One University — forward together
As one of just a few public university campuses founded in the United States this century, the University of Minnesota Rochester has been designed from the ground up to prepare students for a wide variety of health careers. Today, Rochester remains the only university campus in the country where research on learning is primary for all faculty, driving student success.
Elevate Extaordinary 2030
The University of Minnesota is an engine of growth, knowledge and progress. We are energized by our land-grant mission of distinguished education, groundbreaking research and service to our communities. We are united in our ambitions to exceed all expectations in our tireless work to benefit the people of Minnesota, the nation and the world.
We are Elevating Extraordinary — From vision to action in Rochester
Steps away from Mayo Clinic, the University of Minnesota Rochester will continue to provide a world-class education for students who aspire to make a difference in the world through careers in health, while also contributing to the University's national reputation in learning innovation.
By meeting this moment of need and opportunity, facilities, academic programs and enrollment at the University of Minnesota Rochester will grow exponentially. As the University of Minnesota Rochester scales to new heights, we will continue to live out our vision, grounding values and centering aspirations.
Here’s how we plan to advance Elevate Extraordinary 2030 through the five strategic imperatives.
Imperative #1
Prepare students to be fully engaged and active in our state, nation, and world.
By developing knowledgeable and engaged students through immersive, hands-on experience, the University of Minnesota will ensure that our graduates are ready to engage in meaningful work and make purposeful contributions to our communities with the confidence, competence and collaborative spirit required.
Focus Areas:
Prepare students to be engaged in a diverse democracy. Minnesota is a leader in civic engagement.
Minnesota is a leader in civic engagement. To sustain that legacy and ensure our students contribute to a thriving, diverse democracy, we will create and expand innovative programs that increase skills in civil discourse on difficult global and local topics.
Rochester action:
- Implement civil dialogue learning experiences for all first year UMN Rochester undergraduates.
Make career preparation and experiential and immersive learning an expansive and defining strength of the University of Minnesota experience for all students.
The University of Minnesota offers a wealth of academic programs that provide a comprehensive education, subject-matter knowledge and critical thinking skills to prepare students for their chosen careers or continuing education. Immersive learning experiences such as study abroad, study away, undergraduate research, internships and community engaged learning opportunities allow students to be energized and active participants in their education. In addition to the skills and content knowledge specifically associated with these learning opportunities, such experiences can also enhance cultural competency, broad problem-solving skills, self-awareness, and life and career goals.
Our programs will continue to evolve, informed by a university-wide employer engagement strategy and in collaboration with community partners, to ensure our students excel in the modern world and thrive in its workplaces. Building on this foundation, we will strengthen programming to make immersive learning an essential part of the student experience.
Rochester actions:
- Scale existing immersive learning experiences in health sufficient to support enrollment increases, including internships and undergraduate research with Mayo Clinic, UMN Rochester faculty, UMN Hormel Institute, BioLabs and other health-tech partners in Discovery Square.
- Launch a formal personalized health career plan process for undergraduates, implemented by success coaches and finalized during the capstone experience.
Bring to life “One University on Five Campuses” to ensure student access to resources and opportunities regardless of home campus.
The University of Minnesota comprises five campuses, which allow individual students a unique set of resources, cultures and locations to earn a University of Minnesota degree. By recognizing and respecting the distinctiveness of each campus, we will further enhance the student experience — regardless of a student's home campus.
Rochester action:
- UMN Rochester will increase the number of accelerated pathways from UMN Rochester undergraduate education to UMN graduate/professional programs in health, leveraging the strength of the University to shorten time to health career launch.
Enable the highest quality of life by supporting students’ mental health and food security so they can focus on thriving, not simply surviving.
The University of Minnesota has long prioritized the well-being of our students across all campuses, and that work has continued to evolve. We are now well positioned to build on this important, student-identified priority and have an even greater positive impact on student mental health and food security.
Rochester actions:
- UMN Rochesterwill adopt and implement the Okanagan Charter, in coordination with University-wide efforts.
- Partnering with the School of Nursing and others, UMN Rochester will reimagine and expand the Center for Flourishing Healthcare Communities within the Okanagan framework.
- Using our established partnership with Channel One Food Bank, UMN Rochester will increase the capacity of our campus food pantry to decrease student-reported food insecurity.
Imperative #2
Innovate to transform the future of learning.
The University of Minnesota will ensure our graduates are nimble enough to thrive throughout their lives and careers by evolving our instructional resources and transforming the educational experiences of our students, and by building on the unique strengths of our varied colleges and campuses.
