Dr. Bruininks earned master's and doctoral degrees from Peabody College, now Vanderbilt University. In November 2002, he was appointed the 15th president of the University of Minnesota, culminating nearly 35 years of service to that institution as a professor, researcher, dean, and executive vice president and provost.
Throughout his career, he focused on assisting public and private agencies with improving educational, human service, and social service policies and programs.