Under the direction of Senior Vice President Robert Jones, the Office for System Academic Administration is responsible for statewide and system-wide academic programs and initiatives. The office focuses on broad, high-level academic, outreach, and public engagement issues; international programs; system academic administration and policy; strategic planning and analysis; budgeting and legislative matters; institutional research; and academic capital planning. In addition, Senior Vice President Jones has management responsibility for the University’s four coordinate campuses in Crookston, Duluth, Morris, and Rochester.

To learn more or to contact one of the offices that comprise System Academic Administration, please refer to the links in the left margin of this page.

OSCI program is featured in national journal

A case study of the Transformational Leadership Program, offered through the Office of Service and Continuous Improvement (OSCI), has been published in the most recent (April) issue of the national Journal for Quality and Participation. Multiple cohorts on both the Twin Cities and Duluth campuses have participated in the Transformational Leadership Program since its inauguration in 2005. The goal of the program is to support faculty and staff in leading strategic process improvement projects while improving performance results across the University system. OSCI is part of System Academic Administration.

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Edward Goetz named as next director for Center for Urban and Regional Affairs

Edward Goetz, professor and director of the Masters of Urban and Regional Planning degree program in the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, will become director of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA), effective June, 2009. This appointment follows an internal search process to fill the position after Tom Scott, CURA's current director, steps down as part of a phased retirement. The appointment was announced by Robert Jones, senior vice president for system academic administration.

Goetz is former associate dean for academic affairs at the Humphrey Institute. His research and teaching focus on urban studies and politics, housing policy and discrimination, neighborhood revitalization, and economic development. He has chaired the board of the Urban Affairs Association and the Central Community Housing Trust of Minneapolis, and was a member of the executive council of the Research Committee on Housing and the Built Environment for the International Sociological Association. He has served on study groups and boards for the Metropolitan Council and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and is on the editorial boards of three major housing and urban policy journals.

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2009 International Transport Economics Conference

The Center for Transportation Studies (CTS) will host the 2009 International Transport Economics Conference (ITrEC) June 15–16 on the University's Twin Cities campus. ITrEC brings together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers interested in questions of transport economics. In previous years the conference took place at the University of Alberta (2006), the Catholic University of Leuven (2007), and the Paris School of Economics (2008). Online registration is now available. Early registration rates are available until May 15. Early registration cost ranges from US$450 for professionals to US$95 for students. For more information, contact David Levinson, dlevinson@umn.edu, or conference coordinator Sara Van Essendelft, cceconf5@umn.edu, 612-624-3708. Information also is available on the conference Web site. CTS is part of System Academic Administration.

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UMore Park offers unique opportunities for stimulus proposals

The recently-passed federal Stimulus Bill may provide opportunities to move forward with existing plans for developing and enhancing the University of Minnesota’s UMore Park, a 5,000-acre site 25 miles southeast of the Twin Cities at the suburban-rural interface near Rosemount, Minnesota.

The vision to build a University-founded community of 20,000-30,000 people at UMore Park, a 25- to 30-year endeavor, was proposed in November 2006. A new report, “The U’s UMore Park property: A unique research platform for economic stimulus proposals” (24 KB PDF), outlines opportunities to leverage stimulus funds for the project.

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Renovation of new UROC building goes forward

The University of Minnesota has announced the selection of Stahl Construction and MN Best Enterprises, Inc. as the construction team for the renovation of the university's new Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center (UROC) at the former Plymouth-Penn shopping center, located at 2001 Plymouth Ave. in north Minneapolis.
The team was chosen from eight proposals submitted to the UROC construction committee. In addition to other factors, the construction committee felt that CEOs Wayne Stahl (Stahl) and Hyon Kim (MN Best) had assembled high quality, experienced work teams and had the strongest ratings in several key areas including inclusion of Targeted Group Businesses (TGB). Work began the week of Jan. 19.

Read entire article at UMNews