Office of the President records

The President of the University of Minnesota serves as the chief executive officer of the University and ex officio president of the Board of Regents. With offices on the Twin Cities campus, the president is supported by an executive team that includes senior vice presidents, vice presidents, general counsel, University coordinate campus chancellors, director of athletics, and president of the University of Minnesota Foundation. The University’s Office of the President was created in 1869 when the Board of Regents hired the University’s first president, William Watts Folwell.

William Watts Folwell (University President 1869-1884)was born in Seneca County, New York February 14, 1833. Prior to accepting the Presidency at the University of Minnesota, Folwell taught at Hobart College, served as an officer in the 50th New York Regiment of Volunteers, and taught at Kenyon College. During his tenure, the University launched its collegiate-level curriculum, conferring its first undergraduate degrees in 1873; developed an organizational structure of colleges and other academic programs such as extension education, started in 1882 as the Farmers’ Lecture Course; and began work on the Minnesota Geological and Natural History Survey, created by the state legislative in 1872. Folwell resigned the Presidency in 1884, serving as professor of political science and the first University Librarian until his retirement in 1906. He died September 18, 1929.

Cyrus Northrop (University President 1884-1911)was born September 30, 1834 in Ridgefield, Connecticut. He was a professor of Rhetoric and English Literature at Yale when he accepted the Presidency of the University of Minnesota. Northrop's term included dramatic growth and change at the University. When he arrived, University faculty numbered 30 with a student body of 250. When he retired as President in 1911, the University employed 442 faculty members and served 6,038 students. Several campus buildings were constructed and new Schools of Agriculture and Agricultural Experiment Stations were opened across the state during his Presidency. Cyrus Northrop died April 3, 1922.

George Edgar Vincent (University President 1911-1917)was born in Rockford, Illinois on March 21, 1864. He came to the University of Minnesota from the University of Chicago where he served as a faculty member and dean of the College of Arts, Literature and Sciences. During his presidency, the General Extension Division, University Senate, All-University Student Council, and formal University budget were established. He resigned in 1917, accepting the presidency of the Rockefeller Foundation. He died February 1, 1941.

Marion LeRoy Burton (University President 1917-1920)was born August 30, 1874 in Brooklyn, Iowa. He served as president of Smith College prior to accepting the appointment as University President. He established the School of Business Administration and combined the Schools of Chemistry and Engineering. He also advocated for a Comprehensive Building Program for the campus. Burton resigned in 1920 to assume the presidency at the University of Michigan. He died February 18, 1925.

Lotus Delta Coffman (University President 1920-1938)was born January 7, 1875 in Salem, Indiana. He was serving as the University’s Dean of the College of Education (1915-1920) when he accepted the Presidency. The General College, Center for Continuation Study, University College, and University Art Gallery were established during his tenure. Memorial Stadium and Northrop Memorial Auditorium were built during his presidency, the first two University facilities built in part through fund-raising campaigns. Lotus Delta Coffman died September 22, 1938 while serving as University President.

Guy Stanton Ford (University President 1938-1941)was born in Salem, Wisconsin May 9, 1873. Prior to accepting the Presidency, he served for 25 years as professor of history and dean of the University’s Graduate School. Coffman Memorial Union, St. Anthony Falls Hydraulic Laboratory, and Minnesota Museum of National History (later named Bell Museum of Natural History) were built during his tenure as President. He retired from the University and became the executive secretary of the American Historical Association and editor of the American Historical Review. He died December 29, 1962.

Walter Castella Coffey (University President 1941-1945)was born February 1, 1876 in Hartsville, Indiana. He served as Dean of the University’s Department of Agriculture for 20 years prior to accepting the University Presidency. He oversaw the war-time army special training programs that added approximately 5,000 military personnel to campus. The faculty tenure code was established in his administration, and Coffey re-organized the President’s Office hiring two vice presidents: one to administer academic affairs and the other to manage business affairs. He died January 31, 1956.

