Overview of Presidential Initiatives
Today more than ever, pushing the boundaries of knowledge in one field often means crossing into other disciplines. One of the great advantages the University of Minnesota possesses is the breadth of its programs, particularly on the Twin Cities campus, which is only one of only a handful of campuses in the country that are home to both a comprehensive academic health center and a college of agriculture. Along with continued investment in programs and departments where the University is already recognized as excellent, the University is building on its breadth by cultivating work across the disciplines.
The President’s Interdisciplinary Academic Initiatives are eight areas of study that were chosen because they meet some or all of these criteria:
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They are areas of comparative advantage for the University and the state.
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They have high quality foundational programs.
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They are central to the University’s land grant mission and research enterprise, and reflect the needs and resources of Minnesota.
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They are areas where further investment will yield significant return in intellectual quality and capital.
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They are areas where considerable outside resources can be leveraged.
Six of these initiatives have a significant bioscience or biotechnology component. As a result of former President Mark Yudof’s initiative in molecular and cell biology, the University has a strengthened basic research in the life sciences. It is critical that the University maintain its strength in basic science by continuing to invest in this area while at the same time moving to the next stage. The University is poised to build on these investments in basic research by launching a wide range of investments in applications of molecular and cellular biology and genetics.
Three of these interdisciplinary priorities (Arts and Humanities; Children, Youth, and Families; and Law and Values in Health, Environment, and the Life Sciences) will be funded largely through reallocation of existing resources and private philanthropy while the other five will require additional support from the state and partnerships with the private sector.
All eight initiatives will be advanced through the University’s strategic planning (compact) process, and each initiative is currently being developed by ad hoc working groups. |
