University of Minnesota Duluth

Minnesota is a leader in civic engagement. To sustain that legacy and ensure our students contribute to a thriving, diverse democracy, we will create and expand innovative programs that increase skills in civil discourse on difficult global and local topics.

Duluth actions:

• Build campus-wide capacity for deliberative inquiry by facilitating students’ learning about civic engagement, power, privilege, freedom of speech, and information literacy.
• Provide development and growth opportunities to students, faculty, and staff to support their recruitment, retention, success, and belonging.

The University of Minnesota offers a wealth of academic programs that provide a comprehensive education, subject-matter knowledge and critical thinking skills to prepare students for their chosen careers or continuing education. Immersive learning experiences such as study abroad, study away, undergraduate research, internships and community engaged learning opportunities allow students to be energized and active participants in their education. In addition to the skills and content knowledge specifically associated with these learning opportunities, such experiences can also enhance cultural competency, broad problem-solving skills, self-awareness, and life and career goals. 

Our programs will continue to evolve, informed by a university-wide employer engagement strategy and in collaboration with community partners, to ensure our students excel in the modern world and thrive in its workplaces. Building on this foundation, we will strengthen programming to make immersive learning an essential part of the student experience.

Duluth actions:

• Expand undergraduate students’ participation in high-engagement experiential learning through research and creative activity, internships and student employment, and leadership opportunities, and/or community engagement.
• Create and implement a holistic approach to advising and mentorship that integrates academic goals, career readiness, leadership, and civic-mindedness.
   

The University of Minnesota comprises five campuses, which allow individual students a unique set of resources, cultures and locations to earn a University of Minnesota degree. By recognizing and respecting the distinctiveness of each campus, we will further enhance the student experience — regardless of a student's home campus.  

Duluth action:

• Coordinate with other University of Minnesota campuses on curricula, calendars, resources, and policies to ensure equitable and seamless access for students, staff, and faculty.

The University of Minnesota has long prioritized the well-being of our students across all campuses, and that work has continued to evolve. We are now well positioned to build on this important, student-identified priority and have an even greater positive impact on student mental health and food security. 

Duluth action:

• Adopt and align with the Okanagan Chart to promote the wellbeing of students, staff, and faculty.

To solve the complex challenges of our time, we will design interdisciplinary, problem-based, solution-generating academic programs, prioritizing processes and behaviors that facilitate interdisciplinary teaching and research across schools, colleges and campuses. We will reward creativity and cross-disciplinary collaborations, and build on our strengths to create an environment where students learn and researchers collaborate, so that we become a destination for students and researchers committed to tackling the world’s most significant problems. 

Duluth actions:

• Invest in interdisciplinary master’s and doctoral programs that embed active inquiry.
• Support relational education across academic and non-academic experiences to promote learning through meaningful connections and participation in community-based, research, creative projects, and co-curricular opportunities.
• Expand and deepen research, creative activities, and educational engagement with regional organizations to contribute to community problem-solving and support students’ career readiness and civic-mindedness.
  

The demographics of higher education are changing. Future students will need to be lifelong learners with the ability to upskill and acquire new credentials (certificates, stackable credentials, etc.) throughout their careers. Meanwhile, online and just-in-time learning present opportunities to meet learners wherever they are, both geographically and in life stage, while taking into consideration changing technology and other demands on their lives. We will meet our learners where they are with flexibility and personalized learning.

Duluth action:

• Integrate and engage with University of Minnesota Online to ensure that UMD faculty and students contribute to and benefit from the University of Minnesota’s online offerings.

AI is transforming learning and teaching, and the University of Minnesota will accelerate to meet the moment for students across all campuses and degree types. We commit to embracing and developing AI teaching and learning support infrastructure as well as policies and guidelines that allow us to excel and meet the needs of students, faculty and staff in learning, teaching and research.

Duluth action:

• Integrate and engage with University of Minnesota AI Hub.

The University of Minnesota’s five distinct campuses offer exceptional opportunities for faculty and staff to innovate in a way that uses evidence to design creative solutions, explore emerging opportunities, pilot and adopt new practices to enhance outcomes and generate and scale new modes/methods of learning at the classroom, school, campus and cross-campus level. We have led the nation in the development of College-in-3 designs and the International Active Learning conference, and we have many active scholars in the scholarship of teaching and learning across campuses, colleges and departments. 

