MnSCU
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| Type | Public university system. |
|---|---|
| Established | 1995 |
| Chancellor | Steven Rosenstone |
| Students | 400,000 (credit and non-credit) |
| Location | St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Campus | 54 campuses |
| Colors | Black and Gold |
| Website | www |
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, previously abbreviated as MNSCU, comprises 37 colleges and universities, including 30 two-year colleges and seven state universities, on 54 campuses in 47 communities in the US state of Minnesota. The system is the largest higher education system in Minnesota and is separate from the University of Minnesota system. It is the fifth largest higher education system in the United States, educating over 400,000 students annually. The MnSCU system is led by the Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system whom provide policy direction for statewide initiatives. The headquarters of the system are located in the Wells Fargo Place building in St. Paul, Minnesota.
In 1991, the Minnesota Legislature issued legislation which founded the creation of the MnSCU system. Through this process the then-existing Minnesota state university system, community college system and technical college system were combined into a single higher education system. This initially was to be accomplished by 1995 but due to statewide opposition it wasn't until 1997 that a Central Office was formed and individual institutions began to operate under centralized direction.
The members of the University of Minnesota could not be compelled by the legislature to be part of MnSCU system because it had sued for independence in the form of constitutional autonomy from legislative oversight. This autonomy was affirmed by the Minnesota Supreme Court after the State of Minnesota was formed and was a response to lobbying demands from a newly formed Alumni Association of the University of Minnesota in the early 19th century.
This difference in independence and power has led to significant differences in the way MnSCU operates and educates students. Through this legislation MnSCU was given the ad-hoc role of educating all students outside of the doctoral research role that the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus provides. In addition, individual university and college members have, by comparison, significantly smaller endowments, and receive less funding from the state government of Minnesota than comparable members of the University of Minnesota system. An appropriation by the state of Minnesota was supposed to cover 66% of the cost to educate students, and as of 2014 the state provides about 50%.
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