In an email to students, faculty and staff, the U of M announced four finalists for the job of interim U president:
- “Jeffrey M. Ettinger, chair of the Hormel Foundation Board of Directors 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 and former provost and senior vice president at the University of Minnesota”
The Strib’s Jeremy Olson reports an Office of the Legislative Auditor audit of state COVID response spending found flaws.
The Star Tribune’s Christopher Snowbeck reports Health Partners is facing $150,000 in fines from the state for alleged violations of mental health parity laws.
The Pioneer Press reports a Minnesota man hurt his hunting partner in Washington County Wednesday “after mistaking him for a turkey and firing a shot.”
- Related, from the MinnPost archives: Hunting accidents are a lot less common in Minnesota than they used to be. But you can still get shot in the nose
KARE 11’s Jennifer Hoff explains RICO, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which U.S. Attorney of Minnesota Andy Luger used to indict gang members operating in Minneapolis, announced Wednesday.
WCCO TV’s Caroline Cummings reports a section of highway in Chanhassen will be renamed to honor Prince.
The PiPress’ Fred Melo reports Isaac Russell, who said he would abide by the DFL endorsement — which he lost over the weekend — in the race for St. Paul’s Ward 3 City Council race, says he’s back in the race.
The red flags should go up on Myron Frans as interim President: Any good he accomplished earlier in his career was undone as an enabler of money grabbing Joan Gabel. Not a courageous person who readily joined in on Gabel’s self enrichment: We can do better and the other 3 are better. As Arne Carlson told us in MINNPOST:
“All too typical of this differential was the hiring by the University of Minnesota of Myron Frans, the state’s Commissioner of Management and Budget in August of 2020. Although the positions were comparable, the pay differential was significant. Frans’ compensation moved from $158,000 at the state level to $399,000 plus another $50,000 to $80,000 in deferred compensation along with a far more generous pension. Interestingly, the University of Minnesota was in the midst of a $166 million shortfall at the time.”
And why not Arne Carlson?
It’s short term and he hopefully can avoid Nikki Haley’s Law of Aging Leaders:
“Dead before you know it”