Motivation for HUP emerged in the early 2000s out of an informal relationship between former Hennepin County Commissioner Chair Randy Johnson and University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks. The two leaders met regularly to chat about a range of issues impacting both institutions and brainstorm how the University could help Hennepin County address some of its key challenges. They understood that a symbiotic relationship was possible. The University believed it could “live into'' its land grant mission of community-engaged outreach and support Hennepin County in approaching and addressing concerns that impacted County residents.
Ideas around mutual areas of interest became one-off workshops and summits here and there between the two institutions. These meetings and events were energizing and exciting—filled with dynamic conversations and potential ideas. However, frustration arose when, several months later, the good ideas for joint actions and projects hadn’t been followed through on. At the leadership level, both entities began to recognize the limitation of this ad hoc approach.
The County and the University agreed to fund a full-time director position who would be responsible for building and fostering cross-sector communication, alignment, and collaboration. Each entity contributed 50% in an experimental fashion—a shared funding model that continues today.
Master Cooperative Agreement
The Partnership’s first step in formalizing its work was to streamline the contracting process between the entities. The initial leaders involved realized that relationships were built not only at the speed of trust, but also at the speed of contracting. To work faster and more effectively between the two institutions, the Hennepin County Attorney’s office led a six-month effort with key partners to work through important issues such as data privacy, intellectual property, and publications.
While the data provision could have been considered a small contract element compared to others, it became one of the Master Cooperative Agreement’s greatest assets. It allowed University faculty and students the opportunity to access County data more quickly, which allowed proposed timelines to be met; meaningful research across systems to occur; and a resource other than funding to be leveraged in collaborations. The MCA effort culminated in a signing ceremony in 2008 attended by key County-University leadership and champions.
From that point forward, the HUP Office hit the ground running, working to facilitate connections across a variety of topic areas, such as public health, housing, youth, and families. Now, for over 17 years, the HUP Office has catalyzed and supported over 490 partnerships in areas of mutual interest.
