St. Cloud. 

Key early actions:

• Increase class sizes in healthcare workforce areas experiencing shortages to expand access across the state. 

• Expand mobile health and telehealth services in partnership with local communities to improve quality of care close to home. 

• Expand the infrastructure of the Rochester campus, allowing for increased programmatic partnerships across health science colleges and schools to meet student and employer needs. 

• Create opportunities for rural health education in the Duluth Academic Medical Building.

The University of Minnesota is the national leader in the use of spatial analysis, having invested in one of the most extensive GIS infrastructures of any institution in the U.S. While our U-Spatial unit supports geospatial work across disciplines — from mapping urban forests to addressing the presence of lead in water systems to advancing transportation solutions — we also lead the nation in the use of GIS by students, faculty and staff to learn, innovate and solve complex problems. This expertise in spatial thinking is a critical asset for both learners and employers. Recognized as the nation’s first “spatial university,” we are now forging new frontiers by integrating spatial science with the power of AI. We will use our expansive national expertise in spatial technology, sustainability, community engagement and GIS to drive innovation and improve all aspects of understanding how “data of place” can inform global society and support data-driven solutions. 

Key early actions:

• Map the connections among our research centers, academic departments and community activities to unlock new synergies and expand the impact of our educational, research and service efforts. 

• Accelerate the World Terrestrial Ecosystems work of the GeoCommunities initiative to map the interactions among humans, plants and animals that share the same ecosystems around the globe. 

The University of Minnesota will continue its nationally leading partnership with Tribal Nations in the state. Through ongoing discussions with Tribal leaders and informed by the Truth Report, our partnerships have grown even stronger. The University of Minnesota has revitalized the Ojibwe and Dakota language programs, is establishing American Indian Advisory Boards on each campus and has created resources, guidelines and a policy around conducting Indigenous research. These ongoing initiatives have deepened relationships that advance collaborative research, such as the Kawe Gidaanaanaagadawenddaain Manoomin project, the Chronic Wasting Disease initiative and the continued impact of centers and institutes such as the Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare Studies. With a focus on student success and programs such as the Native American Promise Program, American Indian graduation rates have increased significantly over the past two decades. We will continue to grow these partnerships and our academic offerings for the benefit of Tribal Nations and the State of Minnesota. 

Key early actions:

• Expand and accelerate undergraduate, graduate and professional educational opportunities designed to meet the needs of Tribal Nations in areas including, but not limited, to healthcare and STEM fields, with the aim of creating Tribal global leaders in these fields. 

• Create a Native American and Indigenous Studies–led crossuniversity collaboration that supports research, teaching and direct benefit to Tribal Nations in a variety of domains such as Native American and Indigenous approaches to health and the environment, science, technology, society, linguistic studies, humanities, law and education.