We will continue to distinguish ourselves as a research institution with a research-based focus to our work on the future of learning, and we will prioritize the application of educational research results in the design of new models for public higher education. We will be more agile in establishing new educational programs that meet the emerging demands of society. And we will create and/or develop new learning models based on lessons learned on our campuses and from researchers who focus on the scholarship of teaching and learning. 

Duluth actions:

• Enhance institutional reach and educational equity by developing and implementing new models and programs that offer flexible, inclusive, and accessible programs while prioritizing in-person programming.
• Meet and sustain enrollment goals through recruitment, retention, and graduation strategies that authentically represent our identity as a student-centered research university to potential students.
  

Our campuses are situated in vibrant communities with a wide variety of arts and cultural experiences. Minnesota ranks among the top states for number of artists per capita, including by number of actors, designers and musicians, while the Twin Cities metro area was ranked among the top five most vibrant arts communities of 2024 by SMU DataArts. Through this dynamic initiative we will build interdisciplinary bridges from the arts to other aspects of education, research and scholarship that support and nurture our minds and spirits to express, understand and improve our connections with the communities in which we live. 

Duluth actions:

• Develop community-based partnerships to strengthen student learning and engagement through Humanities in Action.
• Engage with the University of Minnesota Arts and Design Initiative. 
  

More than 350,000 University of Minnesota alumni live and work in Minnesota. We will continue to strengthen communities through innovative partnerships with Minnesota employers, addressing workforce needs, expanding and upskilling talent and collaborating on knowledge creation that fosters long-term success and keeps businesses rooted in our state. Building on the reputation of our headquarters economy, we will collaborate with employers of all sizes to start, grow and/or nurture their presence in the state, beyond simply connecting them with our graduates. The University of Minnesota also supports a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, having launched a record 25 startups in 2024 and ranking second in the nation in university startup creation. We will continue our leadership in this area to fuel economic growth and job creation across Minnesota by transforming knowledge into world-changing startups. 

Duluth actions:

• Develop and implement a process to continuously review and evolve our program offerings to meet the workforce needs of organizations and communities in Minnesota and beyond.
• Engage with the University of Minnesota Workforce Accelerator.
  

Healthier communities are strong communities. That’s why the University of Minnesota trains nearly 70 percent of Minnesota's physicians, dentists, pharmacists and other health professionals. We will continue to drive innovation in our health science programs across our campuses to address the healthcare workforce needs throughout Minnesota so that communities can have high-quality healthcare closer to home. We’ll sharpen our focus on expanding the healthcare workforce through new and expanded training programs and facilities in Duluth, Rochester and St. Cloud. 

Duluth action:

• Expand internal and external partnerships to facilitate pathways to careers in rural health.

The University of Minnesota is the national leader in the use of spatial analysis, having invested in one of the most extensive GIS infrastructures of any institution in the U.S. While our U-Spatial unit supports geospatial work across disciplines — from mapping urban forests to addressing the presence of lead in water systems to advancing transportation solutions — we also lead the nation in the use of GIS by students, faculty and staff to learn, innovate and solve complex problems. This expertise in spatial thinking is a critical asset for both learners and employers. 

Recognized as the nation’s first “spatial university,” we are now forging new frontiers by integrating spatial science with the power of AI. We will use our expansive national expertise in spatial technology, sustainability, community engagement and GIS to drive innovation and improve all aspects of understanding how "data of place" can inform global society and support data-driven solutions. 

Duluth action:

• Integrate and engage with UMN efforts regarding mapping and partnership with U-spatial on UMN Duluth campus to expand research partnerships and community impact.

The University of Minnesota will continue its nationally leading partnership with Tribal Nations in the state. Through ongoing discussions with Tribal leaders and informed by the Truth Report, our partnerships have grown even stronger. The University of Minnesota has revitalized the Ojibwe and Dakota language programs, is establishing American Indian Advisory Boards on each campus and has created resources, guidelines and a policy around conducting Indigenous research. These ongoing initiatives have deepened relationships that advance collaborative research, such as the Kawe Gidaa-naanaagadawenddaain Manoomin project, the Chronic Wasting Disease initiative and the continued impact of centers and institutes such as the Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare Studies. With a focus on student success and programs such as the Native American Promise Program, American Indian graduation rates have increased significantly over the past two decades. We will continue to grow these partnerships and our academic offerings for the benefit of Tribal Nations and the State of Minnesota.                

