I can find very little information about U of M Morris on this forum. Most of the information I do find regards cost and admissions rate. There are a few who recommend Morris, but don’t mention specifics … That I could find in any case.
Are there any fans of the Morris campus? If so, what do you like about the school? Be Specific. If you’ve attended or know a relative or friend who’s attended, so much the better.
This is an effort to post information about one of the lesser know, but still quite interesting colleges. My son will be a freshman at Morris in the autumn. As I learn more about the campus, through his eyes, I will post on this thread.
When I’m on campus later this year, I will post my experiences.
@wayneandgarth Thank you for the link to the 2008 discussion, which mentions a few interesting points. Everyone should check it out. One of the links on that discussion no longer works, but I was able to locate the item via Google search.
It’s been 8 years since the last discussion devoted to gathering information about and experiences of this unique leaning community on the Minnesota prairie. It seems a given that there must be so much more that can be said …
I can report that my interaction with ‘One Stop Student Services’ to confirm some points was positively uplifting. They were organized, efficient, informed, cheerful … a cut above.
Highlights of U of Minn Morris:
Many aspects of the campus caught my eye. Here are three.
Sustainable Living
For those that value environmental stewardship, sustainable living, with a goal toward carbon neutrality as soon as is feasible, is integral to and a fundamental aspect of the campus culture. Many relevant articles and links can be found on their website and in campus news and events. A google search can unearth others. There are too many articles and links to post and I don’t want to draw attention to one element of the network of initiatives, practices and infrastructure over others.
Effective and Efficient
As mandated by the University of Minnesota, the Morris campus has hired their first Senior Administrative Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Dr. Melissa R. Bert. Morris, already the statewide leader in new measures of effectiveness and efficiency will become more so. “The campus has twice been named the most effective of Minnesota’s public four-year institutions by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact and is considered “highly efficient” as well.” http://www.morris.umn.edu/newsevents/view.php?itemID=13339
This will be a very interesting thread. What I know is limited: strong academically, rural/isolated, lots of transfers to umn-tc junior year (big city calls
They do not charge extra tuition for out-of-state. Tuition fees + Room and board is just over $20K
Easy transfer to twin cities if that is what is desired
Public liberal arts college with moderately good SAT from their student body
This and Truman State and Missouri seem like excellent high quality affordable options for middle class folks who want the intimacy of a liberal arts college but who don’t have comparable options in their own state.
Don’t know much about the college, but I grew up not far from there. My HS played Morris in sporting events sometimes.
Nice little town. Much safer than most places you could send your child.
Based on the research I did for D1, it is a fairly good choice for those of us who have limited funds available for tuition despite the calculators telling us how much we can afford.
Referencing the info from post #7 above, this is one time where the NA factor is very explicit in being for recognized tribal members or their direct descendants:
No I’m not. I wasn’t even thinking about that college.
This discussion is only ONLY about University of Minnesota Morris.
Please check the title of the discussion and my other comments for guidance as to the purpose of this discussion.
Tuition+Room+Board+OOS
UMN-Morris $20.6K ACTMid50%:22-28
Truman State $22K ACTMid50%24-30
New College $39K ACTMid50%
Mary Washington $35K ACTMid50%22-27
I graduated from U of MN Morris back in the late 80s. I really liked it. A girl on my floor chose UMM because she was able to bring her horse with her, so I know it’s a real selling point to a few students. When my daughter was touring colleges her junior and senior year, I made her visit the Morris campus because it is close to where my parents live and we were going there for a visit. We had toured several smaller private LACs and I really felt that the Morris campus held its own with those more expensive schools. The buildings they have added since I was there are beautiful. I loved that I lived in a traditional brick dorm that was located on the main circle of campus. We had a fire place in our shared lounge and we could get permission to use it, which I thought was pretty cool considering they didn’t let us pop popcorn in our rooms. Morris is an incredible value. You don’t have to play all the merit award pricing games that we did with the private schools. My daughter is going to school to be a nurse and they don’t have a nursing program, so it was never one that we seriously considered. The town of Morris has changed a lot since when I lived there. It’s always been in a more remote location, but the town doesn’t have close to the number of businesses it used to have. They used to have several clothing stores and multiple grocery stores. It’s still a nice little town, but I think a town where the closest Target store is over 45 minutes away is a tough sell to a lot of kids. I hope your son likes it there.
@Fourthmom
Thank you for the report.
I believe it’s a good fit for my son. He’s very focused on chemistry and his goals, not much of a partyer, doesn’t need daily romps in a city to feel whole … As long as he makes the effort to get involved in campus activities, he’ll be fine. Morris is remote, but there’s a weekend shuttle to the Twin Cities for shopping, museums (he loves museums), etc if he starts to feel claustrophobic. He could apply for transfer to the Twin Cities campus if location really becomes an issue, which I don’t think it will. Morris’s out of state tuition is lower, so there’s incentive to remain there till graduation. He may decide to transfer to the Twin Cities campus for chemical engineering, but he’s not sure he want’s to go in that direction yet. Given his field and personality, Morris seems like a great fit.
My son’s been accepted to UMM, we’re making the final decision now. We just discovered the LAC back east that he was in love with accepted him, but we probably won’t be able to afford it. The decision seems like a no-brainer when we consider that UMM offered him a pretty nice financial aid package.
I REALLY want his decision to be HIS alone.
(However, NOT having $20K of loans to pay back upon graduation is a pretty good selling point…)
