>> Cathy: IN A FEW MINUTES WE'LL LEARN ABOUT PROGRESS AT THE STATE CAPITOL AND TREATED TO A TUNE BY THE STEELES.

FIRST UP, BIG CHANGES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA.

>> Eric: THERE HAVE BEEN SIX PRESIDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA SINCE "ALMANAC" FIRST WENT ON THE AIR BACK IN LATE 1984.

SOMETIME IN THE NEXT YEAR A NEW U OF M PRESIDENT WILL BE SELECTED.

IN THE MEANTIME AN INTERIM HEAD HAS BEEN APPOINTED THIS WEEK, HE'S JEFF ETTINGER, FORMER CEO OF HORMEL FOODS AND A PROUD GRAD OF THE U OF M. HE JOINS US TONIGHT AS DOES THE CHAIR OF THE U OF M'S BOARD OF REGENTS, JANIE MAYERON.

A GRAD OF THE U OF M LAW SCHOOL.

SAY, Mr. PRESIDENT, AT LEAST TWO WAYS YOU COULD GO.

YOU COULD BE A PLACEHOLDER OR YOU COULD DO ALL THE TOUGH DIRTY WORK AND LEAVE A CLEAN SLATE FOR THE NEXT PRESIDENT.

HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR ROLE?

>> WELL, I WANT TO START BY MAKING SURE THE RECORD'S STRAIGHT.

I DON'T HAVE A DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA.

MY WHOLE FAMILY DOES, THOUGH.

MY WIFE, MY WIFE'S PARENTS, LL FOUR OF OUR CHILDREN.

I GREW UP IN LOS ANGELES AND WENT TO U CLA, I HAVE BEEN A TEACHER AT THE CARLSON SCHOOL FOR FOUR YEARS.

IN TERMS OF YOUR CORE QUESTION I REALLY SEE THE POSITION AS BEING A BRIDGE BUILDER AND BRIDGE BEING THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION AND THE NEW PRESIDENT.

AND, YOU KNOW, TO THE EXTENT THAT THE VISION TO ME IS ALREADY IN PLACE, THE IMPACT 25 AND THE PROGRESS I HEARD ABOUT DURING THE BOARD MEETING THIS WEEK IS VERY IMPRESSIVE.

>> Cathy: THE REGENTS SAID THAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO EMBRACE THE MISSION, YET BRING SOMETHING FRESH TO THE TABLE.

WHAT MIGHT BE FRESH ABOUT PRESIDENT ETTINGER?

>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, HE BRINGS TO US A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE OUTSIDE OF ACADEMIA, WHICH IS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST, IN THE PAST WE'VE ALWAYS HAD SOMEONE FROM ACADEMIA.

OBVIOUSLY, AS HE SAID HE'S TAUGHT AT THE CARLSON BUT WHAT HE'S BRINGING TO US IS HIS EXPERIENCE IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT ARENAS AND I THINK WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IS THAT HE HAS WONDERFUL CONNECTIONS BOTH IN THE COMMUNITY AND ALSO WITH OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND I THINK THERE'S A NEED THERE, THERE'S BEEN AN EXPRESSED NEED THAT WE NEED A NEW LOOK, A NEW WAY OF APPROACHING THE COMMUNITY AND OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND I THINK JEFF IS GOING TO BRING THAT TO THE TABLE.

>> Cathy: Mr. PRESIDENT, YOU HAD SAID YOU WANT TO RESTORE THE U'S REPUTATION WITH LAWMAKERS WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN WORSE.

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO START TO DO THAT?

>> WELL, AND CURRENTLY THE SESSION IS ALMOST COMPLETED.

ONGOING SESSIONS, BONDING BILL, UNIVERSITY WILL CERTAINLY BE INVOLVED AND OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE TO FIND A SOLUTION TO THIS SANFORD-FAIRVIEW SITUATION ON THE HEALTH CARE SIDE.

SO IT'S A MATTER OF GETTING OUT, LISTENING AND LEARNING AND WE HAVE SOME VERY KNOWLEDGABLE FOLKS WHO ARE LEADING EFFORTS PARTICULARLY ON THE HEALTH CARE SIDE AND I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING INVOLVED THAT WAY.

