Message from the Office of the President: Updates about Capitol events, BioMADE and vaccine

Dear Twin Cities students, faculty, and staff,

As a University community, we remain shaken by the events at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. I issued a statement Thursday morning reflecting on the events of the day before. We continue to reflect on how we are so profoundly impacted and acknowledge that what occurred can and has caused particular distress to members of our University family. Please know that we understand that many of us are hurting. We stand ready with resources at mentalhealth.umn.edu if you need them.

I’m also grateful to be part of a University that collectively contributes to ensuring an event like this never happens again. One that educates those who honor and defend our democracy. One that expresses its voice in insisting on our shared humanity. And one that humbly recognizes, with wisdom and courage, when democracy falls short, and commits to making it better. In this spirit, we are reminded of Ella Grasso of Connecticut, who on this day in 1975 became the first woman in the country to be elected Governor without succeeding a husband. She said, “It is not enough to profess faith in the democratic process; we must do something about it.”

Board approves BioMADE agreements

I am happy to report that at today’s special meeting of the University’s Board of Regents, the Board unanimously approved agreements for the Twin Cities campus to serve as the primary site of BioMADE, a new, federally supported Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII). This institute has the potential to dramatically advance a future-focused bioindustrial manufacturing ecosystem in our region, establishing new research collaborations to create more environmentally sustainable manufacturing processes and materials, new spin-off businesses and jobs, and expanded student research opportunities. We very much look forward to the public launch this spring and to advancing this transformational opportunity in the months and years ahead.

Vaccine information

We all have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine distribution. We are looking forward to the vaccine’s wide availability, but first, in alignment with guidelines established by the State of Minnesota, the University is readying to provide the first doses of the vaccine to staff and medical volunteers directly involved in the University’s COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics. It will take some time before there is broad vaccine distribution, but planning and preparations are underway in the meantime. I’m sure many of you are eager to learn more about the process. Please continue to visit the new vaccine page of our Safe Campus website, where we will provide updates as they become available.

I hope all of you are staying healthy, safe, and well. 
With warmest wishes,
Joan Gabel