U unveils strategy for 'grand challenges' of climate change, food safety

Climate change and food safety would become two of the University of Minnesota's top research priorities under a draft of a new strategic plan unveiled Friday by President Eric Kaler.

The plan, which has been in the works for a year, is designed to serve as a "road map for reinvigorating the university" over the next decade, Kaler said.

The plan recommends that the university embrace three "Grand Challenges" in the coming years:

1. Climate change and environmental conservation.

2. Food sustainability and safety.

3. "Building vibrant communities" by addressing problems that challenge urban life, such as "opportunity gaps."

Kaler said the goal is to focus more of the university's talent, resources and education in these areas.

Kaler has said that the university plans to pay for the new initiatives by shifting funds away from low-priority projects. But the plan doesn't identify which programs might lose out. "It's hard to be specific," Kaler said, adding "it's not our goal to add costs by doing this." He said the college deans will be asked to identify which programs or units to "de-emphasize or stop doing."

The plan, which was drafted by five working groups of faculty, students and staff, hints at some of the bureaucratic frustrations that insiders say have stifled creativity. One section cites a "sluggishness in responding to new opportunities," and laments that, "Many hours are wasted on unneeded and unexplained paperwork and permissions." One of the recommended solutions: Cut the time spent in meetings by 25 percent.

The plan also calls on the university to take a closer look at programs that may no longer be relevant. "Too many centers and initiatives function at the University as if they have been chartered to exist in perpetuity," one sections says. In the future, it says, such programs "should start with an expected life span of five years (or less)."

Nearly 200 faculty, students and staff were involved in the planning process.

The plan was presented to the Board of Regents at its Friday meeting. The 80-page proposal can be found online at http://strategic-planning.umn.edu.