>> Eric: WITH YOUR CORPORATE BACKGROUND IT'S INTERESTING THAT THE NEW UMD CHANCELLOR HAS A CORPORATE BACKGROUND AS WELL.

>> I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE FACULTY, I KNOW IT'S A SHARED GOVERNANCE SYSTEM IN THE UNIVERSITY.

I THINK I THINK THE FACT THAT IT'S INTERIM ROLE, THE BOARD HAS BEEN CLEAR IN THE LONG-TERM THEY WANT TO STAY IN THE ACADEMIC WORLD AND I'M VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THAT.

>> Cathy: YEAH, THE LAST 40 YEARS THE INTERIM PRESIDENTS, KEN KELLER HAS BOB BRUININKS GOT THE PERMANENT NOD.

WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN THAT JOB?

>> I THINK THE BOARD WAS WISE OF MAKING IT A REQUIREMENT OF OUR APPLICATION THAT WE NOT BE APPLICANTS FOR THE PERMANENT JOB.

THERE'S A LOT TO WORK ON AND I LOOK FORWARD TO FOCUS ON THIS BRIDGE TIME A FRAME.

>> WELL, I WOULDN'T SAY THEY'RE LABOR SEATS, OTHERS HAVE SAID THAT.

NOT Y STATUTE ANYWAY BUT THEY CERTAINLY COME WITH THAT BACKGROUND AND THAT LENS.

>> Eric: NEW DYNAMICS FOR THE BOARD.

HOW DO YOU SEE THAT EVIDENCING ITSELF MOVING FORWARD HERE?

>> I'M VERY EXCITED.

THE FACT THAT WE HAVE 8 OUT OF 12 WHO ARE WOMEN AND WE HAVE FOUR FROM THE BIPOC COMMUNITY, WE HAVE A VERY DIVERSE BOARD WITH VERY DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS AND LENSES TO RING TO THE TABLE.

I THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE EXCELLENT DISCUSSIONS AND MAKE EXCELLENT DECISIONS WITH THIS.

>> Eric: HOW MUCH ARE YOU PAYING THE PRESIDENT?

>> WE'RE WORKING ON THAT RIGHT NOW BUT I THINK OUR CONTRACT, WE'RE IN NEGOTIATION AND FAIRLY SOON WE'LL BE ABLE TO DISCLOSE ALL THE TERMS OF THE CONTRACT.

>> Cathy: AS A PERSON IN THE CORPORATE WORLD THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH SALARY WITH FORMER PRESIDENT, OUTGOING PRESIDENT GABEL AND THAT HER SALARY LEVEL WAS LESS IN THE MARKETPLACE.

IS THAT A PROBLEM ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE MARKETPLACE AND YOU'VE GOT A GOOD CORPORATE BACKGROUND HERE.

>> CLEARLY IN TERMS OF MY ROLE AS INTERIM PRESIDENT TO ME THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO ESTABLISH ULTIMATELY FOR THE PERMANENT PRESIDENT.

WE WERE ASKED DURING OUR APPLICATION PROCESS WHAT WE WOULD CONSIDER, YOU KNOW, AN APPROPRIATE SALARY GIVEN THE BACKGROUND WE PROVIDE, AND DID PROVIDE THAT AND SO IT WILL BE WITHIN THAT RANGE ULTIMATELY BUT THAT FIGURE WILL COME OUT HERE SOON ONCE THE CONTRACT'S DONE.

>> Cathy: PROBABLY A GOOD QUESTION TO ASK YOU, MADAM CHAIR, OBVIOUSLY PRESIDENT GABEL LEFT TO GET A MUCH HIGHER SALARY AT PITTSBURGH.

HOW DO YOU NAVIGATE THIS GOING FORWARD?

IN TERMS OF THE NEW PRESIDENT, WHOEVER MIGHT THAT BE.

>> WELL, I THINK WE ULTIMATELY WILL BE LOOKING AT WHAT THE MARKET DEMANDS BY WAY OF COMPENSATION.

OUR POLICIES ARE VERY CLEAR THAT WHEN WE LOOK AT THE FACTORS THAT SET OUT THE COMPENSATION FOR A OUR PRESIDENT, WE LOOK AT WHAT MARKET COMPENSATION IS AND THE MARKET IS THE MARKET FOR PRESIDENTS OF BIG 10 UNIVERSITIES, OUR, R1 INSTITUTIONS AND THAT'S THE MARKET WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT AND THOSE NUMBERS ARE GOING UP UNFORTUNATELY YEAR BY YEAR SO WHEN PRESIDENT GABEL STARTED SHE WAS MORE IN THE MIDDLE, BY THE TIME SHE LEFT SHE WAS NEAR THE BOTTOM.

