DATE: September 18, 2000

MEMO TO: Montana Board of Regents

FROM: Stephen T. Hulbert, Chancellor, Western Montana College of The University of Montana

SUBJECT: Campus Report for the September, 2000, Board of Regents Meeting

Summer 2000 Conference and Events Program

The 2000 series of campus-based conferences and events drew approximately 8,000 individuals to Western and to its Birch Creek Bender Conference Center. Activity included athletic camps and tournaments, the 53rd Annual Montana Boys State, geological field trips and classes from universities across the country, Elderhostel programming and regional and national conferences including the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Lewis and Clark Heritage Trail Foundation.

Fall Enrollment and Residence Hall Occupany

The official 15th day for enrollment purposes is Tuesday, September 19th. Final enrollment data will be available on Friday, September 22nd. Indications are that Fall FTE enrollment has increased from the previous year from 940 to 980 and slightly exceeded the institution's estimate of 973. Likewise, the Headcount has increased from 1081 to 1130 by 49 and is slightly more than the estimate of 1125.

Fourteen Western students identified themselves as being involved in the fire fighting effort. Nine of those students have now returned to classes and the remaining five have withdrawn from classes for Fall, 2000.

Residence Halls show a total of 309 students, fourteen more than last Fall. (New Students: 167; Returning Students: 118; Transfers:  24)

Western to Consider Name Change

Through the "State of the College" message and on-going discussions across the campus and with the broader community, a proposal is being considered for an institutional name change from that of Western Montana College of The University of Montana to that of The University of Montana, Western. If that proposal is supported by Western's constituencies, the name change will be submitted to President George Dennison for his approval and then to the Regents for its review. The requested effective date would be July 1, 2001. After action by the Regents, the intervening months would be used to undertake the required transition planning.

A University Transition Task Force would give direction to that planning.