University of Minnesota president Joan Gabel is leaving for a new job after she was voted in as the new chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh.
Gabel was introduced on Monday as the first-ever woman to hold the post of chancellor at Pitt, with her starting date coming on July 1, 2023.
Gabel's departure from the U of M coming from WCCO political analyst Blois Olson, who says her presidency was marked by controversy.
"The challenges with student security, reports that student food service... didn't have enough people, the Securian board appointment and resignation," he told WCCO's Adam and Jordana. "I don't think anybody's surprised that she may have been seeking work elsewhere."
Gabel's contract at the U of M expires in 2024.
Olson said there were signs that Gabel's support at the University and among lawmakers had been waning in the last several months.
"She wasn't around much, she was rarely seen on campus," Olson said. "That led to speculation that she was interviewing for a job."
She replaces Patrick Gallagher, who announced his retirement from Pitt last year.
Gabel became Minnesota's president in 2019, the first woman to hold that position at the U.
She came to Minnesota after serving as provost at the University of South Carolina.
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