AND WE'RE GOING TO JUST HAVE TO ADDRESS THAT BECAUSE, AS IN ALL OTHER SECTORS, THOSE NUMBERS CONTINUE TO RISE.

>> Eric: YOU'RE N GREATER MINNESOTA GUY.

HOW ABOUT SORT OF THE OUTSTATE CAMPUSES OF THE U?

DO YOU HAVE SOME THOUGHTS ON HOW THEY CAN BE IMPROVED OR GET MORE INVOLVED?

>> I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT, I HAD THE CHANCE TO MEET ALL THOSE CHANCELLORS OVER THE LAST TWO DAYS, I'VE NOT EEN ON THE CROOKSTON CAMPUS BEFORE, I'VE BEEN ON ALL THE OTHERS BUT I WILL DEFINITELY BE GETTING THERE AND ALREADY HEARD WONDERFUL CREATIVE IDEAS THEY BROUGHT TO THE BOARD OF RECENTLIENTS MEETINGS OVER THE LAST TWO DAYS TO WORK ON ENROLLMENT AND OFFER SOME CREATIVE NEW FORMATS FOR STUDENTS TO ENJOY THOSE UNIVERSITIES.

>> AND I WAS GOING TO SAY I THINK WE'RE TAKING A VERY -- IN THE LAST YEAR OR TWO WE'RE TAKING A DIFFERENT PPROACH ABOUT VIEWING THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA AS A WHOLE SYSTEM CAMPUS, IT'S NOT ONE VERSUS THE OTHER VERSUS THE OTHER BUT HOW TOGETHER CAN WE ADVANCE THE ENTIRE MISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY AS A SYSTEM, ALL FIVE CAMPUSES.

>> Eric: HOW ARE YOU GOING TO ATTACK THIS HOSPITAL MERGER PROPOSAL?

>> WELL, I MEAN, FROM A STRUCTURAL STANDPOINT, I WOULD INTEND TO HAVE A ROLE SIMILAR TO WHAT I DID IN THE CORPORATE WORLD WHICH S I'M NOT THE POINT PERSON, YOU HAVE TEAMS IN PLACE THAT ARE THE EXPERTS WITHIN THE AREA, BUT HOPEFULLY IN THE BEHIND THE SCENES AREA I CAN LEND EXPERIENCE IN THAT REGARD AND I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING HAT, YOU KNOW, VEN THOUGH IT'S AN INTERIM ROLE THAT NEEDS TO GET DONE DURING THIS NEXT YEAR.

SO CLEARLY I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT'S A ROLE I NEED TO PLAY IN MOVING THAT FORWARD AND PROTECTING THE STATE OF MINNESOTA AND PROTECTING OUR UNIVERSITY ASSETS.

>> Cathy: SAY, WE WOULD BE REMISS IF WE DIDN'T BRING THIS UP BECAUSE OF COURSE THERE ARE A LOT OF PARENTS WATCHING OF U OF M STUDENTS AND STUDENTS ARE ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THIS.

THE RISE OF VIOLENCE IN IT THE DINKYTOWN AREA NEAR THE U OF M. PROBABLY THAT'S GOING TO BE ON YOUR DESK SOMEHOW I'LL PRESUME.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?

>> WELL, WE DID GET A BRIEFING ON THAT TODAY AS WELL.

CLEARLY THE UNIVERSITY FOCUSER IS ON THE ON CAMPUS ACTIVITIES BUT NEEDS TO GET EVER-MORE INVOLVED WITH COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY POLICE AND MAKING SURE THAT IT'S A SAFE ENVIRONMENT.

I MEAN, THAT'S, THOSE ARE TABLE STAKES FOR UNIVERSITY HONESTLY AND THE STUDENTS CARE, THEIR PARENTS CARE AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE PROTECTED.

>> Eric: I SO BADLY WANT TO ASK IF SPAM IS GOING TO E ON THING LIST FOR FOOD