University of Minnesota president recommends renaming Nicholson Hall

University of Minnesota interim President Jeff Ettinger is recommending the U rename Nicholson Hall, after some faculty raised concerns that Edward Nicholson’s actions stoked antisemitism and political repression when he served as dean decades ago.

The recommendation was included in materials prepared for next week’s Board of Regents meeting, and a university spokesperson said the U declined to comment beyond that. A final decision on the naming will be made by regents, likely later this spring.

The Board of Regents has updated its policies in recent years to allow buildings to be renamed if the name is inconsistent with the U’s mission, jeopardizes its integrity or “presents risk or harm to the reputation of the University.” Those policies grew out of a 2019 controversy when regents faced an outcry from people who wanted them to rename four buildings — including Nicholson Hall — because their namesakes had been accused of backing segregation or engaging in other racist practices.

In recent months, current and past leaders of the U’s Center for Jewish Studies asked regents to rename Nicholson Hall, submitting a 48-page paper that outlined concerns with his tenure at the U. Nicholson worked at the U from 1895 to 1941, serving as its first dean of student affairs.

The group wrote that Nicholson restricted mail delivery and limited speakers in ways that quashed political dissent. They said he enlisted others to help him surveil student groups, keeping reports that referred to students in racist and antisemitic terms. They said he shared some of that information with people outside the U, including political operatives and the FBI. And they said he worked to inappropriately influence regent selection.

The renaming request was also reviewed by the All-University Honors Committee, which unanimously recommended changing the name. The group received more than 360 comments from people weighing in on the name change, nearly 74% of whom supported the effort.

If regents approve the request, the building will be called 216 Pillsbury Drive until a new name is chosen.