U Morris chancellor stepping down

University of Minnesota Morris Chancellor Janet Schrunk Ericksen will step down at the end of December, the U announced on Tuesday.

U President Rebecca Cunningham said in a note to faculty and staff that she was “grateful” to Ericksen for her “steady leadership and dedication,” and that Ericksen laid “a strong foundation that will allow us to build on the successes she fostered and lead the University of Minnesota Morris to its next chapter.”

Cunningham’s note didn’t state why Ericksen was stepping down in the middle of the school year, and a U spokesperson declined to provide additional information.

“This transition affords the opportunity to sustain the vitality of University of Minnesota Morris,” Cunningham wrote.

The western Minnesota campus 150 miles from the Twin Cities has faced declining enrollment in recent years. Enrollment has steadily gone down since the 2013-14 academic year to less than 1,000 students in 2024.

However, officials said in an August interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune that this year’s incoming class was bigger by almost 25%, with more first-year and transfer students, and they hoped investments in admissions staff, a new digital marketing campaign and a program promoting graduation in three years will help boost enrollment, too. Morris also offers free tuition to Native American students.

“I believe deeply in what this college does and the need for it to be here,” Ericksen said in the August interview. “At the same time ... you have to be alarmed when you see a decline and take action to figure out, ‘What is our right size? How do we manage this?’”

Michael Rodriguez, dean of the College of Education and Human Development at the U’s Twin Cities campus, will begin serving as Morris’ chancellor on Jan. 1, pending the Board of Regents’ approval. Rodriguez is a Morris graduate and has worked at the U since 1999. Cunningham said Rodriguez will serve as chancellor until 2028.

A university statement added that “Rodriguez brings a wealth of experience” to the role and the university is “confident” that he will “build on the successes” of Ericksen.

Ericksen became chancellor in May 2023 after being interim chancellor for two years. She started as an assistant professor at Morris in 1998.