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The University of Minnesota has picked a longtime employee for its next general counsel: William Donohue, the U's deputy general counsel.

Donohue has been deputy general counsel since 1996 and has worked in the Office of the General Counsel since 1982, according to an e-mail Monday from U President Eric Kaler. He earned his law degree at the U, as well.

This pick will bolster the institutional memory of Kaler's leadership team, Kaler said in the e-mail to faculty and staff, noting that two thirds of his direct reports have been working for the university for less than two and a half years.

"Ensuring stability and bringing deep institutional knowledge to this senior leadership role for the near term will be extremely helpful as the new leadership team comes together," Kaler said.

Donohue will serve as the university's top legal officer from late May until June 2015, that note says. He replaces Mark Rotenberg, who is leaving for a similar post at Johns Hopkins University.

Three views on Mark Rotenberg, the University of Minnesota's general counsel. Rotenberg is leaving his longtime post for a similar gig at Johns Hopkins University.

From David Lillehaug:

Newly-named Minnesota Supreme Court justice David Lillehaug met Rotenberg in the 1990s, when Lillehaug was a U.S. attorney. More recently, Lillehaug has done legal work for the University of Minnesota. He said Rotenberg is "extremely dedicated to the university," has been a "wise and trusted adviser" to U leaders and serves as "a big chunk of the university's institutional memory."

"He's been the chief protector of the university's autonomy over the past several decades," Lillehaug said.

From Bill Gleason:

Bill Gleason, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota, has been a regular critic of Rotenberg on his blog, often accusing him of using his post to protect university administrators' bad behavior. He said by e-mail Monday that he hopes Rotenberg's successor works "in a more transparent manner both with the press and the faculty at the university."

"The General Counsel should act in the best interest of the University of Minnesota as a whole," he said, "and not simply be the administration's pit bull."

From Kathleen Curry Santora:

Kathleen Curry Santora, executive director of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, called Rotenberg "an outstanding choice" for the Johns Hopkins position. "Mark is highly regarded and respected by his colleagues in the practice of higher education law."

Survey data from her organization show that Rotenberg's 21-year tenure with the University of Minnesota is longer than average. The average tenure for the general counsel at doctorate-granting universities is 13.6 years, according to a 2010 survey.

The University of Minnesota is taking a deep look at how a merger between Fairview Health Services and Sanford Health would affect its long-term arrangement with Fairview.

In a note Thursday to faculty and staff, two U leaders said the university is analyzing the possible effects of such a change:

This process will include a financial and legal analysis, but must also seriously and critically evaluate the commitment of any new entity to our academic mission, including medical education, clinical research, and cutting-edge, quality patient care. Without that commitment, we will be unable to meet our obligations to the citizens of Minnesota. We will also assess philanthropic alignment and questions of brand and reputation.

Aaron Friedman, vice president of the U's Academic Health Center and dean of the Medical School, and Bobbi Daniels, CEO of University of Minnesota Physicians, also said they were "encouraged by Fairview leadership's statements that a combination with Sanford Health will not move forward if the university objects."

We reported this week that Fairview "is weighing a merger with South Dakota-based Sanford Health in negotiations that have triggered concerns on the part of Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson."

The university is in the midst of its own negotiations with Fairview over a new affiliation agreement. The e-mail says U officials "are hopeful about coming to an agreement this spring."

Here's the full text:

Dear Colleagues,

This week's media coverage about talks of a potential merger between Fairview Health Services and Sioux Falls-based Sanford Health offers us an opportunity to update you on our current discussions and to share some of the key issues we are exploring.

As you know, the University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Physicians have had an affiliation with Fairview that has envisioned an important and long-term partnership for research, education, and clinical care. This is a relationship that has deepened and evolved over time. For the past 18 months, we have been engaged in discussions with Fairview to strengthen this alignment. These negotiations are complex and ongoing, but we are hopeful about coming to an agreement this spring.

A merger of Fairview with another health care system would have a direct impact on the University and our affiliation agreement. The University intends to carefully evaluate any merger of Fairview with another health care system in the context of our academic, clinical, and research mission. Our priority in reviewing any specific concept or proposal will be to place the shared interests of the University and the citizens of the State of Minnesota as our top consideration. While most of UMP's activity with Fairview is at the University of Minnesota Medical Center and Amplatz Children's Hospital, the University and UMP also have significant clinical and educational programs in other parts of the Fairview system.

We are encouraged by Fairview leadership's statements that a combination with Sanford Health will not move forward if the University objects.

