Fresh from his appointment of new Athletic Director Norwood Teague, University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler will head to Minnesota's Iron Range this week, with stops in Coleraine, Eveleth, Grand Rapids, Hibbing, Orr and Virginia.
The trip on Thursday and Friday will be his first visit to the Range.
“Our presence in Duluth and Grand Rapids and our partnership with the region’s mining and forest products industries is of critical importance to the university and the economic vitality of northern Minnesota,” Kaler said in a statement. “I look forward to visiting with our partners and local community leaders, as well as our many alumni living in the area.”
Scheduled visits include:
• Hibbing Community College (HCC) Dental Clinic, a joint venture between the university and HCC
• Hibbing Taconite Co.
• The university’s Northeast Minnesota Area Health Education Center in Hibbing, North Central Research and Outreach Center in Grand Rapids and Coleraine Minerals Research Laboratory
• Mesabi Range Community and Technical College in Virginia.
Kaler said he'll also attend Friday's ribbon-cutting ceremony for the NuMI Off-Axis Electron Neutrino Appearance (NOvA) far detector building near Ash River, a laboratory of the School of Physics and Astronomy in the university’s College of Science and Engineering.