Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
TypePublic university system
Established1995
ChancellorScott Olson[1]
Students300,000[2]
Location
St. Paul
,
Minnesota
,
U.S.
Campus54 campuses
ColorsBlue and white[3]
   
Websiteminnstate.edu
Wells Fargo Place, the headquarters of the system

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system or Minnesota State, previously branded as MnSCU,[4] comprises 26 state colleges and 7 state universities with 54 campuses throughout Minnesota. The system is the largest higher education system in Minnesota (separate from the University of Minnesota system) and the third largest in the United States, educating more than 300,000 students annually.[5] It is governed by a 15-member board of trustees appointed by the governor, which has broad authority to run the system. The Minnesota State system office is located in the Wells Fargo Place building in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

In 2016, the Board of Trustees approved a rebranding of the system to the shortened Minnesota State. This change was met with criticism as this is also the nickname commonly attributed to Minnesota State University, Mankato.[6][7] The change affected branding but did not alter the legal name of the organization that is identified in state statute.[8] Commonly the system is now being referenced in media as the Minnesota State System, while the institution in Mankato is being referenced as Minnesota State.[9][10][11][12]

  1. ^ "About Minnesota State Chancellor : Scott Olson". Minnesota State. Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  2. ^ "About Minnesota State System". Minnesota State. Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  3. ^ Minnesota State Identity Standards (PDF). Minnesota State System Office. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  4. ^ "Goodbye, MnSCU; hello, Minnesota State". Saint Paul Pioneer Press. February 19, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  5. ^ "About Minnesota State System". Minnesota State. Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  6. ^ Editorial Board (April 23, 2016). "Our View: MnSCU name New branding proposal is confusing". Mankato Free Press. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  7. ^ Editorial Board (April 27, 2016). "MNSCU Hops on the Rebranding bandwagon". Minneapolist StarTribune. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  8. ^ Burger, Kevyn (July 26, 2016). "Rebranding the state's largest university system". Minnesota Business. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  9. ^ Goessling, Ben (August 15, 2016). "Small college, special teams helped Adam Thielen bring 'toughness factor' to Vikings". ESPN. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  10. ^ "Minnesota State Mavericks". ESPN. January 15, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  11. ^ "Minnesota State looking to join NCHC; WCHA commish Robertson 'deeply disappointed'". USCHO News. July 13, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  12. ^ Paisly, Joe (July 13, 2016). "NCHC may be expanding after Minnesota State applies for membership". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved August 25, 2016.