Minnesota State system names two chancellor finalists

The Minnesota State system of colleges and universities on Monday announced two finalists — one internal and one external — in the running to be the next chancellor.

They are Scott Olson, president of one of the system's seven universities, and Tonjanita (Tonja) Johnson, senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs for the University of Alabama.

Minnesota State's next leader will be responsible for overseeing a system that enrolls more than 300,000 students each year across 54 campuses. Like colleges across the country, it faces intense pressure to reduce costs and reverse years of enrollment declines.

"The new chancellor has an opportunity to really address the long-term challenges that face Minnesota State" and hopefully will put the needs of students first, said Mike Dean, executive director of LeadMN, a group representing students at two-year colleges. "We're hoping for a real new direction here."

Chancellor Devinder Malhotra will retire in August. Malhotra, 75, spent decades in academia before coming to St. Cloud State University to serve as provost in 2009. The system selected him to serve as interim chancellor in 2017, and trustees decided to keep him in the role after twice rejecting candidates recommended by search firms.

The finalists for the chancellor post will be interviewed by members of the board of trustees and other Minnesota State officials on Wednesday, followed by public forums on Thursday that will be conducted at the system office in St. Paul and via Zoom.

The board has set a special meeting for May 9 to review feedback from the interviews and then select the next chancellor.

Minnesota State selected Olson in 2012 to serve as the president of Winona State University, which enrolls more than 6,000 students across its campuses in Winona and Rochester. He has served as a presidential liaison to the board of trustees and has guided the university to high rankings from U.S. News & World Report.

The publication named Winona State its No. 1 public university in Minnesota in 2021.

Olson previously worked as the academic provost and vice president for academic and student affairs at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Before that, he was a dean at Ball State University and a faculty member at Central Connecticut State University.

Olson's open forum runs from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. Thursday.

Tonjanita (Tonja) Johnson

Johnson worked as the executive vice president and chief operating officer for the University of Tennessee system, where she reported directly to the president and was tasked with helping the system meet its strategic goals. She also has worked at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, Middle Tennessee State University and Mississippi Valley State University.

Johnson's open forum is set for 9 to 10 a.m. Thursday.

During the forums, the finalists are expected to share thoughts on how Minnesota State best demonstrates the value and relevance of public higher education in meeting the needs of students and the state's economy, and then take questions.