A University of Minnesota Rochester blue-ribbon report concerning the growth of the university.

1. 1. Targeted Investments in Academic Programs
UMR has four approved degree programs in which we continue to make
investments: B.S. in Health Sciences (BSHS), B.S. in Health Professions
(BSHP), M.S. in Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology (BICB), and
Ph.D. in Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology (BICB).
The B.S. in Health Sciences admitted its first freshmen in Fall 2009. Currently,
140 students are enrolled. All faculty and instructors for this program reside in a
single academic unit, the Center for Learning Innovation (CLI), to deliver a
curriculum that is integrated across the disciplines. The CLI currently houses 10
tenure-track faculty and 8.75 instructors who are developing and delivering the
curriculum across seven disciplines to provide a rigorous science and liberal
education foundation for a wide array of career opportunities in the health
sciences sector. At this point, faculty and staff have completed the development
of 32 courses, labs, and seminars. The freshman class for Fall 2011 is projected
to be 150 students, thus doubling the program’s current enrollment. To meet the
curricular demands, the CLI is currently hiring two more tenure-track faculty in
two additional disciplines and 11 instructors. In addition, the CLI is searching for
a Director who will also have some instructional duties. The B.S. in Health
Sciences is a technology-enhanced curriculum, which continues to require
investments on the IT side to support the laptop program and the classroom
technology. This is the last year of the rapid expansion of faculty and staff in the
CLI as we will be able to deliver most of the four-year curriculum with this level of
staffing. We will continue to rely on some adjunct faculty in specialized areas of
the health sciences, such as microbiology and immunology, utilizing the wealth of
expertise at Mayo Clinic for staffing.
The B.S. in Health Professions is a junior-admitting program in close partnership
with the Mayo School of Health Sciences that serves five allied health programs:
respiratory care, echocardiography, sonography, radiation therapy, and
radiography. It will admit its first class of about 20 students in Fall 2011. This
program continues and expands the Respiratory Care BAS that was offered at
UMR through the College for Continuing Education through Fall 2010. This new
program is unique in the nation by combining different certificate programs within
a single baccalaureate degree. It was designed to meet critical needs in the
health-care workforce in Minnesota. Since many of the didactic and clinical

2. courses in the program are delivered by the Mayo School of Health Sciences, the
required staffing at UMR will remain small and will be primarily restricted to a
program coordinator and writing support as all undergraduate curricula at UMR
are writing enriched.
The Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology (BICB) graduate program
is an all-University, interdisciplinary program that admitted its first class of
students in Fall 2008. UMR is the administrative home. Over 45 faculty from
UMTC, Hormel Institute, UMR, Mayo Clinic, and IBM participate in the program.
UMR serves as the home of graduate faculty whose primary appointment is
external to the University of Minnesota. The first BICB graduate student
graduated in Fall 2010 with a M.S. degree. The 31 graduate students currently in
the program are equally divided between Rochester and the Twin Cities; about
half of the students pursue the M.S. degree and the remaining students the Ph.D.
About half the students are part-time students with the majority of the part-time
students working full-time at Mayo Clinic or IBM. This program fills a critical need
for bioinformatics expertise in Rochester and southeastern Minnesota.
Investments in this program will continue to be primarily in student support in the
form of fellowships for Ph.D. students in their first two years prior to being fully
supported by faculty advisors’ research grants.
2. Which Academic Areas are Targeted for Reduction or Elimination
UMR provides support, recruiting and other functions for many U of M academic
programs that do not originate from Rochester. These programs, which are
referred to as Partnership Programs, are controlled by academic departments on
the Twin Cities and Duluth campuses. Decisions about development, initiation,
expansion, continuation or elimination are at their discretion.
Last year, despite strong enrollment numbers, the School of Social Work
suspended the Masters of Social Work (MSW) in Rochester while the program
underwent reorganization. Tentative plans call for a newly-structured MSW to
return to UMR in Fall 2013. In 2009 the School of Public Health reorganized the
Masters of Healthcare Administration (MHA) for working professionals into a
blended Executive MHA program. This concentrated and much more expensive

3. cohort model, though still available in Rochester, has fewer students than the
previous academic program. Recently, the School of Public Health decided to
suspend admissions into Masters of Science in Biostatistics in Rochester due to
low enrollment numbers. The program will be re-evaluated next year.
3. Cutting Expenses and Enhancing Revenue
Two UMR undergraduate programs, BSHS and BSHP, will increase enrollment in
Fall 2011 by 170 students. Total institutional enrollment, as a result of additional
anticipated increases in Center for Allied Health Programs, is expected to
approach 700 students.
We anticipate that the enrollment growth in the BSHS program will be a primary
revenue generator for the campus. UMR’s ability to direct this growth as it
monitors its financial status provides a mechanism to maintain a moderate
budget reserve, avoid a deficit, yet continue to expand operations. UMR
continues to receive 25% of tuition and University fees from academic
programming delivered at UMR by colleges on the UMTC and UMD campuses.
Anticipated budget cuts will be managed through reductions to operational costs
and utilization of budget reserves. Most areas at UMR will experience, at
minimum, a 5% cut to their operating budgets. However, cuts will not be evenly
applied across campus units and some functional areas may see larger
reductions. A reorganization of support staff this year has allowed UMR to meet
growing demand for services without adding staff. A portion of UMR’s budgeted
reserves will be used to fund the remainder of the budget cut.
4. Maintaining and Enhancing Quality and Service to Students and
the People of Minnesota
UMR provides an exceptional environment of education and support for students
on our campus. Students in the BSHS program are preparing for careers in

4. health-related professions through a rigorous curriculum which utilizes integration
between disciplines and concepts to enhance student learning and development.
UMR students in partnership programs receive instructional and personal support
and guidance from UMR staff and resident faculty. As UMR’s enrollment grows,
services will continue to expand and be added: student housing support, a
recreational program, health services and additional student organizations have
started during the past year; study abroad, service and employment opportunities
are being developed; and UMR continues to leverage the resources of the U of M
system when we can to provide excellent support and services.