One week after University of Minnesota Board of Regent Steve Sviggum posed a question to Minnesota Morris interim chancellor Janet Schrunk Eriksen, basing it on two letters he received from friends whose children decided against attending Minnesota Morris because the increased diversity made them uncomfortable, Sviggum has issued an apology.
Sviggum, appearing Monday on WCCO Radio, noted that he was not taking a side on the issue but only seeking information as the board looked into reasons for declining enrollment.
However, other representatives of the University of Minnesota were not comfortable with the statements made by Sviggum.
Regent James Farnsworth told WCCO’s Vineeta Sawkar he would like to see board vice chair Steve Sviggum take responsibility for his question about a possible link between declining enrollment at Minnesota-Morris and that the campus might be too diverse.
Appearing again on WCCO Radio with Henry Lake, Sviggum said he needed to apologize for his questions and comments.
"While I don't duck my words, I will tell you the words were poorly chosen and the question was poorly chosen," Sviggum told WCCO.
Sviggum also added the concerns about enrollment are still there, and that should have been the direction he took with his questions.
"We've seen an enrollment drop of significant numbers over the last years, not just the two COVID years, but before that," Sviggum says. "We're down about 50 percent of students. I guess my question should've been phrased, 'Chancellor, what are the factors that attribute to this significant drop of enrollment,' because we simply have to address it."
Prior to an appearance on WCCO Radio Tuesday night with Henry Lake, who has publicly called for Sviggum to step down, he issued the following statement.
“Last week, during University of Minnesota Morris Interim Chancellor Erickson’s presentation on MPact 2025 enrollment goals at Morris, I posed a question regarding the diversity of the student body and whether that diversity was—in any way—linked to the recent enrollment challenges.
Let me unequivocally apologize for my questions, and especially for the unintended hurt my questions may have caused. They were not intended to cause harm, but my intent does not matter. For those whom I have harmed or offended, and for all of those associated with our great university, I am truly sorry. I have only respect and admiration for any individual who seeks to better themselves through higher education, whether at Morris or at any of our wonderful campuses. Minnesota benefits from our many amazing students from all walks of life who make incredible contributions to our community, and their work strengthens the great state of Minnesota. I hope that all of our graduates elect to stay in Minnesota after graduation and work, every day, for the betterment of our state.
My intent – recognizing that my words matter – was to foster discussion around the consistently declining enrollment at Morris, which is not a one-year trend or even a concern that has emerged out of the COVID pandemic. Rather, student enrollment has been declining for years (down 50% from its peak) and the future of this great campus depends on finding solutions to reverse that trend.
I have been blessed throughout my life as a farmer to work with a diversity of people across our state and our nation from all backgrounds. As a layperson in my church, I have shared the joys and heartbreaks of so many of my fellow parishioners. And as a proud Regent, I have been given the incredible opportunity to help our institution, our president, and our students, staff, and faculty who set a very high bar for the rest of us.
Again, I offer my sincerest apologies. I clearly have more to learn to better understand the strength that diversity brings to our institution, and I look forward to taking those who have reached out to me up on their offers to meet and to hear their perspectives and learn from them. I am willing to learn and I must do better—and I will.”
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