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Biosciences, new media top Yudof's agenda
Andrew Johnson
- Staff Reporter
University President Mark Yudof told the state Senate's education committee Monday that "you can't build a skyscraper without a foundation."
Pitching the University in his testimony, Yudof outlined his strategy for building that foundation with clear priorities.
Digital technologies, biosciences, and new media, as well as a focus on economic development, are all priorities on Yudof's list.
But problem spots, such as the medical school's fiscal losses, must also be addressed and fixed.
Yudof said, "We need to set priorities within the medical school ... We can't be everything for everyone."
Given the size of the University and the realities of state university funding, the University must increasingly prioritize, Yudof said.
Yudof specifically addressed expenditures for the current $1.9 billion operating budget for 2000-01 -- linking each expenditure back to the University's role as the state's primary academic agency.
He said while the mission itself has not changed, the 150-year-old University's practices in achieving it have had to.
Reflecting on this evolution in 2001, Yudof assesses that "intellectual capital counts more than ever in the 21st century."
Not all funding for the University comes from the state. Yudof pointed out that while state funding and tuition -- 40 percent and 15 percent respectively -- account for more than half of the University's operating budget, the University remains heavily dependent on out-of-state sources.
While $1.5 billion of the total $1.9 billion operating budget is non-sponsored, meaning not earmarked for projects like research, and can be used at the University's discretion, the remaining $360 million in funds is for sponsored research grants from private industries and foundations.
Another financial issue Yudof addressed was the medical school, which has slipped over the last two decades in prestige and currently operates at a yearly $8 million deficit.
"We are at a critical stage," Yudof said.
Yudof said that unless the University is able to balance the budget, the medical school faces the prospect of double-digit decreases in professors and students and increases in tuition.
By prioritizing, Yudof suggested the University pick 10 or 12 medical school departments to devote the most resources to, such as the area of cancer research.
The medical school currently receives 32 percent, the most of any University school of all university sponsored research awards.
In general, 2000 was a record year for sponsored research. Departments requested $1.18 billion in funding -- the first time this request surpassed the billion-dollar mark. Sixty-six percent of these requested funds were provided by the federal government.
As things to be proud of, Yudof cited 59 patents in the year 2000 and noted a 29 percent increase in freshman applications from 1995.
Contrasting with one senator's observation that the University's national reputation has slipped since the 1960s and 1970s, Yudof portrayed a University that was on the rise.
Yudof suggested the University's ranking in such publications as U.S. News & World Report would rise if higher expenditures were made per student and more selectivity were used by admissions -- but at the expense of the University's tradition.
The University, with 59,000 students, remains one of the four or five largest in the country and its in-state and out-of-state tuition remain low in comparison to state schools like Michigan.
Yudof also highlighted the University's large role in Minnesota, accounting for 20 percent of all degrees in the state and taking on 84 percent of all sponsored research.
Yudof also specifically mentioned the Twin Cities campus' unique role of accounting for the state's agricultural study center as well as its traditional liberal arts and sciences center -- unlike state research divisions like the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.
In his address, Yudof stressed the importance of the University's relationship with the state, which he views as a partner.
In return for the state's support for such things as developing new technologies, Yudof assured the Senate committee that the University's "first priority (remains) to transfer that technology to a Minnesota company whenever possible."
Following his 20-minute address about the University's economic summary and fiscal outlook, legislators pressed Yudof on several hot-spot issues.
Yudof addressed House legislators Jan. 8.
Andrew Johnson welcomes comments at ajohnson@daily.umn.edu
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