12 candidates recommended as finalists for U of M Regent posts
Saint Paul, MN – The Regent Candidate Advisory Council (RCAC) voted yesterday (Wednesday, Jan. 12) to recommend 12 individual candidates to a Joint Legislative Committee for final consideration of election to the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota.
The Joint Committee selects one candidate for each open position, and submits this slate of candidates for consideration by the full Legislature sitting in Joint Convention.
The four open regent seats to be filled include; one at-large representation, one in the second congressional district, one in the third congressional district, and one in the eighth congressional district. All appointments will be for full six-year terms.
The RCAC received a total of 46 applications for the four positions. It interviewed 16 applicants. Finalists recommended to the joint committee are (in alphabetical order):
At-Large: Allen Anderson, West Concord; Steven Hunter, Woodbury; and Robert Kennedy, Baxter.
Second Congressional District: Laura Brod, New Prague; Thomas Devine, Chanhassen; and Steven Sviggum, Kenyon.
Third Congressional District: David Larson, Wayzata; Norman Rickeman, Woodland; and Roby Thompson, Jr., Long Lake.
Eighth Congressional District: William Burns, Duluth; Robert Kennedy, Baxter; David McMillan, Duluth; and Robert Ostlund, Walker.
The council was created by the Legislature in 1988 and is responsible to recruit, screen, and recommend regent candidates to the State Legislature. State law requires that a minimum of two and a maximum of four names be forwarded for each open position. The council’s 24 members are appointed by the Legislature.
The University of Minnesota Board of Regents is the governing body of the University of Minnesota. Its 12 members are elected and serve without pay. Eight members represent the state’s congressional districts, and four members are elected at large, as is a student representative. The student member must be enrolled in a degree program at the University of Minnesota at the time of election. The six-year terms are staggered so that four regent positions come up for appointment every two years.
According to RCAC Chair Jane Belau, “The Regent Candidate Advisory Council thanks the forty six citizens who applied for the position of Regent of the University of Minnesota. The willingness of these people to give of their time, talent and energy to serve the University and the State as a Regent speaks well of them as individuals and shows that the Governing Board of the University attracts people who are well credentialed, experienced and with expertise essential to good governance. The long and careful process of selecting but a few individuals for recommendation to the Legislature’s Joint Committee was difficult but we are confident the University will be well served by whomever the Legislature selects from the list of well qualified candidates.”
