Hormel’s Ettinger named one of four finalists for UMN interim president

(ABC 6 News) – The University of Minnesota has launched a search for its interim president. 

The University of Minnesota Board of Regents met in a special meeting to consider the applications of 21 candidates for interim president of the University. 

“Many exceptional internal and external candidates expressed their interest to serve the U of M as interim president, representing some of the best Minnesota has to offer. We are humbled that so many experienced candidates stepped forward to serve the University and all Minnesotans,” said Board Chair Janie Mayeron. “This University already benefits from an exceptional senior leadership team and strong leaders at every level, on all five of our campuses. We are excited to interview these finalists and add another highly qualified leader as we continue the strong progress we have made toward MPact 2025 goals and in our day-to-day work on behalf of students and the state.”

Four highly qualified candidates have been invited for interviews for the position.

• Jeffrey M. Ettinger, chair of the Hormel Foundation board of Directions and former chief executive officer of Hormel Foods Corporation
• Myron Frans, senior vice president for Finance and Operations at the University of Minnesota
• Mary Holz-Clause, chancellor of the University of Minnesota Crookston
• E. Thomas Sullivan, president emeritus and professor of Law and Political Science at The University of Vermont, former provost, and senior vice president at the University of Minnesota.

Additional details about finalists, including their application materials, are posted on the Interim President Search website.

At Thursday’s meeting, Mayeron indicated the Board’s intention to have a special meeting as early as Monday to publicly interview finalists and decide who it will appoint as interim president. That meeting will be publicly noticed soon.