Cooler but still well above normal this week

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system 

announced this morning their two candidates for system chancellor.

 Utah's commissioner of higher education.

The men were two of four semi-finalists. Trustees said the two others dropped out of the running. The committee originally considered 46 candidates and interviewed 11.

, who is stepping down this summer after a decade on the job.

The new chancellor is expected to be named Wednesday.

According to candidate information provided by MnSCU:

Rosenstone has been vice president for scholarly and cultural affairs at the University of Minnesota since 2007. He came to the university in 1996 to serve as dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

During his tenure, the college revamped elements of undergraduate life at the U, built state-of-the-art facilities and made partnerships with businesses, communities, cultural and civic organizations. Over the years, Rosenstone led numerous system-wide initiatives, including the national conference on Keeping our Faculties of Color and task forces on scholarships, private fund-raising and long-term financial strategy. He was awarded the McKnight Presidential Leadership Chair for his service to the university.

Before coming to the university, he was a full professor of political science at Yale University until 1986, when he taught at the University of Michigan and became program director in the Center for Political Studies.

He is the author of four books and numerous scholarly articles on elections, political participation, and the challenges facing higher education. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Rosenstone graduated summa cum laude from Washington University,  and earned his master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of California, Berkeley.

He also serves as chief executive officer of Utah’s Board of Regents, and has been in his current position since 2008. His duties included developing a statewide higher education plan.

Previously he served as president of Utah Valley University from 2003 to 2008. Under his tenure, the two-year community college grew to a four-year regional university with 30,000 students.

Before that, he was: president of Ferris State University from 1994 to 2003; vice president for public policy and director at the Public Opinion Research Institute from 1991 to 1994; Michigan state senator from 1978 to 1991; president of Survey Research Co. from 1974 to 1991; and a postdoctoral fellow at Michigan State University from 1973 to 1975.

In 1990, he helped found the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, became its inaugural chair and located its headquarters in Minneapolis.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in education and political science from Minnesota State University, Mankato, as well as both a master’s degree in political science and a doctorate in political science and public administration from Michigan State University.

The Board of Trustees will meet at 8 a.m. tomorrow and at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday at the MnSCU headquarters to interview the finalists.

At a at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, the board is expected to deliberate and choose a new chancellor.

Whoever wins will face big challenges. The 32-school system has seen huge enrollment increases in recent  years, declining funding from the state, and some of the highest  tuition levels in the country.

MnSCU receives about the same in  state funding as the University of Minnesota; last year that was around  $600 million. While the U of M has 70,000 students statewide, MnSCU has  more than 200,000.

Education News

On Campus Blog

Alex Friedrich

Author

Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system announced this morning their two candidates for system chancellor. They named Steven Rosenstone, vice president for scholarly and cultural affairs at the University of Minnesota; and William Sederburg, Utah’s commissioner of higher education. The men were two of four semi-finalists. Trustees said the two others dropped…

(Update) MnSCU trustees select U's Rosenstone and Utah's Sederburg as chancellor finalists

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox