U’s interim leader has been a careful steward

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

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Outgoing University of Minnesota interim President Jeff Ettinger deserves the gratitude of Minnesotans for ably shepherding the institution for the past year. He’s an engaged, thoughtful leader who was wisely selected by the University Board of Regents to take the temporary post.

During a recent meeting with the Star Tribune Editorial Board, Ettinger said he was pleased to have made progress at the U in the areas of public outreach, advancing health care issues through discussion with Fairview and furthering partnerships with campuses in greater Minnesota.

Full disclosure: The Editorial Board endorsed Ettinger in his unsuccessful bid to become a DFL First District congressman in 2022. He lost that race to Republican Brad Finstad for the seat that had opened up after former Rep. Jim Hagedorn died.

During that campaign we believed he was the superior candidate because as CEO of Hormel for just more than a decade he had navigated the impact of trade deals on the company, workforce readiness and shortages, and rising health care costs. He ran as a self-described business-friendly moderate with deep understanding of the agricultural industry in his district.

Ettinger certainly brought that knowledge and considerable leadership skills and experience to overseeing the U.

Though we believe he generally did a good job as interim U leader, his tenure was not without controversy. During spring student protests over the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, he met and listened to students — including those who set up a tent encampment on campus. He told editorial writers that he was proud of being able to resolve that sit-in without the violence that occurred at other colleges.

Like some other college presidents across the nation, he was questioned — in his case, by a state Senate committee — about whether antisemitic and anti-Islamic actions were occurring at the U. And the decision he and the regents made to rescind a job offer and pause the hiring of a new director for the U’s Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies prompted the University of Minnesota Faculty Senate to take a largely symbolic vote of “no confidence“ against the administration.

Earlier this month, the university had offered that job and a history professor position to Israeli historian Raz Segal, who in a 2023 article had described Israel’s assault on Gaza as “a textbook case of genocide.” Community backlash against that choice led to the pause. Ettinger explained that the center’s leader must work closely with community groups outside the university. Members of the College of Liberal Arts argued in a commentary published in the Star Tribune that the administration had overstepped its authority. Other U professors who disagreed with the no-confidence vote by the Faculty Senate said they were pleased by other aspects of Ettinger’s 13-month tenure and didn’t want that to be overshadowed by one incident.

We argued that Ettinger made the right decision but that it came with costs.

As Ettinger leaves the interim position, Minnesotans should be appreciative of his service. They should also welcome his replacement, Dr. Rebecca Cunningham, who begins as permanent U president this week. A former emergency-room physician and vice president for research and innovation at the University of Michigan, she will be tasked with continuing work on the Holocaust Center director’s position that has been put off until 2025.

In the same Editorial Board meeting, Cunningham said her “broad brush goals” starting the job include the strategic plan to set a mission and course for the next five to 10 years, improving coordination within the network of campuses and working on re-envisioning health care delivery through the university’s arrangements with Fairview. All worthy goals to begin her tenure.