Chancellor's Corner: Continued growth at UMR | October 2021
At the University of Minnesota campus in Rochester, October has been especially beautiful and it’s not just the weather. Students are expressing gratitude for the privileges of learning in-person and living together in downtown Rochester. With high vaccination rates and mandatory masking, we have an environment that supports health and safety as we share the skyways with patients and health care professionals.
Highlights from this fall include our ribbon cutting at The Nest (a gathering spot for “Raptor” students) and new Center for Learning Innovation space for our collaborative faculty. Another reason for UMR’s gratitude this fall? The City of Rochester’s investment in these much-needed facilities through designated City Sales Tax funds.
UMR continues to grow, increasing the number of total students served by 13 percent from pre-pandemic fall 2019 to fall 2021. Our current enrollment is 974, as we rapidly approach the first ”Bold” milestone of 1,000 students with the Bolder (1,500) and Boldest (2,500) targets ahead.
Want to know more about the new UMR students who have joined our campus community this fall?
All are passionate about making a difference in the world through a career in health, including not only patient care pathways but also health care research, emerging technologies, policy, administration, bioinformatics and more.
79 percent are Minnesotans.
70 percent are from populations underrepresented in higher education, including those who are the first generation of their families to attend college, low-income students, and students of color (42 percent).
All are coming of age during a global pandemic, a resilient generation sure to make distinctive contributions in the future.
In this beautiful fall, the diversity of our student body is a strength we cherish — as students form friendships, deepen understanding and develop into culturally humble health care professionals devoted to solving the grand health challenges of the 21st century.
—Dr. Lori Carrell, Chancellor of University of Minnesota Rochester
