University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler to visit Rochester July 19

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (07/16/2012) – University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler will visit Rochester on Thursday, July 19 to meet with community and business leaders, alumni and legislators from southern Minnesota.

“Rochester is home to a world-renowned medical center, job-producing industry and a long tradition of high-tech leadership,” Kaler said. “Building upon these strengths through partnerships like the Decade of Discovery effort with Mayo Clinic to conquer diabetes is exactly why the University of Minnesota is a critical investment for our state. I look forward to meeting with legislators and other community leaders about how we can strengthen our partnerships and southern Minnesota.”

Kaler will be joined on the visit by University of Minnesota Rochester (UMR) Chancellor Stephen Lehmkuhle and university Regent Patricia Simmons of Rochester. He will start the day by leading a delegation of university researchers in a private meeting with legislators. The focus will be the high-impact and innovative research conducted by the U’s Center for Transportation Studies in southeastern Minnesota, along Highway 52 and I-90 across southern Minnesota. Researchers will provide an update on university efforts to make rural roads safer with driver-centered systems.

At noon, Kaler will speak to The Rotary Club of Rochester about the statewide economic value of the U, his commitment to keeping tuition in check and the challenges the university faces amid deep state funding reductions. The event is open to media.

“The University of Minnesota is working hard with various southern Minnesota partners to advance Minnesota’s prosperity, strengthen the economy and solve our state’s most pressing problems,” said Kaler. “Our research and land-grant mission make us a unique engine for producing the high-level workforce and discovery that Minnesota needs to continue its national and international leadership.”

More than 8,000 residents of the counties located along the I-90 corridor are graduates of the University of Minnesota, and together they hold nearly 10,200 degrees, including advanced degrees in medicine, law, engineering and veterinary medicine. Last semester, the U’s five statewide campuses enrolled 2,103 students hailing from Faribault, Freeborn, Jackson, Martin, Mower, Olmsted, Nobles, Rock and Winona counties.

The UMR campus, Rochester and Worthington Regional Extension offices and area county Extension offices account for more than 600 jobs along the I-90 corridor, resulting in an influx of $38 million to the region.

The University of Minnesota Rochester, part of the University of Minnesota system, is focused on providing high-quality health sciences education. UMR was formally established as a coordinate U of M campus in December 2006 and is located in University Square in the heart of downtown Rochester. , visit http://www.r.umn.edu/ .

The University of Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies solves vexing transportation challenges in innovative ways, convening diverse communities to brainstorm, debate, share, learn and act. CTS partners with local and global transportation professionals, stakeholders, businesses and leaders to move new ideas from research to reality. , see the 2012 highlights video at http://z.umn.edu/cts2012 .

Related Links

University of Minnesota Rochester

Center for Transportation Studies

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• Last modified on July 16, 2012