Interview with Elmer Learn

Abstract

Elmer Learn begins by describing his background and providing a brief summary of his career. He explains why he went into agricultural economics. He discusses his appointment as assistant to President O. Meredith Wilson in 1964 and his work in this position, including his work planning parking, as the coordinator of planning, as chair of the Committee for the Study of Physical Facilities for the Health Sciences, and working with the Regents. He discusses Communiversity and the Committee for the Study of Physical Facilities, including the subcommittee evaluations of the different health units, the influence of John Westerman, and the power structure and hierarchy within the committee. He describes the community attitudes toward the UMN president, the merging of the Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses into the “Twin Cities campus”, dealing with the Minnesota Legislature, the influence of the Mayo brothers, William G. “Jerry” Shephard, Don Smith, and Laurence Lundeen. He discusses Presidents Wilson and Malcolm Moos, including President Moos’ appointment. He describes his reasons for leaving the UMN and his work at University of California, Davis, particularly the financial problems Davis’ Medical School faced and its loss of accreditation.