The U is engaged in a due diligence process to better understand the implications of a possible Sanford-Fairview merger and, generally, the continued evolution of the health care landscape. This process will include a financial and legal analysis, but must also seriously and critically evaluate the commitment of any new entity to our academic mission, including medical education, clinical research, and cutting-edge, quality patient care. Without that commitment, we will be unable to meet our obligations to the citizens of Minnesota. We will also assess philanthropic alignment and questions of brand and reputation.

Finally, we are cooperating fully with the Attorney General, the Governor, and other policymakers as they consider this critical issue, and we appreciate their concern and interest in the University.

We must ensure that in this changing health care landscape our partnership with Fairview continues a strong commitment to our mission and enables the University to attract thousands of world-class physicians, medical residents, and other health care providers for Minnesota, as well as conduct research that leads to breakthroughs and helps millions of people lead healthier lives.

It remains a central priority of ours and President Kaler that the health sciences enterprise across all mission areas is positioned to succeed. We will continue to keep you updated on these and other related issues.

Sincerely,
Aaron Friedman, dean, University of Minnesota Medical School and vice president, Academic Health Center
Bobbi Daniels, vice dean, clinical affairs, University of Minnesota Medical School and CEO, University of Minnesota Physicians

The interim report, requested by state Senate leaders, breaks down staffing of four of the University of Minnesota's administrative offices. The consultants' review of the rest of the university continues.

Read our Saturday story about the report here.

University of Minnesota Spans and Layers Report by jenna_ross1095

Alumni of Gustavus Adolphus College got a letter Wednesday from the St. Peter college's Board of Trustees.

It comes as some faculty, alumni and students are signing petitions and writing letters asking President Jack Ohle to step down. More about that here.

"While we know there is work to be done," Mark Bernhardson said in his note to alumni, "we are excited about the progress of the institution under the President’s leadership."

The full letter:

Dear Gustavus Alumni,

Gustavus Adolphus College has been in the news recently in regard to concerns about the College’s governance and leadership. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we write you, our valued alumni, to provide background and context to the concerns being expressed. All institutions of higher education are in an ever more rapidly changing environment. We are addressing those concerns brought on by the challenges inherent with major institutional change across the breadth of higher education. By doing so, we hope to build on the significant successes achieved by our alma mater in recent years.
In these challenging times in higher education, technology and online learning are confronting the traditional methods of teaching at a residential, liberal arts college. Concerns have also been raised about rising costs in private education as it relates to the challenges being faced nationally. Despite these challenges, Gustavus continues to thrive and remains one of the top private liberal arts colleges in the United States.

By its very nature, a college campus is a diverse mix of individuals and opinions and Gustavus is no exception. It is a natural process to openly engage in civil discourse about divergent opinions in the way in which an institution of higher education is governed. The Board of Trustees, through the governance model we developed over the past few years, has been seeking more input from faculty, staff, and students to make sure the appropriate conversations and discussions are held so that the institution will continue to move forward.

As a Board, we have listened and are hearing the concerns expressed on and off campus and will continue to do so. While we know there is work to be done, we are excited about the progress of the institution under the President’s leadership. Be assured that the Board and President Ohle are committed to continuing to work with all of the College’s stakeholders.

Our alma mater has experienced significant success over the past few years. The College has realized an increase in student enrollment as well as significant increases in both the number of applicants and the academic quality of those applicants. In addition, thanks to the support of so many of you, there has been a substantial increase in giving to the College, including $4.5 million given to the 2011-12 Annual Fund by 9,925 donors and the kick-off of a $150 million comprehensive fundraising campaign of which over $100 million has already been raised. All of this has contributed to our continued strong financial health. We also received the largest gift in the history of the College that enabled us to construct a new academic building, which houses five academic departments. However, with these successes we must all realize we cannot take future success for granted.

The one thing we know for sure is that the Gustavus family is a tight-knit group that cares deeply about the success of the institution. With your continued support and dialogue, we will stay committed and focused on Gustavus's core values and mission of educating students for lives of leadership and service.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees,

Mark E. Bernhardson
Chair, Board of Trustees

 

A group of Gustavus Adolphus College professors, students and alumni say it's time for President Jack Ohle to resign. They've signed petitions, sent letters and posted videos.

I quoted senior Eric Halvorson in my story about this unrest. Here's his video:

The college's Board of Trustees has promised a review of Ohle this spring. The board chairman released the following statement:

Gustavus trustees' statement regarding President Jack Ohle by jenna_ross1095