Department of English
Why Minnesota Needs a Renovated Pillsbury Hall• The renovation
will provide the 6,000-plus students who take English classes
annually with 21st-century
classrooms, study spaces, and production labs for journal
editing, video making, digital storytelling, website building, and
web-based research.
Our Project
• It will also preserve the most historically significant and
architecturally distinguished building on campus. Opened in 1889,
Pillsbury Hall was named in honor of Governor John S. Pillsbury,
the “father of the University.”
• English and the humanities will be able to expand the
service-learning, laboratory practices, and internship
opportunities that channel undergraduate students into
post-graduation employment and civic life.
• When the Department of English moves to Pillsbury Hall, the
College of Science and Engineering will use the vacated space to
initiate exciting new programs in Computer Science and Engineering
to address the pressing demand for skilled computing
professionals.
• A total of $33 million is needed to convert this obsolete
science building into a humanities center; the University is
seeking $22 million in state bonding.
• The renovation of Pillsbury Hall is part of a sequence of
strategic moves. The Physics Department moved from the outdated
Tate Lab to the new Physics and Nanotechnology building in 2014.
Tate Lab is being redesigned for Earth Sciences, which currently
resides in Pillsbury Hall. When Earth Sciences moves to Tate in
2017-18, Pillsbury Hall can be renovated for English and other
humanities program activities.
• In the summer of 2015, the State Designer Selection Board
reviewed proposals for the Pre-Design process and recommended two
to the University. The architectural firm selected by the U met in
the fall with representatives from the University, the College of
Liberal Arts, and the Department of English to complete the
Pre-Design.
Where English students eat, meet, and study in Lind Hall
//english.umn.edu //z.umn.edu/PillsburyHall
Who We Are
“Minnesota is recognized as the second most important publishing
area in the country (after New York/Boston). The English department
at the U plays a crucial economic role in this publishing ecosystem
by supplying a well-educated, motivated workforce that respects and
understands the power of the written word. Besides the many
important educational opportunities a refurbished Pillsbury Hall
will provide, it will also ensure that our state maintains its
place as an internationally renowned publishing center.”— Adam
Lerner, Publisher and CEO, Lerner Publishing Group; Chair, English
Advisory Board
The study of English at Minnesota goes back to the University’s
origins. In 1851, seven years before Minnesota became a state, the
University taught young people the basics of grammar, reading, and
arithmetic. The first two presidents—William Folwell (1869-1884)
and Cyrus Northrop (1884-1911)—taught grammar and literature. In
1885, President Northrop, who had been a professor of literature at
Yale, formally established English as one of the first departments.
Today we teach 6000 students a year, including 500 majors and 110
graduate students.
“An English major provides its students with growth and
development of writing skills (whether creative, scholarly, or
argumentative), critical-
thinking skills, cross-cultural skills, empathy,
communication,
and so much more. Providing the English Department with its
own home would help in building a necessary community of
thinkers and future leaders.”— Undergraduate student
Pillsbury Hall’s Storied HistoryJohn S. Pillsbury, governor of
Minnesota (1875-1881) rescued the fledgling university in the 1860s
with a plan that stabilized its finances. Later, he secured its
land grant status (under the Federal Morrill Land Grant Act) by
offering to construct
a “complete science hall” on the University of Minnesota campus.
No single individual has contributed more to the founding of the
University of Minnesota, and no building represents the history of
its founding more than Pillsbury Hall.
Faculty members in English have led and continue to lead our
field in new directions. We pioneered the establishment of American
Studies, Women’s Studies, and other ethnic studies programs at the
University. Our Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing ranks 11th
nationwide, and our interdisciplinary program in literary criticism
and theory ranks 13th nationwide.
The age of the word—in all of its oral, printed, and digital
forms—is the age of English. At a time when everyone is bombarded
with information, students of English excel at identifying,
interpreting, and communicating what is most significant. At a time
when we struggle to understand the world’s complex problems and how
to engage them, English students and majors learn to explore,
analyze, and communicate effective solutions.
“Because applied and natural sciences stayed in proximity,
today’s university offers rich interdisciplinary opportunities that
continue to serve this state well. That history alone justifies
Pillsbury Hall’s preservation. The proposal to make it a modern
home for the English Department justifies its renewal.” — Star
Tribune, “Renewal of pivotal building at the U deserves legislative
support” (January 5, 2016)
Pre-Design sketch of student space in Pillsbury Hall (RRTL
photo)