Food Insecurity Persists on University of Minnesota Morris Campus

Despite efforts to promote local food, challenges remain in addressing hunger on the historic college grounds.

Mar. 31, 2026 at 10:22am

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The University of Minnesota Morris campus has a complex history, serving as a Native American boarding school, an agricultural high school, and now a liberal arts college. While the campus has seen efforts to promote local and sustainable food, surveys show that over 40% of students still experience food insecurity. Professors like Ed Brands are working to raise awareness and find solutions to this ongoing issue on the Morris campus.

Why it matters

The persistence of food insecurity on the University of Minnesota Morris campus highlights the broader challenges of ensuring food access and security, even in an academic setting. This story touches on the complex history of the campus, the impacts of federal policy changes, and the grassroots efforts by students and faculty to address hunger through local food initiatives.

The details

The University of Minnesota Morris campus has gone through three distinct phases - first as a Native American boarding school from 1887 to 1909, then as an agricultural high school from 1910 to the late 1950s, and finally as a liberal arts college since 1960. Despite these changes, surveys show that over 40% of current students at the university experience food insecurity. Professor Ed Brands, who teaches environmental studies, says there is also a strong interest in local and sustainable food among many students, with some working on projects like assessing regional food security or exploring Native food traditions. However, Brands notes that local food initiatives have faced challenges due to cuts in federal funding for farm-to-table programs under the previous administration.

  • The Morris Industrial School for Indians operated from 1887 to 1909.
  • The West Central School of Agriculture was created in 1910 to train students in farming and homemaking.
  • The University of Minnesota Morris opened as a liberal arts college in 1960.

The players

Ed Brands

An Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Minnesota Morris who teaches courses on environmental policy and water resources.

Derek Nicholas

A former University of Minnesota Morris student who discovered his Native heritage and developed a passion for sustainable agriculture, frequently returning to the campus to give cooking demonstrations.

University of Minnesota Morris

A liberal arts college that has occupied the site of the former Native American boarding school and agricultural high school, and is now grappling with ongoing food insecurity issues among its student population.

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What they’re saying

“There's a lot of food insecurity. About 40% or more of the students that took [our] surveys showed some tendency toward food insecurity.”

— Ed Brands, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies

“There's also a lot of students [who] are interested in food. Some have studied things like potato biodiversity in Peru or others have been involved in our food security assessments. One of our graduates works at the West Central Research and Outreach Center at an organic dairy. There's several that are into small farming, sheep farming. One is into the ugly food or ugly produce movement.”

— Ed Brands, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies

What’s next

Professor Brands will be giving a presentation on 'Milk, Honey and Food Security in West Central Minnesota' at Alexandria Technical and Community College on April 2, 2026, as part of the school's Think and Thrive lecture series.

The takeaway

The persistent food insecurity on the University of Minnesota Morris campus, despite its complex history and student interest in local and sustainable food, underscores the broader challenges of ensuring food access and security, even in an academic setting. This story highlights the need for continued support and innovative solutions to address hunger on college campuses and in surrounding communities.