University of Minnesota president Robert Bruininks to join Humphrey Institute

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (08/25/2010) —The Humphrey Institute announced today that University of Minnesota president Robert H. Bruininks will join its faculty at then end of his presidency June 30, 2011. Bruininks will move his research portfolio to the Humphrey Institute after an administrative leave to further develop his teaching, research, and publishing responsibilities.

“Bob Bruininks has provided visionary leadership for the University. We are thrilled that he has chosen the Humphrey Institute as the next step in his distinguished career as a teacher, scholar, administrator, and advocate for education—along the continuum from pre-K through higher education,” says Humphrey Institute Dean Brian Atwood. “Most know Bob as the leader of this great University, but he also has a strong foundation in education policy issues. The Humphrey Institute is the perfect home for the next phase of his career."

Bruininks was appointed the 15th president of the University of Minnesota on November 8, 2002. He has served the University for more than 40 years, formerly as a professor, dean, and executive vice president and provost. Previously the dean and professor at the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development, Bruininks earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Michigan University, and his Master of Arts and doctor of philosophy degrees from George Peabody College (now Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development).

“For decades now, my academic home has been the College of Education and Human Development, and I plan to maintain that faculty affiliation. However, my future work will likely center around two broad themes that are strongly tied to the academic mission of the Humphrey Institute: transformative public leadership and human capital and economic development,” said Bruininks. “I am especially interested in advancing interdisciplinary scholarship in these areas, building on my past experience as a tenured faculty member in the departments of educational psychology and organizational leadership, policy, and development, Although I expect a busy final year as president of this great university, of course I am looking forward to this future appointment to the Humphrey Institute.”

When he begins his work at the Humphrey Institute, Bruininks will be affiliated with the Center for Integrative Leadership, an interdisciplinary University-wide center closely aligned with Bruininks’ research interests in transformative public leadership. The center itself models this priority in that it is administered and jointly operated by the Humphrey Institute and the Carlson School of Management.