Consultant

The Public Strategies Group

The Public Strategies Group (PSG) was founded in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1991 by Babak Armajani and Peter Hutchinson, former cabinet level officers in the administration of Governor Rudy Perpich. PSG specializes in designing creative solutions for public organizations. The firm consists of a small group of thought leaders and advanced practitioners of the strategies required to turn promising ideas into workable solutions that produce better results for citizens.

PSG has 15 partners, half located in Minnesota and half around the United States. Its work spans the public sector from municipal to federal, from higher education to taxation. PSG has the benefit of being knowledgeable about Minnesota while being engaged nationally in a wide-ranging set of public issues.

Design Parameters

• The mission and associated activities proposed for these UMC assets must be consistent with the University’s mission and, where relevant, with the University’s March 11, 2005, Strategic Positioning report, the March 30, 2005, Academic Task Force report, and President Bruininks's recommendations “Transforming the University of Minnesota” as presented to the Board of Regents on May 13, 2005.
• UMC must assume that the current level of state support will, at a maximum, not increase beyond inflation, and may remain at current levels or even decrease over time. 
• The University’s allocation of state support to UMC will be based upon reasonable standards for comparable institutions and be determined through the planning and budget processes of the University. UMC will be expected to participate in annual system-wide budget adjustments and reallocations and assume a portion (to be determined) of the costs of all future capital projects. 
• UMC must develop a new budget and academic program model that assumes greater responsibility for more of its cost. Any new model for UMC, which may include new areas of responsibility or direction, must demonstrate a balanced budget.
• UMC’s future vision must take into account other education, rural and economic development, and related resources in the region (such as high schools, other higher education institutions, AURI) and where possible forge partnerships with them.
• UMC must present a set of clear, specific, detailed accountability measures by which UMC’s success can be judged. These accountability measures should include rationalizing an effective and efficient administrative structure and should also consider a reduction in operating costs.  These measures must yield at least annual feedback on progress.