Kaler's inauguration week at the U
After three months on the job University of Minnesota president Eric Kaler may be settled in, but he still hasn't been inaugurated. That happens next week, and U of M officials have planned an entire week of events.
Sure, Kaler will be celebrated with plenty of pomp on Thursday, but he'll also throw out the first pitch at the Twins game on Tuesday night (the way this season has gone, he might just get offered a spot on the team). And to top it off, Kaler turns 55 on Friday.
Here's the inauguration schedule from the U of M office of communications:
Monday, Sept. 19 – Campus crawl
9 to 11:30 a.m. Kaler tours the St. Paul campus. Tour highlights include a visit with world-renowned bee researcher Marla Spivak, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences; the university’s turf research fields, U of M Extension; presentations on a range of cutting-edge research, from biofuels to epigenetics, in the College of Biological Sciences; an overview of the university’s continuing education and personal enrichment programs, College of Continuing Education; and the Veterinary Medical Center, College of Veterinary Medicine.
1 to 3 p.m. Kaler takes a tour of the Academic Health Center (AHC) on the East Bank campus in Minneapolis. The president will visit the School of Public Health, where he will meet with faculty and students to discuss high-impact local and global public health research. He will tour the AHC Simulation Center, where he will participate in hands-on treatment of a simulated patient. The president will also take a drill in hand at the School of Dentistry’s Simulation Clinic to test his own operative skills on mannequins equipped with cameras, computers and tracking sensors. Finally, he will learn how interdisciplinary health professional teams are learning new models of collaboration in health care delivery at the Teaching Health Professional Collaborative Practice.
Tuesday, Sept. 20 – Community day
Kaler will spend the day getting acquainted with the many ways the university and the broader community collaborate to improve the well-being of Minnesota’s people and economy.
7:30 to 8:45 a.m. Kaler tours the Fran and Mary Ann Miron dairy farm, Hugo, and meets with local high school students studying agriculture.
10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Kaler will meet with university and industry leaders in the health- and science-related products and services industry at a Life Science Alley event, Nicollet Island Pavilion, 40 Power St., Minneapolis. Kaler will deliver remarks at approximately 10:55 a.m.
1 to 3 p.m. Kaler visits the U’s Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC) in North Minneapolis at 2001 Plymouth Ave. N., Minneapolis, and learns about the university’s collaborations with urban communities. Kaler will hold a media availability at 2:45 p.m.
4 to 5:45 p.m. Kaler visits the Guthrie Theater, 818 Second St. S., Minneapolis, and learns about partnerships between area arts organizations and university arts departments in the College of Liberal Arts (CLA), including the BFA Actor Training program, which is run in conjunction with the Guthrie Theater. Kaler will deliver remarks at about 4:50 p.m.
6:55 p.m. Kaler, accompanied by Goldy Gopher, throws out the first pitch at the Minnesota Twins game at Target Field. The “Minnesota Rouser” will be played prior to the pitch.
Wednesday, Sept. 21 – Campus crawl
9 to 10:55 a.m. Kaler tours the West Bank campus in Minneapolis. He will visit the Law School, the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, the Carlson School of Management, the School of Music in CLA and the Global Programs and Strategy Alliance office, where students will challenge Kaler to a lightning round of trivia on the university’s international history and current international programs.
1 to 3 p.m. Kaler returns to the East Bank campus in Minneapolis beginning at historic Burton Hall, where he will learn about the College of Education and Human Development’s innovative First Year Experience program. Students, faculty and staff will then greet Kaler in Elliott Hall, where they will highlight psychology -- the major that serves the most students in CLA. Next he will visit Walter Library, where College of Science and Engineering faculty will present a 3-D virtual reality demonstration of cutting-edge research for medical device design and the latest in robotics. Kaler will end his East Bank tour by visiting Rapson Hall, home of the College of Design.
Thursday, Sept. 22 – Inauguration day
11 a.m. to noon. The inauguration ceremony (ticketed) begins at 11 a.m. at Ted Mann Concert Hall.
2 to 4 p.m. Public post-inauguration reception at Coffman Union (various locations).
Friday, Sept. 23 – Portrait unveiling
Noon. Kaler will get a reflection of himself with the public unveiling of the presidential portrait at the Coffman Union front plaza.
Saturday, Sept. 24 – Game day
6 p.m. Kaler will finish the week at the Gopher football team’s game against North Dakota State University (ticketed) at TCF Bank Stadium.
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