University of Minnesota President Mark Yudof said Friday he will accept the job of chancellor of the University of Texas system. He's resigning after five years at the university. Political leaders called Yudof's decision a loss for the state. Gubernatorial candidates say Gov. Ventura should have done more to try to keep Yudof at the U, while Ventura says it was Yudof's personal decision to make.

	Former Gov. Arne Carlson, who is a huge U of M booster (as illustrated by his official portrait, shown here) was instrumental in hiring Mark Yudof as the U's president five years ago. Listen to his reaction to Yudof's departure. (MPR file photo)

Gov. Ventura called Yudof earlier in the week, when news broke that Yudof was in the running for the Texas job. A spokesman for Ventura says the governor told Yudof he appreciated his work at the university, but encouraged Yudof to do what was right for him personally. On his weekly radio show, Ventura said Yudof gave his heart and soul to the job for five years.

"I'm sure it was a difficult decision for him to make, but you gotta make them! The same as I'll make a decision on whether I run or not," says Ventura. "Mark and Judy - I wish them well, and they'll remain friends as far as I'm concerned, and all the best to them down in Texas."

Ventura then pointed out that Yudof will make more money in his new position than the president of the United States earns. Yudof's current salary is higher than the governor's.

Ventura had sparred with Yudof in the past over university funding. Last week, vetoed about $48 million in university building projects in the bonding bill.

Ventura hasn't said whether he's running for re-election, but three candidates who want Ventura's job say the governor should have done more to try to keep Yudof at the U. DFL gubernatorial candidate Roger Moe says Yudof probably became frustrated with the Ventura administration.

"I think it's unfortunate that the governor vetoed a number of university appropriations, particularly bonding requests. I think that might have been frustrating for him," says Moe. "I think it goes without saying that the university did not have a very good relationship with the governor."

	PRESIDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA •William Watts Folwell 1869-84 •Cyrus Northrop 1884-1911 •George E. Vincent 1911-17 •Marion L. Burton 1917-20 •Lotus D. Coffman 1920-38 •Guy Stanton Ford 1938-41 •Walter C. Coffey 1941-45 •James Lewis Morrill 1945-60 •O. Meredith Wilson 1960-67 •Malcolm Moos 1967-74 •C. Peter Magrath 1974-84 •Kenneth H. Keller 1985-88 •Nils Hasselmo 1989-97 •Mark G. Yudof 1997-2002 (Image courtesy of University of Minnesota)

Yudof says politics played no role in his decision. Moe, the longtime Senate Majority Leader, says Yudof established the right direction at the U, and whoever replaces him will likely continue that.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Pawlenty agrees that Yudof made positive changes at the university. Pawlenty says prior to Yudof's arrival, the U had "drifted towards mediocrity." Pawlenty, a U of M grad, says the next president and the next governor should push for further changes at the university.

"It's trying to do too much. We need to tighten up the focus and mission of the university and have it do fewer things at a higher level of excellence," he says.

Pawlenty's rival for the Republican endorsement, entrepreneur Brian Sullivan, makes a similar point.

"I think one of the criticisms of the U, which I think has some merit, is that the U has, over a period of time, evolved into a be-everything-to-everybody institution," he says.

Sullivan says the University of Minnesota should channel its resources into programs that make it stand out on a national level. The chair of the Senate Higher Education Budget Division, DFL Sen. Deanna Wiener, says Yudof has taken major steps toward that goal.

"The medical school - we were offering many different degrees in medicine - and he said we can't be everything to everyone," says Wiener. "So I think he's taken us leap years ahead from where we were."

Wiener says the Legislature and the next governor will have to decide whether the state wants to continue cutting higher education funding, passing costs onto students in the form of higher tuition.

As part of this year's budget-cutting, the Legislature cut $50 million for higher education, although it later restored $12 million. Wiener says Yudof will be missed at the Capitol. She says he had a wonderful relationship with the Legislature, and each year invited all 201 members to a pancake breakfast at his home.

Yudof heading to U of Texas