Star Tribune
Minnesota State colleges and universities expected to select new chancellor
The Minnesota State system of colleges and universities is expected to pick a new chancellor on Tuesday.
Trustees will be choosing between Scott Olson, president of one of the system’s 33 colleges and universities, and Tonjanita Johnson, a high-level administrator in the University of Alabama system.
The person selected for the job will take over when current Chancellor Devinder Malhotra retires in August. Trustees are expected to meet at 10:30 a.m. at the system offices in St. Paul.
The chancellor serves as the top executive for a public university system that has a roughly $2 billion budget and works with more than 300,000 students each year. The new chancellor will face pressure from state lawmakers to limit costs and reverse enrollment declines.
Trustees have said they’re looking for a chancellor who has experience building relationships with people on campus, working in government and in the broader community. They have said they also want the next chancellor to show a commitment to public service, a track record of promoting diversity and inclusion, and an understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing higher education.
LeadMN, an organization representing students in the system’s two-year colleges, expressed support for Johnson, saying in a letter to trustees that she “laid out a clear working relationship with students” as chancellor, while it felt that Olson’s vision for the system “relied heavily on leveraging existing relationships rather than presenting a new collaborative relationship.”
Students United, a group representing students at the system’s four-year universities, didn’t publicly endorse a candidate.
“Students are looking for a leader to prioritize making higher education more accessible and affordable for all students, regardless of their background or financial situation,” the group said in a statement. “We were excited to hear both candidates stress the importance of placing students at the center of their decision-making, and we are looking forward to creating a relationship with the new Chancellor, whoever it may be.”
Olson has spent the last 20 years working in the Minnesota State system, starting as a provost and vice president for academic and student affairs at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and becoming president of Winona State University in 2012.
Before coming to Minnesota, Olson worked as a dean at Ball State University and as a Director of Graduate Studies at Central Connecticut State University.
Johnson has been working since 2019 as the senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs for the University of Alabama system, which has more than 70,000 students, and more than 40,000 employees across three campuses, according to her resume.
Before that, Johnson held two senior positions at the University of Tennessee system, ending her time there as the organization’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. She has also held leadership roles at the State University of New York at Stonybrook, Middle Tennessee State University and Mississippi Valley State University.
Both Johnson and Olson appeared last month at public forums, where representatives from student groups and labor organizations peppered them with questions about their vision for the Minnesota State system.
“I am here because I see the future of higher education in the Minnesota State system,” Johnson told the crowd, promising to work to make education accessible for more students and provide professional development opportunities for workers, among other things.
Olson made similar promises, saying he believes the state could narrow its equity gaps if it makes good on promises to serve students and their needs. “Who, if not us, is going to help Minnesota realize all its hopes and dreams?” he asked.
It’s not yet clear how long the new chancellor’s term will last or how much he or she will be paid.
Malhotra became interim chancellor in 2017, and trustees decided to keep him in the role after twice rejecting candidates recommended by search firms. His base salary is $420,000, and he receives $117,000 per year in allowances for housing, transportation, professional development and other costs, plus benefits that are also available to other system employees.
This story is developing and will be updated.
Star Tribune
Judge gives driver year in jail for being drunk, fatally hitting man in Minnesota street
A driver was given a year in jail Wednesday for being drunk when he fatally hit a man in the street near St. Cloud.
Tyler J. Nies, 26, of Sartell, Minn., was sentenced in Benton County District Court after pleading guilty to criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the crash shortly before 11 p.m. on July 28 in Sauk Rapids near the intersection of N. Benton Drive and N. 8th Street that killed Kevin D. Oehmen, 47, of Sauk Rapids.
Judge Robert Raupp opted for the year in jail while setting aside a 5¾-year term. Raupp also ordered Nies to serve 10 years’ probation, perform 80 hours of community work service, complete a chemical assessment attend a victim impact panel, abstain from mood-altering chemicals and stay away from bars.
According to the criminal complaint:
An officer at the scene noticed that Nies smelled of alcohol. Nies initially said he had one beer before driving his pickup. A preliminary breath test by the officer measured Nies’ blood alcohol content at 0.129%, more than 1 1⁄2 times the legal limit in Minnesota.
Upon further questioning, Nies said that before driving he drank three beers, which were about 16 ounces each.
Nies told police he was heading north on Benton Drive in the right-hand lane and suddenly saw a man walking in the grassy area next to the curb “like he was going to cross the road,” the complaint read. Police Chief Perry Beise added that Oehmen was on a street with no marked crosswalk.
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A small fire of three to five acres has been detected in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, but it was holding in place as of Wednesday morning.
The fire was discovered Tuesday and is located on an island in Wood Lake, north of County Road 18, according to a news release from the Superior National Forest. The area is to the northeast of Ely.
The release said the fire was smoldering and holding in place due to good overnight relative humidity levels and light to no wind. However, Superior National Forest is experiencing drought conditions and above average temperatures, and increased winds are expected later this week.
The Forest Service is using aircraft to cool the fire and initiate suppression actions. Firefighters are also engaging with the fire, but ground conditions are difficult, the release said.
“This is an ever-changing event, and we ask the traveling public to stay away from the area and seek alternate routes,” the release said.
The fire is burning among timber and heavy, dead balsam fire, the release said. The origin has not yet been investigated, but it is believed to be human caused.
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