MUS UPDATE
Biweekly Update to
The Montana Board of Regents
April 28, 2008
- On April 24, the five MUS Agencies met with the Governor’s Office of Budget and Program Planning to begin discussions of 2011 biennial budgets. Chair Hamilton and OCHE staff joined the informal discussions which mark the first step in MUS 2011 biennial budget negotiations with the Governor’s Office staff. The five MUS agencies are: Ag Experiment Station, Extension Service, Fire Services Training School, Bureau of Mines & Geology, and Forest & Conservation Experiment Station.
- The Economic Affairs Interim Legislative Committee will meet on the University of Montana campus on May 7. The committee will begin an interim study of research and commercialization by touring research facilities on the Missoula campus in a day filled with interactions with researchers, students, and spinoff companies. (May 7 & 8 agenda).
- In July 2003, the MUS issued a $2 million revenue bond to establish the Self-Insured Workers’ Compensation Program. The bond, issued to develop an initial reserve for self-insured claims in the MUS, will be paid off in May 2008. The unrestricted net assets of the work comp program will total $2.5 million as of July 31, 2008.
- This past week, the Work Comp Advisory Committee (comprised of campus representatives) decided against increasing rates for the upcoming year. Previous yearly rate increases averaged 7% to 8%. This program is a success story for the MUS thanks to the active involvement and dedication of the work comp committee and campus commitments to a culture of safety. (BOR policies 713.1 & 713.2 pertain to workers’ comp)
- The Montana Indian Education Association (MIEA) sponsored the 27th Annual Indian Education Conference in Missoula on April 24 – 26. The conference theme, “MIEA – A Voice for Indian Education”, brought together teachers, students, legislators, policymakers, and other interested parties to discuss progress and challenges related to Indian education in Montana. Commissioner Stearns, Ellen Swaney, Sandy Merdinger, and other MUS leaders participated in the conference.
- Chancellor Frank Gilmore announced that Dr. John Garic accepted the position of Dean of the Montana Tech College of Technology. John will be replacing Jane Baker, who is retiring at the end of this academic year. Garic is currently a professor in the College of Business at the University of Central Oklahoma. Prior to becoming a professor, Garic served as a dean at the University of Central Oklahoma.
- Montana, along with seven other states, exceeded performance levels under Perkins III, Title I of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), and Title II of WIA (Adult Education and Family Literacy Act), thus qualifying for additional grant funding of $850,000.
