In the era of state budget cuts to public institutions and higher tuition at the state's colleges and universities, it may come as a surprise that Gov. Tim Pawlenty suggested a new undergraduate university be established in Rochester.
In his State of the State speech delivered at a Mayo Clinic facility, Pawlenty noted that "the Rochester area is projected to grow 70 percent in the next 20 years, and its economic vitality is growing faster." Local proponents of a new university campus have pushed that idea for years, and the governor has included $3 million in his budget for local leaders to take it a step further. It has not been determined if the school would be part of the University of Minnesota or the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.
Remaining untouched would be the Rochester Community and Technical College, one of three entities that make up the University Center Rochester.
—Kathy Cobb
