Rebecca Cunningham, vice president for research and innovation, will join the University of Minnesota this summer as its 18th president.
Minnesota’s Board of Regents approved Cunningham’s five-year contract at a meeting March 8, following a thorough and public search that engaged thousands of students, faculty and staff from across all five system campuses. She will begin her appointment as Minnesota’s president on July 1.
“I am truly honored and grateful to be appointed the next president of the University of Minnesota,” Cunningham said.
President Santa J. Ono will work closely with faculty, staff and students from across the Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses to develop a strategic transition plan designed to maintain the university’s strong forward momentum in research, scholarship and creative practice.
This includes the appointment of an interim vice president for research and innovation.
“Dr. Cunningham has left an indelible impact on the University of Michigan as vice president for research and innovation, and the talents and gifts that she offered so unstintingly and so unselfishly — her energy, her vision, and her commitment to the university — have made her simply an outstanding choice for the presidency of the University of Minnesota,” Ono said.
“As Dr. Cunningham turns toward UMN, she does so with our most sincere thanks for her dedication to the University of Michigan, our absolute best wishes for her every success, and with our most profound gratitude that she will remain part of the Big Ten family.”
Cunningham began at U-M in 1999 as an emergency medicine physician, before joining the faculty. She is the William G. Barsan Collegiate Professor of Emergency Medicine and professor of emergency medicine in the Medical School, and professor of health behavior and health education in the School of Public Health. She was appointed associate vice president for research in 2017, overseeing the university’s health sciences research portfolio.
For the past five years, Cunningham has served as vice president for research and innovation, with responsibility for fostering excellence in research, scholarship and creative practice across the Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses, while upholding U-M’s mission to serve the public good.
During her leadership tenure, U-M has expanded its research volume to a record $1.86 billion, while creating new mechanisms to best support faculty, staff and student success.
Cunningham recently led the design and implementation of the first comprehensive review of the U-M research, scholarship and creative practice enterprise. This collaborative strategy is designed to bolster discovery and impact, accelerate knowledge translation, support entrepreneurial activity, expand statewide economic development, advance undergraduate student success and strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion.
Over the course of her career, her research has focused on injury and violence prevention, and public health, with scientific collaborations that span engineering, health communications, transportation and public policy. In 2019, Cunningham was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
“For the past quarter century, the University of Michigan has been my home, and over the past five years, it has been my honor to serve as your vice president for research and innovation,” Cunningham said.
“I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to work alongside such talented colleagues who are truly committed to serving the world through research, scholarship and creative practice. The reason why the University of Michigan has such a strong reputation globally is because of you — the faculty, staff, students and clinicians who use their experience, knowledge and connections to make the world a better place. I am forever grateful for your commitment, contributions and collegiality.”
