"Among the remarkable features of the University of Minnesota are its combination of land grant mission and research focus, its urban and rural campuses, its substantial number of students, and the breadth of its programs, from agricultural extension to organ transplants. This history of the university describes the challenges, triumphs, and accomplishments of Minnesota's premier institution of higher learning during the past fifty years." "The story of the U is told here through recollection by celebrated alumni (including Garrison Keillor, Walter Mondale, and Eric Sevareid); interviews with students, faculty, and administrators such as former president Nils Hasselmo and current president Mark G. Yudof; and reports of campus life from the Minnesota Daily and other publications. Color photographs of all campuses, along with dozens of photographs depicting students life and faculty during these decades, complement the text."--Jacket.