After being named one of three finalists for the University of Minnesota’s presidency, Cleveland State University President Laura Bloomberg, Ph.D., was not selected for the position and will remain president of CSU.
Falling short of the position by just two votes, Bloomberg was passed by Dr. Rebecca Cunningham, who was announced as the University’s next president on Monday, Feb. 26 during a special meeting of the board of regents, which was live streamed on YouTube and saw hundreds of people tuning in.
In an email to the CSU community the following day, Bloomberg addressed the announcement:
“Please know that while I was not chosen for the role of president at my alma mater, I was honored to be considered and am glad that I pursued it.”
Bloomberg added that her pursuit of the presidency at the University of Minnesota “stemmed from [her] deep academic and professional connections to that institution and to the state of Minnesota,” and that she has no intention to seek the presidency of another institution.
Bloomberg, born and raised in Minnesota, earned her doctorate through the institution and previously served as a researcher, professor and dean of its public affairs school. Upon the announcement of her candidacy, she shared in another email that, if not CSU, a position at her alma mater “speak[s] to her heart.”
Prior to the announcement from the University of Minnesota, each of the final three candidates participated in 15 public forums and 15 open houses, in addition to other events, over a 10-day stretch across all campuses of the University of Minnesota.
The process required Bloomberg and the other candidates to collectively travel over 2,700 miles across Minnesota.
“I look forward to continuing our work together to ensure a bright future for our students and our University,” said Bloomberg in the email.