Duluth action:

• Guided by Native nation priorities, Indigenous knowledges, and the TRUTH Report, center relationships of trust and respect with Tribal nations to co-create research and institutional processes and promote the flourishing of all relatives in Anishinaabe aki and Dakhóta thamákhočhe.

We will rely on our research on human behavior, organizational behavior and community leadership development to build and deploy sustainable models that advance and strengthen the health of our planet. We will further commit to becoming a premier global destination where students and faculty collaborate to develop innovative solutions addressing the critical environmental and human health challenges facing our world. 

Duluth actions:

• Create partnerships with community entities to advance the responsible development and use of emerging technologies to promote sustainability and social wellbeing.
• Identify and address regional and global environmental challenges through new or expanded research, education, and public outreach, including through the Natural Resources Research Institute, Minnesota Sea Grant, and the Large Lakes Observatory.
• Co-lead the development and implementation of a university-wide Freshwater Systems and Innovation initiative.
  

We will advance our world-leading innovations in supporting the health of communities, including healthcare, and break new ground to improve access to care across Minnesota. Our scientists will work collaboratively with communities, public health agencies and organizations to identify solutions, strengthen prevention programs and networks and improve health outcomes, regardless of zip code.

Duluth action:

• Integrate and engage with UMN efforts regarding community health and healthcare innovation.

We will advance a One Health model that recognizes the interdependence of human, animal and environmental health. Building on our decades of leadership in human medicine, animal health and production agriculture, we will generate solutions that promote resilient communities, sustainable food systems and healthy ecosystems for the future of Minnesota and the world. 

Duluth action:

• Integrate and engage with UMN efforts through the One Health Exchange.

From health and finance to education and transportation, AI is transforming industries and creating new opportunities. The University of Minnesota is strategically positioned for success through its investment in big data, beginning with a long history of supercomputing and faculty expertise in machine learning. Additionally, the university has deep expertise in organizational development, communications, psychology, law and policy that will inform the ethical and effective use of AI. 

Building on this foundation, as well as our strengths in foundational and user-inspired AI in the fields of climate, agriculture and health, we will equip faculty, staff and students with the knowledge, tools and skills to remain on the leading edge of responsible, ethical and effective use of AI. We will create an organizational structure that will harness expertise and potential across all mission areas, campuses, colleges and institutes/centers.

Duluth action:

• Integrate and engage with UMN efforts regarding AI research.

The University of Minnesota succeeds when our employees are engaged and aligned with our mission and when they’re equipped with the tools they need to perform their mission-critical work. We will prioritize investing in our workforce across campuses and employee groups to best support our strategic goals. 

Duluth actions:

• Align workload, compensation, and resources for faculty, staff, and student employees to promote university priorities, employee wellbeing, and fiscal sustainability.
• Expand institutional support for scholarly and creative activity in partnership and collaboration with the Research and Innovation Office. 
  

We will invest in and transform our facilities and infrastructure across our five campuses to be vibrant places that fully support modern learning, research and living spaces for current and future students, faculty and staff. 

Duluth actions:

• Create campus gathering spaces and systems that foster a sense of welcome, connectedness, and belonging for our campus and broader communities.
• Through a transparent and sustainable infrastructure vision, implement comprehensive facility and climate plans that sustainably manifest our identity as an accessible and student-centered research university on Anishinaabe aki.
  

The St. Paul campus anchors a significant portion of the University of Minnesota’s knowledge and expertise in agricultural sciences, as well as the critically important facilities necessary to carry out research and education. We were an early leader in developing advances in agronomy and aspects of production agriculture that help feed the world today. Academic departments representing six colleges; 18 centers, institutes and public engagement venues; and countless labs and outdoor classrooms and community space that make the St. Paul campus vital to our future.  

We will launch the transformation of the St. Paul campus into a dynamic, future-facing environment that enriches student life, drives scholarly innovation and deepens community relationships. We will reenvision the area to play an even larger role in supporting our food systems, developing innovative design solutions, engaging the community and educating students who wish to be at a Research 1 university while living in a close-knit campus environment. 

• This focus area does not have a direct related action at the University of Minnesota Duluth.