Jiali Gao will build a bridge to the life sciences, and 20 additional faculty hires are planned. Design initiative includes an undergraduate design minor, to be launched this spring, and revival of Design Quarterly , a prestigious national journal. In new media, renovated Murphy Hall will include multimedia classrooms and modern labs and production facilities. Cowles Chair has been awarded to media economist Daniel Sullivan and Silha Professorship to Jane Kirtley. Agriculture initiative includes new partnerships statewide and Rapid Response Fund projects to meet emergencies in production of turkeys, wheat, barley, and potatoes.
Retention rate is the best in Minnesota, small college or large, public or private.
Yudof also cited record numbers of new freshmen at UMD, technological advances on the Crookston campus, and renovation of science facilities at Morris. Disturbing national trend is the widening gap between faculty salaries at public universities and private universities, Yudof said. At the U, a major capital campaign will begin this month, and one focus will be on raising faculty salaries by supplementing core funding from the legislature. Morris campuses Oct. 15, noon-1 p.m. Clinic provides evaluation, treatment, and counseling for all age groups.