Coffman Memorial Union
Encyclopedia
Coffman Memorial Union (CMU) is the student union (student center
Student activity center
A student activity center is a type of building found on university campuses. In the United States, such a building is more often called a student union, student commons, or student center...

) on the Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

 campus of the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It anchors the south side of Northrop Mall, on the south side of Washington Avenue
Washington Avenue (Minneapolis)
Washington Avenue is a major thoroughfare in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Starting north of Lowry Avenue, the street runs straight south, with Interstate 94 running alongside it until just south of West Broadway, when the freeway turns to the west...

, overlooking the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

. It is named for Lotus Coffman
Lotus Coffman
Lotus Delta Coffman was the fifth president of the University of Minnesota, serving from 1920 until his death in office on September 22, 1938....

, a University of Minnesota President between 1920 and 1938.

It opened in 1940 and has undergone renovations on several occasions, especially the 1970s work which was widely criticized for altering the exterior. The most recent, and most significant, renovation closed the building between 1999 and 2003. This renovation restored the exterior, thoroughly renovated the interior and greatly expanded the basement floors: which now include the main University of Minnesota Bookstore as well as several new stores, offices and lounges, including the glass "Cube" which sits off Washington Ave.

CMU is operated quasi-independently from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

, by the Student Unions & Activities (SUA) Board of Governors. SUA also has a facility on the Saint Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...

 campus, the St. Paul Student Center, and on the Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

 West Bank, the West Bank Skyway. CMU is home to the undergraduate student government - the Minnesota Student Association, MPAC (Minnesota Programs and Activities Council), which is responsible for planning Homecoming and Spring Jam Activities, along with many other events held on campus, and the graduate student government Graduate and Professional Student Association, and the campus bookstore.

External links

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