An excerpt from recent Minnesota editorials:
Minnesota Opinion: Candidates needed for board of regents
Anyone wondering about the importance and impact of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents can consider the big headlines that dominated the state's newspapers (recently). "U. of Minn. regents pick Kaler as 16th president," the News Tribune's announced.
Yep, the 12-member Board of Regents has the authority and the power to hire and to fire the president of the University of Minnesota system, which includes the university's Duluth campus.
Also, anyone can be considered to be a regent. And right now that includes anyone living in Northeastern Minnesota's 8th Congressional District, one of four seats open. What's more, the deadline to apply recently was extended to Nov. 29, which is Monday, with the hopes of increasing the pool of candidates.
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"We have a small handful so far," Rebecca Covington, a UMD graduate student and a member of the Regent Candidate Advisory Council, told the News Tribune editorial board recently. "We need to spread the word far and wide so we can get a diverse pool of candidates. Then the Legislature can pick the best person possible.
"We're looking for someone with a comprehensive grasp of the challenges facing higher education," she said, "and someone who feels passionately about higher education in Minnesota."
... Application materials can be completed at rcac.leg.mn. Or anyone interested can call the council's Legislative Coordinating Commission's Sally Olson at (651) 296-9002.
"The Board of Regents is responsible for the $3 billion engine that runs higher education in our state," said George Sundstrom of Duluth, another member of the Regent Candidate Advisory Council, which recommends candidates to the Legislature for final approval. In other words, being on the Board of Regents is a big deal. And our corner of the state needs new representation.
-- Duluth News Tribune
