By Elliot Mann
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN
The University of Minnesota officially inaugurated Stephen Lehmkuhle as chancellor of the Rochester campus Friday evening, making him the first person in the local university’s young history to hold that honor.
Before the inauguration, Lehmkuhle said the event represents the university’s growth into an "official coordinated campus" — even though it currently operates out of an atypical environment, a shopping mall.
In the fall of 2007, UMR began offering classes out of the upper floors at the Shops at University Square and currently carries an enrollment of nearly 400 students.
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Moving forward at UMR, Lehmkuhle said his staff will seek to provide a comprehensive college experience for incoming students, saying the university hopes to partner with local businesses and organizations in order to create student housing, health services and a recreation center.
The university hopes to enroll its first freshman class in the fall of 2009.
"I’ve spent most of my career managing change, and here I can create change," Lehmkuhle said.