Focus Areas:
Create problem-based, solution-generating academic programs and classes by expanding interdisciplinary learning, thinking and teaching.
To solve the complex challenges of our time, we will design interdisciplinary, problem-based, solution-generating academic programs, prioritizing processes and behaviors that facilitate interdisciplinary teaching and research across schools, colleges and campuses. We will reward creativity and cross-disciplinary collaborations, and build on our strengths to create an environment where students learn and researchers collaborate, so that we become a destination for students and researchers committed to tackling the world’s most significant problems.
Rochester actions:
- As the campus continues to grow student enrollment, UMN Rochester will sustain the nationally distinctive interdisciplinary Center for Learning Innovation faculty unit, ensuring new spaces support this critical structure.
- UMN Rochester faculty will design an additional interdisciplinary degree, with multiple embedded health career pathways reflecting the efficient structure of the BS in Health Sciences.
Build a comprehensive online learning hub to serve all students, regardless of campus, and meet the needs of lifelong learners beyond campus.
The demographics of higher education are changing. Future students will need to be lifelong learners with the ability to upskill and acquire new credentials (certificates, stackable credentials, etc.) throughout their careers. Meanwhile, online and just-in-time learning present opportunities to meet learners wherever they are, both geographically and in life stage, while taking into consideration changing technology and other demands on their lives. We will meet our learners where they are with flexibility and personalized learning.
Rochester actions:
- UMN Rochester Student Success Coaches will integrate the UMN Online Learning Hub strategically to support UMN Rochester students’ academic health journeys.
- UMN Rochester will design and launch a graduate level professional program for educators, built from the established strength of our evidence-based approach to teaching and learning and offered in an executive style hybrid format.
Lead AI innovation in teaching and learning through development of a comprehensive AI educational strategy for all learners, and create new opportunities for professional development in AI for the University of Minnesota’s teaching workforce.
AI is transforming learning and teaching, and the University of Minnesota will accelerate to meet the moment for students across all campuses and degree types. We commit to embracing and developing AI teaching and learning support infrastructure as well as policies and guidelines that allow us to excel and meet the needs of students, faculty and staff in learning, teaching and research.
Rochester action:
- In collaboration with the UMN AI Hub, UMN Rochester will implement professional development in AI for faculty and students, utilizing appropriate incentives and accountability measures to increase knowledge, competency and use of tools to enhance learning.
Design new models of learning that meet students/learners where they are and address emerging realities and opportunities in higher education.
The University of Minnesota’s five distinct campuses offer exceptional opportunities for faculty and staff to innovate in a way that uses evidence to design creative solutions, explore emerging opportunities, pilot and adopt new practices to enhance outcomes and generate and scale new modes/methods of learning at the classroom, school, campus and cross-campus level. We have led the nation in the development of College-in-3 designs and the International Active Learning conference, and we have many active scholars in the scholarship of teaching and learning across campuses, colleges and departments.
We will continue to distinguish ourselves as a research institution with a research-based focus to our work on the future of learning, and we will prioritize the application of educational research results in the design of new models for public higher education. We will be more agile in establishing new educational programs that meet the emerging demands of society. And we will create and/or develop new learning models based on lessons learned on our campuses and from researchers who focus on the scholarship of teaching and learning.
Rochester actions:
- UMN Rochester will be a significant contributor to the University’s reputation as a public university system applying learning research to practice at scale, by maintaining a tenure code that prioritizes learning research.
- UMN Rochester will construct space for the University’s new “one-of-a-kind” collaborative learning innovation and research center, partnering with all campuses to create, pilot, assess, and share new models that apply research results to practice.
Imperative #3
Serve communities through knowledge creation and exchange in the arts, health, healthcare, and the economy.
The University of Minnesota is elevating our engagement with Minnesota’s distinct but intertwined communities through new courses and collaborative partnerships to build upon our collective future. By further committing to our urban, tribal and rural communities in all areas — health, economic, and creative — we will enrich the bodies, hearts and minds necessary for a healthy and prosperous society.
Focus Areas:
Create a dynamic, integrative arts and design initiative that supports faculty and student creativity, innovation, empathy and optimism.
Our campuses are situated in vibrant communities with a wide variety of arts and cultural experiences. Minnesota ranks among the top states for number of artists per capita, including by number of actors, designers and musicians, while the Twin Cities metro area was ranked among the top five most vibrant arts communities of 2024 by SMU DataArts. Through this dynamic initiative we will build interdisciplinary bridges from the arts to other aspects of education, research and scholarship that support and nurture our minds and spirits to express, understand and improve our connections with the communities in which we live.
