Margy Hughes, St. Joseph
As a retired educator, community leader and proud alumna of the University of Minnesota, I deeply care about the future of our great land-grant university. And as a member of the St. Joseph Area Chamber of Commerce and St. Joseph Action Group, I work with business leaders in our community firsthand. Here’s something we all understand: Inflation costs are real, and the price of doing business keeps increasing. We know if we invest in these expenses early, we can offset the impact of increases and keep our businesses vibrant and strong.
The University of Minnesota and our state’s students are facing this reality. Retaining talented faculty and staff, classroom equipment, research infrastructure, and facilities operation and maintenance are becoming more and more expensive. And to offset these inevitable cost increases, the university is requesting state investment in supporting its core mission. The U of M deserves investment in this initiative. The fact is that without this state funding to address cost increases at the university, tuition will likely increase and important programs could be vulnerable.
The legislature cannot allow this to happen to Minnesota.
The university is indispensable to Stearns County. Nearly 850 students from Stearns County are studying at the University of Minnesota, and our county is home to more than 3,300 alumni. In fact, I was just at a SKI U MAH event of admitted students to the U of M.
Sen. Michelle Fischbach, who represents our area, is chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee. I urge her to remember the value the university brings to our community and our state.
The University of Minnesota impacted my life and gave me the skills to be a successful teacher and advocate for our community. I want all students to be afforded the same opportunities I was given.
Hughes is a University of Minnesota alumna, retired educator and member of the St. Joseph Area Chamber of Commerce and St. Joseph Action Group.