Page 11 - 2023 Graduate Commencement

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA HISTORY
The University of Minnesota, ranked among the nation’s top public universities, reflects the state of Minnesota’s strong and enduring commitment to education. It is nearly unique among universities in the United States in its three defining characteristics:
• It is an international research university.
• It is a public land-grant institution with a strong tradition of education and public service.
• Its largest campus—the Twin Cities campus—is located in a vibrant metropolitan area including not one, but
two great cities: Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The University is the primary center in Minnesota (and much of the Upper Midwest) for education and research in the liberal arts and sciences, health sciences, law, education, engineering, agriculture, and natural resources. The Twin Cities campus comprises 19 colleges and offers a full range of academic and professional degrees. A comprehensive campus
in Duluth offers undergraduate and graduate programs. The Morris campus offers a four-year liberal arts program. Crookston offers associate and baccalaureate degrees in technical, career-oriented programs. The Rochester campus provides graduate and undergraduate degrees, with a special focus on health sciences and biotechnology. Through the Minnesota Extension Service, the University is present in each of Minnesota’s 87 counties.
When the University was founded as a preparatory school in 1851, Minnesota had been a territory for just two years, and statehood was still seven years away. The school was built on little more than the pioneers’ faith in education. In its early years, the University struggled financially; during the Civil War, it was forced to close. It reopened in 1867, thanks to the energetic leadership of Governor John S. Pillsbury, who came to be known as the “Father of the University.” Mathematics professor William Watts Folwell became the University’s first president in 1869. Joan T.A. Gabel is the University’s 17th president.
University alumni include Nobel Prize winners, several of Minnesota’s governors, a former chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, two former U.S. vice presidents, the heads of Fortune 500 companies, pioneers in medicine, civil rights leaders, top journalists, distinguished teachers and scholars, performing artists, and countless other men and women who have achieved distinction in every field.
Alumni, their families, and friends are always welcome at the University. We invite you to visit campus regularly to enjoy the many educational, cultural, and entertainment opportunities that are open to the public. We also invite you to continue your relationship through the University of Minnesota Alumni Association.
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