March 28, 2011 | 11:24 AM | By

How the U of Minnesota’s image has deteriorated

FILED UNDER: Schools, University of Minnesota

uofm-campus

MPR Photo / Alex Friedrich

Not what it used to be?

University of Minnesota associate professor Giancarlo Casale writes about how the perception of the U has slipped among academics over the years, due largely to decreased state funding — and why funding needs to increase.

“You know,” (my colleague from Ohio) said, “at that time, there was absolutely no question that Minnesota was a vastly superior institution to Ohio State . But today, I doubt anyone would feel that way, not just at OSU but almost anywhere in the Big Ten. What’s going on up there?”

Read his full essay in the Star Tribune here.

  • Anonymous

    I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry…

    The administration of the University of Minnesota has a lot to answer for here.

    Supposedly we were going to become one of the top three public research institutions in the world.

    And low and behold, Professor Casale, where were you while this deterioration occurred? It didn’t just happen overnight. Why didn’t you and a lot of other faculty members at the U of M step up to the plate?

    To try to put the blame on the citizens of the state for not properly valuing higher education for what has happened at the U of M is despicable. And the state support for the university is NOT the worst in the country by any means. To say otherwise is simply dishonest. For some facts rather than the usual special pleading, please see:

    1. http://ptable.blogspot.com/2011/03/state-subsidy-for-education-and-related.html
    State subsizidiess for Fifty Flagship Universities

    2. http://ptable.blogspot.com/2011/03/on-skyrocketing-administrative-costs-at.html
    On the Skyrocketing Cost of Administration at the University of Minnesota

    3. http://ptable.blogspot.com/2011/03/on-cost-of-administration-at-university.html
    On the Cost of Administration at the University of Minnesota

    4. http://ptable.blogspot.com/2010/12/on-hidden-cost-of-research-michael.html
    On the Hidden Cost of Research at the University of Minnesota

    And I am not a Johny Come Lately on these issues. See this old but still very topical video (three minutes long) that many years ago spelled out the consequences of this reckless behavior:

    http://bit.ly/cJ9NNJ
    Excellence Within Our Means

    Some of us disagreed with the vainglorious third greatest public research universities in the world. We asked why we didn’t strive to become one of the best institutions in the Big Ten – our real competition. And we were called doubters.

    I take no pleasure in pointing this out. But we have to make some serious changes in direction in the next few years. I look forward to a hopefully for the better change in leadership at the U. The Bruininks/Sullivan regime has been a disaster.