University of Minnesota to inaugurate Eric Kaler as the 16th president Sept. 22

“Minnesota All”-themed inauguration starts Monday, Sept. 19; includes campus and community events

Media Note: Room is limited at the inaugural ceremony. Media wanting to cover any inaugural events during the week must jfalk [a] umn (p) edu for credentials.

Eric Kaler will be inaugurated as the University of Minnesota’s 16th president at 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, at Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 Fourth St. S., Minneapolis.

The formal ceremony will include a faculty procession into the hall; the investiture and presentation of the mace and medallion, symbols of university leadership, by Gov. Mark Dayton and U of M Board of Regents Chair Linda Cohen; and Kaler’s inaugural address.

Kaler will be the second university alumnus to serve as president of Minnesota’s land-grant and research university. More than 1,000 dignitaries from Minnesota, throughout the nation and around the world, including representatives from four consulates, will attend the ceremony.

The inauguration week theme is “Minnesota All,” bringing to life Kaler and his wife Karen’s vision that the inauguration and the week’s festivities be a vehicle to instill and promote pride in the university among faculty, staff and students, among government and business leaders, and among all Minnesotans.

Amidst the tradition will be a new twist: Student social media ambassadors will be following Kaler throughout the week and posting to a special Twitter account, @PrezKaler. Follow the action there beginning Friday, Sept. 16.

The public is welcome to view the inauguration live in Coffman Union, 300 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis, the Rarig Center, 330 21st Ave. S., Minneapolis, and the St. Paul Student Center, 2017 Buford Ave., St. Paul. To watch the ceremony live online, go to www.umn.edu the morning of the inauguration to be directed to the broadcast site. A special pre-inaugural broadcast will begin at 10:45 a.m., hosted by U of M School of Journalism and Mass Communication alumna Boua Xiong and featuring color commentary by university historian Ann Pflaum.

The ceremony will be carried live in Kirby Rafters on the Duluth campus, in Bede Ballroom of Sargeant Student Center on the Crookston campus, in Room 122 of the Welcome Center on the Morris campus and in Room 419 University Square on the Rochester campus.

Inaugural week activities

The week consists of a series of activities on and off campus highlighting the depth and breadth of the university’s tripartite mission of research, teaching and outreach – from the university’s Twin Cities’ campus to a family farm in Hugo, the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis’ Northside neighborhood and a Minnesota Twins game.

Monday, Sept. 19 – Campus crawl

9 to 11:30 a.m. Kaler tours the St. Paul campus. Tour highlights include a visit with world-renowned bee researcher Marla Spivak, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences; the university’s turf research fields, U of M Extension; presentations on a range of cutting-edge research, from biofuels to epigenetics, in the College of Biological Sciences; an overview of the university’s continuing education and personal enrichment programs, College of Continuing Education; and the Veterinary Medical Center, College of Veterinary Medicine.

1 to 3 p.m. Kaler takes a tour of the Academic Health Center (AHC) on the East Bank campus in Minneapolis. The president will visit the School of Public Health, where he will meet with faculty and students to discuss high-impact local and global public health research. He will tour the AHC Simulation Center, where he will participate in hands-on treatment of a simulated patient. The president will also take a drill in hand at the School of Dentistry’s Simulation Clinic to test his own operative skills on mannequins equipped with cameras, computers and tracking sensors. Finally, he will learn how interdisciplinary health professional teams are learning new models of collaboration in health care delivery at the Teaching Health Professional Collaborative Practice.

Tuesday, Sept. 20 – Community day

Kaler will spend the day getting acquainted with the many ways the university and the broader community collaborate to improve the well-being of Minnesota’s people and economy.

7:30 to 8:45 a.m. Kaler tours the Fran and Mary Ann Miron dairy farm, Hugo, and meets with local high school students studying agriculture.

10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Kaler will meet with university and industry leaders in the health- and science-related products and services industry at a Life Science Alley event, Nicollet Island Pavilion, 40 Power St., Minneapolis. Kaler will deliver remarks at approximately 10:55 a.m.

1 to 3 p.m. Kaler visits the U’s Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC) in North Minneapolis at 2001 Plymouth Ave. N., Minneapolis, and learns about the university’s collaborations with urban communities. Kaler will hold a media availability at 2:45 p.m.

4 to 5:45 p.m. Kaler visits the Guthrie Theater, 818 Second St. S., Minneapolis, and learns about partnerships between area arts organizations and university arts departments in the College of Liberal Arts (CLA), including the BFA Actor Training program, which is run in conjunction with the Guthrie Theater. Kaler will deliver remarks at about 4:50 p.m.

6:55 p.m. Kaler, accompanied by Goldy Gopher, throws out the first pitch at the Minnesota Twins game at Target Field. The “Minnesota Rouser” will be played prior to the pitch.

Wednesday, Sept. 21 – Campus crawl

9 to 10:55 a.m. Kaler tours the West Bank campus in Minneapolis. He will visit the Law School, the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, the Carlson School of Management, the School of Music in CLA and the Global Programs and Strategy Alliance office, where students will challenge Kaler to a lightning round of trivia on the university’s international history and current international programs.

1 to 3 p.m. Kaler returns to the East Bank campus in Minneapolis beginning at historic Burton Hall, where he will learn about the College of Education and Human Development’s innovative First Year Experience program. Students, faculty and staff will then greet Kaler in Elliott Hall, where they will highlight psychology -- the major that serves the most students in CLA. Next he will visit Walter Library, where College of Science and Engineering faculty will present a 3-D virtual reality demonstration of cutting-edge research for medical device design and the latest in robotics. Kaler will end his East Bank tour by visiting Rapson Hall, home of the College of Design.

Thursday, Sept. 22 – Inauguration day

11 a.m. to noon. The inauguration ceremony (ticketed) begins at 11 a.m. at Ted Mann Concert Hall.

2 to 4 p.m. Public post-inauguration reception at Coffman Union (various locations).

Friday, Sept. 23 – Portrait unveiling

Noon. Kaler will get a reflection of himself with the public unveiling of the presidential portrait at the Coffman Union front plaza.

Saturday, Sept. 24 – Game day

6 p.m. Kaler will finish the week at the Gopher football team’s game against North Dakota State University (ticketed) at TCF Bank Stadium.

For all inauguration-related information, see the official inauguration website, www.umn.edu/president/inauguration.

• © 2009-2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
• The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer
• Last modified on September 15, 2011