Robert H. Bruininks

Areas of Expertise

Higher education policy and leadership; transformational leadership of complex organizations; strategies to develop human capital and innovation; P-20 educational policy and collaboration; educational psychology

Biography

Robert H. Bruininks holds the Elmer L. Andersen President Emeritus Chair in Civic Leadership and is the Emma M. Birkmaier Professor in Educational Leadership in the College of Education and Human Development. For more than 40 years he has served the University as assistant professor, professor, department head, dean, executive vice president and provost, and president. In July of 2011, he left the presidency to resume his academic career,focusing on transformative public and civic leadership, the development of human capital from early childhood through post-secondary education, and higher education policy issues.

Bruininks was appointed the 15th president of the University of Minnesota on November 8, 2002. He and his leadership team undertook a transformative strategic positioning effort that has raised the University’s academic profile, its service to students and the community, and its stewardship of resources. Advances in academic quality and improvements in the student experience, such as expanded undergraduate research and study abroad opportunities and a campus-wide Honors Program for the Twin Cities campus, helped to fuel high student satisfaction rates, increased applications and enrollment, significantly improved graduation rates, and unprecedented levels of student financial support.

Throughout his career, Bruininks has worked to advance the public mission, responsibilities, and accountability of the University of Minnesota and its peer institutions. In 2007, he joined the NCAA Division I Board of Directors; in 2008 he served as chair of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU); and he was a presidential appointment to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board until 2009. Bruininks also strengthened the University’s ties with Minnesota business and industry, serving on both the Itasca Project and the Minnesota Business Partnership.

Prior to his career in administration, Bruininks’s academic career centered on child and adolescent development and policy research, and strategic improvement in the fields of pre-kindergarten to grade 12 and higher education. His significant scholarly and policy work on behalf of people with developmental disabilities has improved understanding, assessment, treatment, and care for countless individuals and their families, both in Minnesota and nationally and internationally. Bruininks was named Minnesotan of the Year by Minnesota Monthly in 2004 and Executive of the Year by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal in 2009.

Resume (PDF)

Selected Writings

• Transforming the U for the 21st Century: Strategic Positioning Report to the Board of Regents (September 2007)
• Transforming America's Universities to Compete in the "New Normal" (2010)
• Transforming the U: Progress and Impact (Winter 2011)
• Financing the Future: Academic Excellence Through Cost Reductions and Productivity (June 2011)

Learn More About Our Top-ranked Public Policy, Public Affairs + Planning Degree Programs:

• Master of Public Policy (MPP)
• Master of Development Practice (MDP)
• Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP)
• Master of Science in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (MS–STEP)
• Mid-career Master of Public Affairs (MPA)
Dual degrees with the schools of management (MPP/MBA), law, social work, public health, landscape architecture, and civil engineering Executive education, including a nonprofit management certificate