Editing University of Minnesota System (section)

==History==
{| class="toccolours" cellpadding="3" style="float:right; margin-left: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em"
|+ '''List of presidents'''
|-
!Number !!Name !! Dates
|-
| 1st || [[William Watts Folwell]] || 1869&ndash;1884
|-
| 2nd || [[Cyrus Northrop]] || 1884&ndash;1911
|-
| 3rd || [[George Edgar Vincent|George Vincent]] || 1911&ndash;1917
|-
| 4th || [[Marion Burton]] || 1917&ndash;1920
|-
| 5th || [[Lotus Coffman]] || 1920&ndash;1938
|-
| 6th || [[Guy Stanton Ford]] || 1938&ndash;1941
|-
| 7th || [[Walter Coffey]] || 1941&ndash;1945
|-
| 8th || [[James Morrill]] || 1945&ndash;1960
|-
| 9th || [[O. Meredith Wilson]] || 1960&ndash;1967
|-
| 10th || [[Malcolm Moos]] || 1967&ndash;1974
|-
| ||[[E. W. Ziebarth]] || 1974–1974 (interim)
|-
| 11th|| [[C. Peter Magrath]] || 1974&ndash;1984
|-
| 12th ||[[Kenneth H. Keller]] || 1984&ndash;1985&nbsp;(interim)<br />1985&ndash;1988
|-
|||[[Richard J. Sauer]] || 1988–1989 (interim)
|-
| 13th|| [[Nils Hasselmo]] || 1989&ndash;1997
|-
| 14th||[[Mark Yudof|Mark G. Yudof]] || 1997&ndash;2002
|-
| 15th||[[Robert H. Bruininks]] || 2002&ndash;2011
|-
| 16th||[[Eric W. Kaler]] || 2011&ndash;2019 
|-
| 17th||[[Joan Gabel]] || 2019-2023
|-
|*interim
|Jeffrey Ettinger
|2023-2024
|-
|18th
|[[Rebecca Miriam Cunningham|Rebecca Cunningham]]
|2024-Present
|}
The University of Minnesota was founded in [[Minneapolis, Minnesota|Minneapolis]] in 1851 as a college [[University-preparatory school|preparatory school]], seven years prior to Minnesota's statehood.  As such, the University of Minnesota enjoys much autonomy from other operations of the state government.  The school was closed during the [[American Civil War]], but reopened in 1867.  Minneapolis businessman [[John Sargent Pillsbury]] is known today as the "Father of the University", and aided the campus through financial troubles as a regent, state senator, and governor.  The [[Morrill Land Grant Colleges Act]] also helped provide funding for the University of Minnesota.

[[File:Folwell Hall.jpg|thumb|left|Folwell Hall]]
In 1869 the school reorganized and became an institution of higher education. [[William Watts Folwell]] served as the University of Minnesota's first president.  An official residence known as [[Eastcliff (mansion)|Eastcliff]] has been used by six university presidents since 1958.  The 20-room house, originally built by [[lumber baron]] [[Edward Brooks, Sr.]], was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 2000.

During the traditional autumn through spring year, classes are not held on [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving Day]] or the Friday after, and the school traditionally has an extended break covering [[Christmas]] and [[New Year's Day]].  Classes don't resume in January until the day after [[Martin Luther King, Jr. Day]].  A week-long [[spring break]] occurs after the eighth week of the spring term, which sometimes coincides with [[Easter]].