James Lewis Morrill (University President 1945-1960)was born in Marion, Ohio September 24, 1891. Prior to his appointment as University President, he served as the president of the University of Wyoming. During Morrill’s tenure, the University’s Duluth campus and the School of Veterinary Medicine were established and several new buildings were opened (Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Centennial Hall, Ford Hall, Johnston Hall, Mayo Memorial). He was instrumental in plans for expanding the Minneapolis campus to the West Bank area. Morrill resigned in 1960 and became a consultant with the Ford Foundation. He died July 20, 1979.

Owen Meredith Wilson (University President 1960-1967)was born in Colonia Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico September 21, 1909. When appointed University President, he was serving as president of the University of Oregon. Wilson oversaw the expansion of the Minneapolis campus to the West Bank area. He also re-organized the Institute of Technology and the College of Liberal Arts and created the College of Biological Sciences. Wilson resigned as President in 1966 and accepted the position of director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. He died November 7, 1998.

Malcolm Charles Moos (University President 1967-1974)was born April 19, 1916 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was director of the Office of Government and Law at the Ford Foundation when he accepted the Presidency. During his tenure, the University established academic departments in African American Studies, American Indian Studies, Chicano Studies, and Women's Studies, and the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs was founded. Moos advocated for new facilities for the health sciences and a University-community partnership referred to as communiversity. When he resigned as President, Moos accepted the position of chief executive officer of the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions. He died in January 1982.

C. Peter Magrath (University President 1974-1984)was born April 23, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York. When he accepted the Presidency, he was serving as president of the State University of New York at Binghamton. Faced with economic retrenchment, Magrath developed policies and procedures for reallocation of University resources. During his tenure, several University health sciences buildings, Williamson Hall, and Civil and Mineral Engineering building were constructed. Magrath resigned in 1984 to assume the presidency of the University of Missouri.

Kenneth H. Keller (University President 1985-1988)was born October 19, 1934 in New York, New York. He was serving as the University’s vice president for academic affairs when he was chosen to be Acting President in 1984. He was named President in 1985. His framework for the University, “Commitment to Focus,” highlighted three strategic priorities: 1) strengthening graduate education and research, 2) positioning the University to be ranked one of the top five public universities, and 3) enhancing the preparation and experience of undergraduates. Keller was instrumental in a fund-raising campaign that successfully concluded with gifts totaling $365 million. He resigned from the Presidency in 1987, accepting a position with Princeton University.

Nils Hasselmo (University President 1988-1997)was born July 2, 1931 in Kola, Sweden. He was serving as senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Arizona when he accepted the Presidency. Hasselmo built on “Commitment to Focus” emphasizing themes such as enhanced undergraduate education, increased attention to technology transfer, and continued planning and priority setting within individual colleges and campuses. Debates about the University’s tenure policy resulted in a new tenure code being adopted during his Presidency. Hasselmo resigned in 1997, becoming president of the American Association of Universities.

Mark G. Yudof (University President 1997-2002)was born October 30, 1944 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Prior to accepting the Presidency, he served as executive vice president and provost at the University of Texas at Austin. During his tenure, Walter Library re-opened after major renovations and work began to renovate Coffman Memorial Union. Yudof announced a private fund-raising campaign in 1998, which closed in 2003 raising more than $1.6 billion for scholarships, endowed chairs, research, and other initiatives. He resigned the Presidency to accept the position of chancellor at the University of Texas.

Robert H. Bruininks (University President 2002-2011)was born February 22, 1942 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was serving as executive vice president and provost when he was chosen to serve as Interim President in 2002. Bruininks was named President later that year. He and his leadership team undertook a strategic positioning effort that was designed to raise the University's academic profile, its service to students and the community, and its stewardship of resources. Affordability for students was a primary concern, and as a result, Bruininks made student scholarships the University's top private fund-raising priority. He announced in 2009 that he would return to the faculty in 2011 as a professor in the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and the College of Education and Human Development.

Eric W. Kaler (University President 2011- )was born September 23, 1956. Prior to accepting the Presidency, he served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Stony Brook University.

Additional historical information can be found on the Office of the President website: http://www1.umn.edu/twincities/presidential-history.