U of M President Kaler makes first visit to Minnesota's Iron Range April 26-27

University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler will make his first visit to Minnesota’s Iron Range region next Thursday and Friday, April 26 and 27, with scheduled stops in Coleraine, Eveleth, Grand Rapids, Hibbing, Orr and Virginia. He will tour several local institutions, celebrate the opening of the university’s NOvA laboratory near Orr and visit with local community leaders and alumni.

“Our presence in Duluth and Grand Rapids and our partnership with the region’s mining and forest products industries is of critical importance to the university and the economic vitality of northern Minnesota,” Kaler said. “I look forward to visiting with our partners and local community leaders, as well as our many alumni living in the area.”

Kaler will be joined on the trip by his wife, Karen Kaler, along with university Regent David McMillan, of Duluth, and several university leaders, including University of Minnesota, Duluth (UMD) Chancellor Lendley Black, Senior Vice President for System Academic Administration Robert Jones, Vice President for Research Tim Mulcahy, and UMD Executive Vice Chancellor Andrea Schokker.

The university’s ties to the Iron Range run deep. Last semester, the U’s five statewide campuses enrolled 3,029 students hailing from Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake and St. Louis counties. In addition, more than 19,000 U alumni reside on the Iron Range, and together they hold nearly 25,000 degrees, including advanced degrees in medicine, law, engineering and veterinary medicine.

Finally, the university’s campus and various Iron Range affiliations and partnerships account for more than 4,000 jobs, resulting in an influx of $345 million to the region.

Kaler is scheduled to visit and tour the following organizations:
• Hibbing Community College (HCC) Dental Clinic, a joint venture between the university and HCC;
• Hibbing Taconite Co.;
• the university’s Northeast Minnesota Area Health Education Center in Hibbing, North Central Research and Outreach Center in Grand Rapids and Coleraine Minerals Research Laboratory; and
• Mesabi Range Community and Technical College in Virginia.

Kaler will also be on hand for the Friday, April 27 ribbon-cutting ceremony for the NuMI Off-Axis Electron Neutrino Appearance (NOvA) far detector building near Ash River, a laboratory of the School of Physics and Astronomy in the university’s College of Science and Engineering. on this event, please see www.umn.edu/news/news-releases/2012/UR_CONTENT_383554.html.

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• Last modified on April 23, 2012