A less-than-fond farewell to the University of Minnesota's Joan Gabel

Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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Disappointment and frustration are appropriate responses to University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel's announcement Monday that she is leaving that post to lead the University of Pittsburgh.

The reason: the dreadful timing of this departure.

Gabel chose to leave the U at a critical juncture. The state's flagship academic system faces extraordinary challenges to boost enrollment, hold down student costs, recruit world-class faculty and build state-of-the-art facilities in what amounts to a knowledge-based arms race with other higher education institutions. It is this spring seeking historic levels of support from Minnesota lawmakers.

The U also is engaged in a much-needed push to reacquire its hospitals before they're swallowed up by an out-of-state health care system with little to no experience running an academic medical center. The hospitals, which train 70% of Minnesota health professionals, are run by Fairview, which is in the process of merging with South Dakota's Sanford Health.

Even with a strong, committed president at the helm, these challenges would be formidable. Now the U must navigate the remaining weeks of the 2023 legislative session — a key window of time for it to make its case for public support — with the distraction of a successor search while the lame-duck Gabel readies to start her new Pitt post in July.

Adding to the concerns are the questions her sudden departure raise about the state of the U's leadership. The move suggests something is amiss on campus at the very moment legislators are being asked to invest hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars into this institution and entrust it to once again lead the hospitals taken over by Fairview in 1997.

Gabel has left the U in a difficult spot, a reality that casts a long shadow over her accomplishments, such as leading the U through the COVID-19 pandemic and developing the MPact strategic plan. It's a regrettable ending for a relatively short tenure that began with so much promise. Gabel, who was appointed in December 2018, is the first woman to lead the U and came to campus with an abundance of goodwill.

Those watching Gabel's brief media availability Monday afternoon for any acknowledgment of the difficulties she's created came away with nothing. Gabel spoke of the "market" for higher education leadership and noted that the U lags close to the bottom of the Big Ten for presidential compensation. She also addressed a recent controversy — her decision to join Securian Financial's board of directors, a position that paid $130,000 a year, and which she later resigned after blowback.

Gabel said that controversy was unrelated to her departure, but did note the new Pitt job will allow for similar outside opportunities. Gabel seemed to think this would be a point in Pitt's favor. It is not. There's a higher standard here for those who lead our flagship university system. Sideline jobs, bringing distractions and potential conflicts of interest, should be avoided.

The search for Gabel's replacement should prioritize finding someone who embraces Minnesota's higher expectations and understands on a deep level the importance of visibility in this position. Too many conversations an editorial writer had this week indicate that Gabel had not established strong personal connections with the Legislature or other key figures around the state.

As Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona, noted on Tuesday, Gabel isn't "walking the halls" at the Capitol to advocate outside of more formal settings. Pelowski chairs the House's Higher Education Finance and Policy committee. We'd note that Gabel was often absent as well from high-profile committee hearings crucial to the funding requests.

A next step needed immediately: appointing an interim president while the search for a successor takes place. An interim top administrator would have more credibility at the Capitol at this critical time than a rotating cast of fill-ins. That interim president should be someone familiar to legislators and steeped in the details of the challenges the U faces.

An interim leader would also need Gov. Tim Walz's help to make the case for more support. Wielding the gubernatorial bully pulpit on the U's behalf would help ensure this pivotal institution is positioned for the future. Gabel's ill-timed departure makes Walz's engagement even more essential.