The University of Minnesota Board of Regents picked an outsider over a crop of academics Monday in making former Hormel Foods CEO Jeff Ettinger the U’s next president on an interim basis.
Ettinger, 64, said he could help restore the U’s reputation with lawmakers and the general public following a year of heavily criticized decisions.
“I think the public does not fully understand all the great things that are going on at the university,” he said, adding that an outsider would be best-positioned to make that case.
Ettinger was one of four finalists who participated in 90-minute public interviews Monday.
In the deliberations that followed, nine of 12 regents named Ettinger either as their top choice or one of two favorites.
“I just think we’re ready for a very different point of view that embraces the mission, yet brings us something fresh and different that we can build on,” Regent Mary Davenport said.
Ettinger, who ran for Congress last year, described himself in his application as a potential “bridge builder” with the U’s stakeholders.
“He’s got lots of relationships that we need right now,” Regent Mary Turner said.
Ettinger has a law degree, taught an agribusiness class at the U after leaving Hormel and has four children who have degrees from the U. But his lack of academic credentials presented the greatest concern for some regents.
The vote to hire him was 10-1, with Robyn Gulley voting no and Kodi Verhalen abstaining. Gulley said she liked Ettinger in his interview but has reservations about “corporate influence in higher ed.”
Experienced president
Board chair Janie Mayeron said she preferred an external candidate because their hire would allow the two internal candidates to “continue the excellent work they’re doing.”
She liked Ettinger but not as much as she likes Tom Sullivan, former University of Vermont president; two other regents also named Sullivan.
Sullivan was a law professor, provost and senior vice president at the U before leading Vermont from 2012-19. He emphasized in his interview his 30 years of experience in higher education administration, from leading a compromise on a proposal to eliminate tenure and raising money for a law school expansion to writing about free speech and sexual assault on campus.
“I bring a certain amount of experience and understanding and familiarity to this university,” he said.
Internal candidates
Myron Frans, 72, the U’s senior vice president for finance and operations, was named by four regents in their initial comments on preference.
He said he’s “uniquely qualified” to continue engaging stakeholders on the U’s future while “not losing a step” on current initiatives. Those include navigating the planned merger between Sanford Health and Fairview Health Services, which could bring some Fairview facilities under the U’s control.
Mary Holz-Clause, 67, garnered no interest from regents. She spoke at length about difficult decisions she’s made as chancellor of the U’s Crookston campus. Switching to test-optional admissions has attracted more students with strong high school grades; covering up a mural some American Indians found offensive mollified her strongest critics; and shutting down a losing football program let the school boost its other athletics programs by redirecting scholarship money.
“Sometimes, we have to be strategic to stop doing something so we can focus on areas where we can excel,” she said.
