Earlier today, Governor Tim Walz announced the Governor and Lieutenant Governor’s 2024 Infrastructure Plan – their capital investment recommendation for the upcoming legislative session. U of M Interim President Jeff Ettinger issued the following statement about this news:
Interim President Jeff Ettinger
“We are grateful for Governor Walz’s and Lt. Governor Flanagan’s continued support of the U of M and for prioritizing that support in their recommended 2024 Infrastructure Plan. Their steadfast belief that investments in higher education are good investments for Minnesotans is not only rooted in fact, it’s also greatly appreciated.
Today’s announcement acknowledges the University’s long list of critical infrastructure needs among the many requests considered from across Minnesota. By including the University, the Governor and Lt. Governor have highlighted the importance of taking care of what our public universities already have, preserving and modernizing these facilities for current students and future Minnesotans.
We will continue to work with the Walz-Flanagan Administration and state lawmakers to build our case for the University’s entire $500 million request, recognizing discussions about state investments will evolve throughout the legislative session. Funding our request is a critically important step to begin addressing the massive backlog of preservation and deferred maintenance for public assets on our campuses and worksites statewide.
State support enables the University to educate students, develop the workforce, discover and innovate, and engage in communities to improve the lives of Minnesotans, as we have done for more than 170 years. Continued investments in the U of M and higher education in general will pay substantial returns for generations to come.”