Университет Миннесоты – Крукстон: История и развитие

The University of Minnesota Crookston (UMN–Crookston) is a public college in Crookston, Minnesota. One of five campuses in the University of Minnesota system, UMN Crookston had a fall 2022 enrollment of 1,489 undergraduate students. Located on the northern edge of Crookston, Minnesota, off U. S. Highway 2, the 108 acre campus, 237 acres including research plots of the Northwest Research and Outreach Center) is situated in the Red River Valley, the center of a large agricultural region. The region is the transition point from the forested areas of the east to the great plains of the Dakotas.

In 1895, the Minnesota legislature appropriated $30,000 to construct experimental research farms at Morris and Crookston. The Great Northern Railway, under the guidance of James J. Hill, donated 476 acres, and the Northwest Experiment Station was established. In 1905, the Minnesota legislature appropriated $15,000 to establish the Northwest School of Agriculture (NWSA), a regional residential agricultural high school. Affiliated with the University of Minnesota, the school provided training in "the technical and practical business of agriculture and in the art of homemaking." The school year began in October and ended in March to accommodate farm students. In 1906, the Northwest School of Agriculture officially opened. In 1963, the University of Minnesota Bureau of Field Studies began examining the need for a two year institution of higher education at the NWSA and, in the fall of 1966, the University of Minnesota Technical Institute, a two year (associate) degree granting institution, opened its doors to the first incoming class of 187 students. For two years the NWSA and the Technical Institute shared the campus. In the spring of 1968 a torch was passed—figuratively and literally—from the 60th and final graduating class of the NWSA to the first graduating class of the Technical Institute, now an official coordinate campus of the University of Minnesota. In all, 5,433 students completed their high school education at the NWSA. Later in 1968 the name of the campus was changed from the University of Minnesota Technical Institute to the University of Minnesota Technical College. By 1977, the University of Minnesota Technical College had nearly 1,000 students taking classes in a range of degree options in the areas of agriculture; business; home and family services; and hotel, restaurant and institutional management. In 1988, the name was changed to the University of Minnesota Crookston. In 1993, the University of Minnesota Crookston became a baccalaureate degree granting institution. That same year, the university launched its "Laptop U" initiative, providing laptop computers to all students and faculty. It is recognized as one of the first programs of its kind in the United States. Over the next few years, more than 100 colleges and universities from across the U. S. and Canada visited the campus to learn more about this innovation. Some of these adopted programs modeled closely after the one at UMN Crookston.

As of November 2023, the University of Minnesota Crookston offers 75+ majors, minors, and certificates, and four program options: Agriculture and Natural Resources; Business; Humanities, Social Sciences and Education; and Math, Science and Technology. Since 2004, the university has gained approval from the University of Minnesota Board of Regents to offer additional majors in additional subjects. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. As of spring semester 2019, sixteen degree programs are offered entirely online (as well as on campus.) In January 2011, the New Century Learning Consortium (NCLC), founded at the University of Illinois at Springfield, added the University of Minnesota Crookston as its 10th member. The NCLC is designed to assist universities in implementing high quality, large scale online and blended learning programs.

The Minnesota–Crookston (UMC) athletic teams are called the Golden Eagles. The university is a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) since the 1999–2000 academic year. The mascot is a golden eagle named "Regal". UMC competes in 12 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country and golf; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, equestrian (Hunt Seat and Western), golf, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. Club sports include men's ice hockey and co ed trap shooting. Football was a sponsored sport until after the 2019 fall season (2019–20 school year), when they decided to drop the program.

The University of Minnesota Crookston is governed by policies established by the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. The president of the University of Minnesota provides oversight to the chancellor at the UMN Crookston. The vice chancellor for academic affairs oversees the four academic departments with leadership in each area provided by a department head. The associate vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management oversees most student support units. For more detail, review the organizational chart.

There are approximately 40 student clubs and organizations for students to join. The Crookston Student Association (CSA) is the student governing body and serves as a conduit for student concerns to administration. The Crookston Student Association Executive Board meets weekly with its faculty and staff advisors to act on student concerns, plan campus events and represent the voice of the student across the campus and system wide. The CSA President serves as the Student Body President. The 2022 2023 CSA President is Madison Elijah.