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Governor Tim Pawlenty greets members of the higher education committee. Pawlenty says he fully supports their “bold” proposal. (MPR photo/Sea Stachura)

If a committee examining Rochester's educational future has its way, by 2010 the city will be home to a new University of Minnesota campus. The Rochester Higher Education Development Committee released its report on the city's needs this morning. It recommends a four-year institution with graduate courses in downtown.

Rochester, Minn. — How will Governor Tim Pawlenty support a new U of M campus in Rochester?

"Enthusiastically!" Pawlenty laughs.

Pawlenty visited Rochester for the proposal's release. And it isn't much different from what the governor suggested in his state of the state last year. The proposed campus will offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in biomedical research, nursing, pharamacogenomics, business and even computer gaming to name a few.

Drew Flaada sat on the program subcommittee for the report. He says these areas of study represent what Rochester best offers and what the state needs.

"You'll see the term "confluence" used a lot in the report," he says. "It really is this merging of the needs of two industries between what's happening in medicine and the advents because of the genomics revolution and everything else and plus what's happening in information technology."

But the proposal comes with a hefty price tag and major changes to higher education in Rochester.

The current handful of U of M offerings would leave University Center and move downtown. For now, the committee proposes leasing space until completion of a custom built classroom and research facility. The committee says it'll only need one.

MnSCU would no longer share governance with the U of M over higher ed in the city. Though Rochester Area Technical College could provide basic course work for freshman and sophomores, the U of M would also provide its own complete four-year program.

This is all still a proposal. But $2 million is already devoted to program development. That makes Republican State Senator Bob Kierlin of Winona uneasy. He sits on the senate higher ed committee.

"The state keeps saying we should be studying what Rochester's true need is," he says. "But I think the Rochester study is saying they've already made up their mind."

Kierlin says he doesn't believe the state can afford Rochester's proposal. The committee is asking for $42 million in new money over the next decade.

That's in addition to $11 million from the city's sales tax fund for infrastructure. State money already earmarked for Rochester higher education is also included. But the report mentions no private dollars. Senator Kierlin says private money should have been found first. He points to other building over the last 10 years.

"They had the private money raised first. And that was really the challenge to the state, come up with the rest of the funds and we can finish the biotechnology building."

But that's clearly not the view of the Rochester higher education committee.

"I think that's premature."

Mike Vekich sits on the finance subcommittee for the group. He admits there are gaps in the financing, but maintains the proposal is well-developed. The current U of M facility already has partnerships with Mayo Clinic and IBM. Vekich says you need to have a program proposal before you can sell it.

Kierlin says without knowing what commitments private donors will make the state will get stuck with the bill. He says Rochester has a habit of relying on the state to take care of its needs.

The proposal estimates that over the next 10 years the campus will need a total of $86 million to balance its budget. That's in addition to state and local contributions and a tuition that would foot thirty percent of the school's costs.

Keirlin says that number is monstrous.

But Vekich says the committee looked at spending at similar high-tech institutions in California, Texas and Arizona. They narrowed Rochester's focus and came up with what he calls a small price tag for a big opportunity. It's one Governor Pawlenty will want to see expand.

"In my mind, given the growth potential, it will probably head in that direction, more comprehensively over the years," he says. "But I think this is a good start, it's a good first step."

MnSCU and the U of M both support the proposal. They say it could mean good news for jobs and education.