Rochester action:
- University of Minnesota Rochester will design an academic health program with embedded integrative arts coursework, leveraging the University’s Integrative Arts & Design endeavor.
Drive economic development and support Minnesota employers as they build and strengthen their workforces.
More than 350,000 University of Minnesota alumni live and work in Minnesota. We will continue to strengthen communities through innovative partnerships with Minnesota employers, addressing workforce needs, expanding and upskilling talent and collaborating on knowledge creation that fosters long-term success and keeps businesses rooted in our state. Building on the reputation of our headquarters economy, we will collaborate with employers of all sizes to start, grow and/or nurture their presence in the state, beyond simply connecting them with our graduates. The University of Minnesota also supports a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, having launched a record 25 startups in 2024 and ranking second in the nation in university startup creation. We will continue our leadership in this area to fuel economic growth and job creation across Minnesota by transforming knowledge into world-changing startups.
Rochester actions:
- UMN Rochester will fully engage in the university-wide enrollment management plan.
- In partnership with Mayo Clinic, BioLabs and other biotech companies in Discovery Square, UMN Rochester graduates will have work based learning experiences and academic programs that prepare them for employment opportunities in health and biotech.
Expand the current healthcare workforce to meet the needs of all of Minnesota, especially rural Minnesota.
Healthier communities are strong communities. That’s why the University of Minnesota trains nearly 70 percent of Minnesota's physicians, dentists, pharmacists and other health professionals. We will continue to drive innovation in our health science programs across our campuses to address the healthcare workforce needs throughout Minnesota so that communities can have high-quality healthcare closer to home. We’ll sharpen our focus on expanding the healthcare workforce through new and expanded training programs and facilities in Duluth, Rochester and St. Cloud.
Rochester actions:
- UMN Rochester will secure the investment necessary to increase the capacity of the campus so that enrollment growth can occur.
- UMN Rochester will generate a significant increase in the number of graduates in the health sciences by expanding campus infrastructure, academic programs, and partnerships.
- UMN Rochester will implement a formal change management process of action teams to scale evidence-based practices embedded in the undergraduate experience to support increased retention as the campus grows.
Lead in the science of “where” through the creation of data-based decision-making and community-based problem-solving by harnessing our deep expertise in mapping and spatial technologies.
The University of Minnesota is the national leader in the use of spatial analysis, having invested in one of the most extensive GIS infrastructures of any institution in the U.S. While our U-Spatial unit supports geospatial work across disciplines — from mapping urban forests to addressing the presence of lead in water systems to advancing transportation solutions — we also lead the nation in the use of GIS by students, faculty and staff to learn, innovate and solve complex problems. This expertise in spatial thinking is a critical asset for both learners and employers.
Recognized as the nation’s first “spatial university,” we are now forging new frontiers by integrating spatial science with the power of AI. We will use our expansive national expertise in spatial technology, sustainability, community engagement and GIS to drive innovation and improve all aspects of understanding how "data of place" can inform global society and support data-driven solutions.
- This focus area does not have a related action at University of Minnesota Rochester.
Grow our national leadership in partnership with Tribal Nations and Native American/American Indian Studies.
The University of Minnesota will continue its nationally leading partnership with Tribal Nations in the state. Through ongoing discussions with Tribal leaders and informed by the Truth Report, our partnerships have grown even stronger. The University of Minnesota has revitalized the Ojibwe and Dakota language programs, is establishing American Indian Advisory Boards on each campus and has created resources, guidelines and a policy around conducting Indigenous research. These ongoing initiatives have deepened relationships that advance collaborative research, such as the Kawe Gidaa-naanaagadawenddaain Manoomin project, the Chronic Wasting Disease initiative and the continued impact of centers and institutes such as the Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare Studies. With a focus on student success and programs such as the Native American Promise Program, American Indian graduation rates have increased significantly over the past two decades. We will continue to grow these partnerships and our academic offerings for the benefit of Tribal Nations and the State of Minnesota.
Rochester actions:
- UMN Rochester will strengthen its partnership with the Prairie Island tribal community through admissions events and leadership conversations.
- UMN Rochester will increase the enrollment of Tribal Nations undergraduate health sciences students.
Imperative #4
Advance our excellence to lead in the discovery and application of sustainable solutions, improving environmental, human, plant, and animal health.
