May 2012 ADC Business Breakfast Roundtable

This month’s discussion featured Eric W. Kaler, the new President of the University of Minnesota. We were proud to host such a candid, yet informative presentation by the President. Topics of the day ranged from the future aspirations of the University, to the educational and economic needs of the entire state.

  • Eric W. Kaler, President of the University of Minnesota speaks at the podium
  • Participants listen to remarks by Eric W. Kaler
  • Eric W. Kaler, President of the University of Minnesota speaks at the podium
  • Participants listen to remarks by Eric W. Kaler
  • A participant listens to others at the roundtable
  • a participant speaks at the ADC Business Breakfast Roundtable February 2012
  • Eric W. Kaler speaks at round table
  • a participant speaks at the ADC Business Breakfast Roundtable February 2012
  • Eric W. Kaler speaks at round table

ADC is proud to announce that this year’s lineup of these important community discussions is made possible through the generous support of

Carolyn Foundation Logo

A new partner for ADC, Carolyn Foundation seeks to enhance the vitality of Minneapolis by building a shared understanding and commitment to our community

Comcast Logo

A long-time supporter of ADC, Comcast is dedicated to expanding digital literacy, promoting community service and building tomorrow’s leaders

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Eric W. Kaler became the 16th president of the University of Minnesota on July 1, 2011. Dr. Kaler is only the second alumnus to rise to the University’s presidency.

He received his Ph.D. from the University’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science in 1982.

He went on to become one of the nation’s foremost experts on “complex fluids,” which are used in many applications, including drug delivery, the biotech industry, food processing, and the manufacturing of coatings and paints.

Before coming to the ‘U,’ Kaler served from 2007 to 2011 as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y. He also was Stony Brook’s vice president for Brookhaven National Laboratory affairs.

Previous to his time at Stony Brook, Kaler was a member of the faculty at the University of Delaware from 1989-2007. He served there as chair of the Chemical Engineering Department from 1996 to 2000 and then as dean of the College of Engineering from 2000 to 2007. He was an assistant professor and an associate professor of chemical engineering at the University of Washington from 1982 to 1989.

Kaler has received many awards and recognitions for his research, including election to the National Academy of Engineering in 2010

President Kaler and his wife, Karen, a graphic designer, have two adult sons, Charlie and Sam.