After recently welcoming back students, faculty, and staff to its five campuses across the state, the University of Minnesota will formally inaugurate Rebecca Cunningham as its new president on Wednesday, September 18. Cunningham’s presidency officially began on July 1.
The day’s events will celebrate the university’s history and traditions, highlight its role as Minnesota’s leading public institution, and look forward to its future under Cunningham’s leadership.
The inauguration ceremony will start at 3 p.m. at Northrop, where university members and invited guests will hear from various speakers, including Cunningham, who will give her inaugural address. Traditional elements of the inauguration, such as the presentation of the mace and medallion, will also be featured.
Following the ceremony, at around 4:30 p.m., the celebration will extend to the wider campus community with live entertainment, food, refreshments, and outdoor activities at Northrop Mall.
In addition to traditional inauguration events, Cunningham will lead a special panel discussion earlier in the day, focusing on the role of public research universities in addressing major health challenges, including human, animal, environmental, agricultural, and economic health.
Before joining the University of Minnesota, Cunningham was Michigan’s vice president for research and innovation, where she advanced the university’s research efforts and upheld its public mission.
She led Michigan’s research expansion to a record $1.86 billion annually and has over 25 years of experience in public health and medicine, including roles as associate vice president for research-health sciences, associate chair of emergency medicine, and director of the CDC-sponsored Injury Prevention Center at the University of Michigan.
