The Next Chancellor of the University of Minnesota, Morris

Michelle Behr has been appointed the sixth chancellor of the University of Minnesota, Morris, effective February 6. The Morris campus, in the west-central part of the state of Minnesota, enrolls about 1,850 undergraduate students, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Education. Women make up 54 percent of the student body.

Since 2014, Dr. Behr has been serving as provost, senior vice president for academic affairs, and dean of the college at Birmingham Southern College in Alabama. Prior to joining the staff at Birmingham Southern College, Dr. Behr was dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. Earlier, she was associate provost for academic initiatives at Western New Mexico University in Silver City.

In accepting the appointment, Dr. Behr said “it is a great privilege to have been selected as Morris’ next chancellor. I am committed to its mission as a public liberal arts college and as I immerse myself in the campus and its culture, I expect my passion for the university will only deepen. I am excited to collaborate with the university community and friends to further the great work already taking place at Morris and together ensure a vibrant future for the University of Minnesota, Morris.”

Dr. Behr holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She earned a master’s degree in anthropology and a Ph.D. in geography from Arizona State University.