The University of Minnesota is investing in and elevating our unique strengths in finding sustainable solutions that honor “One Health.” By using our varied and distinct campuses as living labs and classrooms, we will continue to draw exceptional students, faculty and staff who will use the latest advancements in technologies to ensure the health of environmental, human, plant and animal health.
Focus Areas:
Lead in the creation of knowledge and solutions, as well as interdisciplinary education, for a healthy planet with abundant natural resources.
We will rely on our research on human behavior, organizational behavior and community leadership development to build and deploy sustainable models that advance and strengthen the health of our planet. We will further commit to becoming a premier global destination where students and faculty collaborate to develop innovative solutions addressing the critical environmental and human health challenges facing our world.
- This focus area does not have a related action at University of Minnesota Rochester.
Lead the nation in community health innovation, and Minnesota in healthcare delivery.
We will advance our world-leading innovations in supporting the health of communities, including healthcare, and break new ground to improve access to care across Minnesota. Our scientists will work collaboratively with communities, public health agencies and organizations to identify solutions, strengthen prevention programs and networks and improve health outcomes, regardless of zip code.
- This focus area does not have a related action at University of Minnesota Rochester.
Lead in knowledge creation and innovation to advance the health of people, animals, plants and ecosystems through agricultural innovation and a One Health approach.
We will advance a One Health model that recognizes the interdependence of human, animal and environmental health. Building on our decades of leadership in human medicine, animal health and production agriculture, we will generate solutions that promote resilient communities, sustainable food systems and healthy ecosystems for the future of Minnesota and the world.
- This focus area does not have a related action at University of Minnesota Rochester.
Invest in field-defining research to advance the frontiers of AI.
From health and finance to education and transportation, AI is transforming industries and creating new opportunities. The University of Minnesota is strategically positioned for success through its investment in big data, beginning with a long history of supercomputing and faculty expertise in machine learning. Additionally, the university has deep expertise in organizational development, communications, psychology, law and policy that will inform the ethical and effective use of AI.
Building on this foundation, as well as our strengths in foundational and user-inspired AI in the fields of climate, agriculture and health, we will equip faculty, staff and students with the knowledge, tools and skills to remain on the leading edge of responsible, ethical and effective use of AI. We will create an organizational structure that will harness expertise and potential across all mission areas, campuses, colleges and institutes/centers.
- This focus area does not have a related action at University of Minnesota Rochester.
Imperative #5
Secure our continued future as a world-class university by strategically investing in our talented workforce, operations, and facilities.
By transforming the spaces in which we teach, learn and research, and through investing in the development of our workforce and technology, the University of Minnesota will grow the foundations for our continued advancement as a world-class university that attracts unparalleled talent with ready access to the tools they need to succeed.
Focus Areas:
Invest in the University of Minnesota’s workforce to recruit and retain talented faculty and staff and support them with cutting-edge technology and other tools that contribute to the university's mission.
The University of Minnesota succeeds when our employees are engaged and aligned with our mission and when they're equipped with the tools they need to perform their mission-critical work. We will prioritize investing in our workforce across campuses and employee groups to best support our strategic goals.
Rochester action:
- UMN Rochester will strategically hire, inspire, and train faculty and staff sufficient to support increased enrollment and continued educational innovation, strengthened by cutting-edge technology.
Invest in modern and sustainable infrastructure to enhance research, discovery, teaching and learning.
We will invest in and transform our facilities and infrastructure across our five campuses to be vibrant places that fully support modern learning, research and living spaces for current and future students, faculty and staff.
Rochester action:
- UMN Rochester will secure investment sufficient to enact a three-part facilities expansion plan to include lab classroom expansion in Discovery Square, an academic building and residential/recreational space.
Reimagine the St. Paul Campus.
The St. Paul campus anchors a significant portion of the University of Minnesota’s knowledge and expertise in agricultural sciences, as well as the critically important facilities necessary to carry out research and education. We were an early leader in developing advances in agronomy and aspects of production agriculture that help feed the world today. Academic departments representing six colleges; 18 centers, institutes and public engagement venues; and countless labs and outdoor classrooms and community space that make the St. Paul campus vital to our future.
We will launch the transformation of the St. Paul campus into a dynamic, future-facing environment that enriches student life, drives scholarly innovation and deepens community relationships. We will reenvision the area to play an even larger role in supporting our food systems, developing innovative design solutions, engaging the community and educating students who wish to be at a Research 1 university while living in a close-knit campus environment.
- This focus area does not have a related action at University of Minnesota Rochester.
