America's Promise

University of Minnesota

Center for Adolescent Health
and Development

Center for 4H
Youth Development

About Our University of Promise

In June 2002, the University of Minnesota used the occasion of its 150th birthday to renew its public commitment to Minnesota's children and the families and communities that support them. The University has a long history of research, teaching, and outreach in the field of child and family development, and is widely recognized for its pioneering work in defining the standards for healthy youth development. Hundreds of campus programs harness the energy and expertise of University students and faculty to touch the lives of thousands of children and youth, from mentoring newly arrived Somali high school students, to tutoring young children in reading at community sites, and from training teens as peer leaders in healthy futures programs, to engaging third graders as full citizens in public projects they design and lead themselves.

In looking ahead to its next 150 years, the University believes it must be broader, bolder, and more intentional about its commitments to children and youth. And it must work in concert with schools, libraries and community organizations, business and foundation leaders, policy makers and state and local government. With that end in mind, it became the first land-grant university to join America’s Promise as a University of Promise. During the initiative, it used its sizeable resources to insure that kids have the kinds of experiences and opportunities they need to thrive.