Inauguration for new University of Minnesota president cost nearly twice as much as predecessor's

The festivities celebrating the University of Minnesota's new president cost nearly twice as much as her predecessor's inauguration that drew criticism in 2019 for being too pricey, according to newly obtained data Wednesday.

Rebecca Cunningham's Sept. 18 inauguration ceremony followed by a Northrop Mall celebration cost a total of $272,700 — about $3,300 over the high-end budget estimate, according to the new documents obtained by the Minnesota Star Tribune in a public data request.

Her predecessor, Joan Gabel, was installed in September 2019 at an event costing about $150,000. That price tag was scaled back from the $250,000 the U originally expected to spend after critics, including former Minnesota Gov. Arne Carlson, urged Gabel to cut costs.

Among the costliest items from this year's festivities were: catering at $74,000, security provided by police at the ceremony for $51,000, audiovisual support and American Sign Language interpretation for the ceremony at $26,000 and tent, table and chair rental totaling $17,000.

Roughly half of the expenses — about $136,000 — supported the outdoor campus celebration on the mall, which was a university-wide celebration open to the public, said Jake Ricker, a U spokesperson.

The ceremony portion of the day added up to about $122,000, though it was initially estimated to cost $63,000 to $80,000. Security costs, provided by the U police, far exceeded the "high" budget estimate of $3,000. The U's Department of Public Safety and the University of Minnesota Police Department decide how much security campus events should have, Ricker said.

"Our Department of Public Safety recommended additional security measures to ensure safety of guests and participants based on public information about planned protests," he added. Security and audiovisual support at the ceremony both "ended up being a little bit higher than what the planning group had anticipated."

The inauguration ceremony was interrupted when several dozen protesters from the University of Minnesota Divest Coalition stood up in the auditorium and chanted that the university should divest from Israel. After about five minutes and several warnings that students participating in the protest would be suspended, the protesters exited Northrop and Cunningham continued her speech. Protesters also gathered outside on the mall.

Other expenses were related to entertainment. Lawn games rental cost $2,000, appearances by the U's spirit squad and mascots totaled $3,500 and another $3,300 was paid to the U's School of Music for a conductor, honorariums for student performers and specialty music arrangements.

The panel discussion and lunch, another part of the day, was estimated to cost between $6,500 and $9,700. It came in within budget at $9,400.

The university committed to using many internal departments for services, Ricker said. Sky Lakes, the university's supplier for residence hall dining and food services, was chosen to cater. About two-thirds of the event's total expenses were provided by either U departments or Sky Lakes.

The mall event featured corn-on-the-cob dipped in large vats of butter, trail mix and 4,000 Honeycrisp apples. Those with dietary restrictions could also request veggies and hummus, university documents stated.

Cunningham, who previously served as vice president for research and innovation at the University of Michigan, took over presidential duties on July 1, replacing interim President Jeff Ettinger. She oversees a budget of more than $4 billion to run the university's five campuses, which enrolled more than 68,000 students and had nearly 27,000 employees during the last academic year.

She is the U's second female president, following Gabel, who held the office from 2019 to 2023. Cunningham is being paid more than $1 million per year — about $975,000 in base pay and an additional $120,000 in retirement contributions. The compensation puts her in the top quarter of Big Ten university presidents.