U of M Morris Chancellor Steps Down

The University of Minnesota announced on Tuesday that U of M Morris Chancellor Janet Schrunk Ericksen will step down at the end of December. No reason was given at this time why Ericksen was stepping down in the middle of a school year, but University President Rebecca Cunningham said in a note to staff and faculty that she was “grateful” to Ericksen for her “steady leadership and dedication.” Cunningham also wrote that this transition “affords the opportunity to sustain the vitality of University of Minnesota Morris.” Ericksen served as interim chancellor for two years before becoming Chancellor in 2023, In Morris, she started as an assistant professor in 1998.

The Morris campus has seen steadily declining enrollment for the past decade, but officials announced that this fall’s incoming class was the largest in three years. Michael Rodriguez, a Morris graduate who has worked at the U of M’s Twin Cities campus since 1999, will serve as the Morris Chancellor starting January 1. Rodriguez is Dean of the College of Education and Human Development. Cunningham announced that he will serve until 2028 as Chancellor.