University of Minnesota’s newest president explores State Fair, talks new policy ahead

AGENDA. THEY HAVEN'T RELEASED WHICH CITY HE'LL BE IN OR WHERE EXACTLY THE SPEECH WILL TAKE PLACE. STUDENTS HAVE JUST MOVED IN AT THE U OF M AND CAMPUS IS CERTAINLY BUZZING. THERE'S A NEW PRESIDENT THIS YEAR, REBECCA MIRIAM CUNNINGHAM. SHE JOINED ME HERE EARLIER ON THE SET THIS AFTERNOON TO DISCUSS A RANGE OF TOPICS. LET'S TAKE A LOOK. WELL, WE WANT TO WELCOME THE 18TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, DOCTOR REBECCA CUNNINGHAM, TO MINNESOTA AND TO THE MINNESOTA STATE FAIR. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'M SO THRILLED TO BE HERE TODAY. SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. AND JUST COINCIDENTALLY, YOU ARRIVE FROM MICHIGAN FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN WITH OUR NEWLY DRAFTED VIKINGS QUARTERBACK, J.J. MCCARTHY AS WELL. IT'S LIKE YOU COULD HAVE SPLIT A U-HAUL. THAT'S RIGHT. IT'S A TREND. IT'S A TREND FROM FROM MICHIGAN, RIGHT HERE TO THIS GREAT STATE BRINGING GOOD PEOPLE HERE. THAT'S RIGHT. AND YOU DID SPEND A LOT OF TIME AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN IN THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. AND SO I'M CURIOUS WHAT YOUR GOALS ARE NOW THAT YOU'RE HERE. YOU SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN RESEARCH, AND IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT TO BRING TO THE TABLE HERE? YEAH. WELL, YOU HAVE AN AMAZING TOP RESEARCH UNIVERSITY HERE. SO CERTAINLY MY BACKGROUND IN RESEARCH IS EXCITED ABOUT THAT. AND FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE THAT GREAT TREND HERE AS WE PUSH OUT DISCOVERIES ACROSS BOTH THAT SERVE THE STATE AND THE NATION. MY BACKGROUND IS IN PUBLIC HEALTH AS WELL AS IN MEDICINE. SO LONG HISTORY IN SUPPORTING HEALTH AND HEALTHY COMMUNITIES AND HEALTHY MINNESOTA, HEALTHY MICHIGAN. I'M EXCITED FOR ALL THE WAYS THAT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA SUPPORTS HEALTH ACROSS THE STATE, AND THAT WILL CERTAINLY BE ONE OF MY PRIORITIES. ONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS CAMPUS SECURITY. IT'S RIGHT IN THE CITY, AND CAMPUS SECURITY HAS BEEN AN ISSUE IN THE LAST FEW YEARS. SO I'M WONDERING JUST WHAT ARE YOUR ASSESSMENTS SO FAR AND HOW DO YOU PLAN TO ADDRESS THAT? TO ALLEVIATE THE FEARS OF SOME OF THE PARENTS WHO ARE JUST DROPPING THEIR STUDENTS OFF RIGHT NOW AS THEY MOVE INTO THE DORMS? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. WELL, THE UNIVERSITY HAS DONE AN AWFUL LOT OVER THE PAST YEAR WITH MY PREDECESSOR FOCUSING ON IMPROVING THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE ADJACENT TO THE UNIVERSITY AND HOW THEY CAN SUPPORT SAFETY IN THAT AREA. I KNOW WE'RE SUPPORTING OUR DPS IS WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE CITY'S POLICE AS WELL TO SUPPORT REACTION TIMES THERE, BUT THEY'RE ALSO DOING A LOT OF WORK ON PREVENTION. AND THE PREVENTION PART IS THE PART I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT. I'VE SPENT MANY YEARS THINKING ABOUT THE SAFETY OF COMMUNITIES AND PREVENTION IN COMMUNITIES. I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITIES LOCAL TO US OFF OF OUR CAMPUS, SO THAT WE CAN ALL HAVE A SAFER COMMUNITY. WHEN YOU TALK TO THE PUBLIC, BASICALLY THE COST OF EVERYTHING IS SOMETHING THAT WILL COME UP AND TUITION COSTS ARE THEY'RE EXPENSIVE FOR FAMILIES. I'M JUST WONDERING, AS YOU APPROACH THIS POSITION AND YOU LOOK AT THE COST OF TUITION, DO YOU HAVE ANY GOALS, YEAH. IS ARE THERE WAYS TO MAYBE REDUCE THE COST FOR FAMILIES, REDUCE THE INCREASES THAT HAPPEN EACH YEAR? YOUR THOUGHTS THERE IT IS. IT'S HARD. YOU KNOW, FOR SOME FAMILIES SURE. FOR THEIR KIDS TO GET AN EDUCATION. ABSOLUTELY. YEAH AND AFFORDABILITY IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME. I WAS THE FIRST IN MY FAMILY TO GO ON TO A RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL AND ON PELL GRANTS, AND I UNDERSTAND THE FAMILY, THE PRESSURES THAT FAMILIES FACE. YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS REALLY PLEASED TO SEE HERE IS ALTHOUGH THE STICKER PRICE IS HIGH, OR SOME PEOPLE FIND HIGH, AND I KNOW IT IS CONCERNING TO FAMILIES HERE AT THE UNIVERSITY, WE DO GREAT AT GIVING OUT FINANCIAL AID AND SCHOLARSHIPS. AND SO FOR MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES, FOR LOWER RESOURCED FAMILIES UNDER $110,000, WE'RE ACTUALLY THE MOST AFFORDABLE FOUR YEAR UNIVERSITY IN THE STATE. SO I REALLY WANT TO HIT THAT HOME. OBVIOUSLY, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE THE RESOURCES THAT WE'RE BRINGING IN, AND THE TUITION IS GOING TO THE THINGS THAT HELP OUR STUDENTS THE MOST, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE USING THEM FOR. WE'RE USING IT TO CREATE A GREAT STUDENT EXPERIENCE, AND THE WORLD COSTS MORE. AND UNFORTUNATELY WITH THAT, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE USING OUR RESOURCES TO SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS. IT'S BEEN A BIG WEEK. A LOT OF STUDENTS MOVING IN, YES, BATTLING THE STORMS THAT WE HAD EARLIER THIS WEEK AND THE HEAT AS WELL. THE FRESHMAN GET THEIR PICTURE TAKEN TONIGHT. THEY DO. AND THEN BIG FOOTBALL GAME TOMORROW. ARE YOU EXCITED? FOOTBALL GAME I'M SO EXCITED. I HAVE CONVOCATION TOMORROW WELCOMING OUR 7000 STUDENTS AND OUR TRANSFER STUDENTS AS WELL. WE HAVE THE BIGGEST CLASS AT THE TWIN CITIES IN DECADES HERE. ENROLLMENT IS UP. THIS IS