Board of Regents Meeting
September 23-24, 2004

Butte, Montana

Montana State University-Billings

Chancellor Ronald P. Sexton, Ph. D.

         Mr. Sean McGary and his staff, in conjunction with a plethora of University individuals, welcomed approximately 250 underserved 10-16 year old students to the MSU-Billings campus for the fourth year of participation with the National Youth Sports Program.

         Mr. Allard, Dr. Christensen, Dr. Fishbaugh, and Dr. Kelker attended a retreat for the Montana Higher Education Consortium in Chico Hot Springs, May 20 - 21, 2004. The meeting was facilitated by John Copenhaver from Mountain Plains Regional Research Center in Logan, Utah.

         Ensuring Success for Youth with Disabilities, a partnership between Montana Center on Disabilities and Eagle Mount Billings, held the first Friday Fun Camp on June 18, 2004, in the College of Education with 21 youths in attendance aged 10 to 21 years.

         The MSU-Billings College of Technology has received approval from the Board of Regents to begin offering an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Applications Development (Computer Programming), to begin this fall.

         Mr. Mike Diede recently submitted the self-study narrative and supporting materials for athletic training accreditation.

         The Department of Health and Human Performance has acquired space in the Physical Education Building for a new human performance lab. Progress is also being made on construction for the new athletic training room with expected completion by fall semester 2004.

         Dr. Carl Hanson presented "Learning from the For-Profits" at the 32nd Annual CUAC Conference in Ridgedale, MO on July 8, 2004.

         The Montana State University-Billings College of Technology recently received two Congressional-directed grants totaling $745,575 to expand the College's Process Plant Technology program, and to expand the College of Technology's Health Technology programs. The grants were procured through Montana Senator Conrad Burns and his staff, with the support of the rest of the Montana congressional delegation.

         Approximately 40 people attended the Montana Youth Leadership Forum (MYLF) hosted by the Montana Center on Disabilities from MSU-B College of Education. The MYLF is a leadership-training program for youth with disabilities in Montana and is celebrating its 5th anniversary. The program was created in 1999 by June Hermanson and has operated out of the Montana Center on Disabilities on the MSU-B campus since 2000.

         Ms. Reno Charette and Dr. George White have been appointed by Superintendent Linda McCulloch to a Task Force to plan a Summit for the State of Montana to address achievement for American Indian Students.

         Norma Wadsworth was selected to serve on three (3) committees for the OPI Special Education Division: Special Education Advisory Board, State CSPD Board, and the Regional CSPD Board.

        The Montana State University-Billings College of Technology hosted a breakfast informational meeting on the Fast Track Program (FTP). Amy Beatty, Fast Track Program Manager, gave a brief introduction of the FTP and announced the new degree program in Applied Supervision available through the FTP. Bruce Whittenberg, a COT Team Leader, spoke about the importance of training employees and how they might take advantage of the degree programs through the Fast Track Program.  Bruce also discussed the success he has had with the teller training and other training programs. The attendees included representation from the Adult Education Center, Vocational Rehabilitation, Billings Area Chamber of Commerce, Billings Job Service Workforce Center, Deaconess Billings Clinic, Big Sky Economic Development, and Human Resource Development Council (HRDC).

Montana State University-Northern

Chancellor Alex Capdeville

         On Friday, September 17, MSU-Northern will hold a kick-off celebration for their 75th anniversary. There will be a large "Birthday party" on the lawn of old East Hall. Events in recognition of Northern's anniversary will continue throughout the year with activities planned to highlight this milestone. Some of those events include the Alumni Scholarship Social & Auction in late September, alumni games/athletic hall of fame weekend, October 8-9; Homecoming and an All-School reunion on October 30; We Love MSU-Northern Ball to be held in February; Founder's Excellence Dinner; Alumni 50-year class reunion; MSU-Northern Commencement in May 2005. Everyone is invited and encouraged to join us in the celebration.

         Construction is in full swing on the new Applied Technology Center being built on campus. We were recently informed by Dennis Rehberg's office in Washington DC that the appropriations bill for the departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development will include $200,000 for equipment for the new ATC Center. The building is scheduled to be completed and ready for use by Fall 2005.

         Our annual faculty/staff fall orientation will be held on Wednesday, August 26. In a morning session, new employees are introduced and service awards given for 5-, 10- etc years of service to Northern. This is also a time when the administration gives updates on accomplishments of last year and plans for the upcoming year. An evening barbeque is also held on campus for all employees and their families. This year, a number of professional development workshops will be offered focusing on updating skills and abilities in the use of technology.

         The fourth annual Legends for Lights Pheasant Jamboree will again be held in October. Former N.F.L. stars come and take part in the event, which includes trap shooting, pheasant hunting and a "Taste of Havre" event, which will showcase many different cuisines offered in Havre. The event kicks off with a trap shoot on Saturday morning Oct 9. Many local and area merchants sponsor teams for the event as well as corporate sponsors.

         The Northern Alumni Association will hold its Annual Scholarship Social and Auction on Saturday, September 25th at 6:30 p.m. in the Donaldson Commons. This is one of the largest events on campus to raise scholarship dollars for our students. Everyone is invited to attend.

Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology

Dean Mary Sheehy Moe

         MSU-Great Falls, in partnership with the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity, the Montana Department of Commerce, and the Montana Arts Council, has developed a pilot project to launch Montana's many promising artisans into sustainable careers. Called TRACE, the project is designed to develop artists' productivity in their craft, their understanding of Montana ways, and their business and entrepreneurial skills through learning experiences delivered on weekends, in their studios, and on-line.

The artisans will have the opportunity to compete for scholarships to The Market 2005 in Kentucky, where they will join 300 of the nation's most successful crafters for a wholesale/retail event. At the end of the program, they will conduct their own exhibition and sale at a community event in Great Falls.

         MSU-Great Falls played host to the other two-year colleges in the Summer 2005 Two-Year College Conference on August 9-10. Keynote speakers explored the conference theme, The Vision, Values, and Vitality of Two-Year Education, through an examination of the history and purposes of Montana's two-year colleges and a global perspective on the changing workforce. Mini-session topics included inter-college collaboration, teaching math online, promoting creative entrepreneurship, and multiple perspectives on developing assessments. Conference participants were especially pleased to be joined by the Commissioner of Higher Education, Dr. Sheila Stearns, as well as Regents Lynn Hamilton-Morrison and Richard Roehm and Montana Tech Chancellor Frank Gilmore.

         In an ongoing effort to answer the call for better technology training and more opportunities for collaboration in the Montana University System, MSU-Great Falls provided the second "Connected Classroom Conference" in late August. The conference is devoted to technology-facilitated teaching and learning, particularly the use of the internet in education. The 3-day conference allowed K-12 and postsecondary faculty to learn about specific instructional software, effective methods for teaching online, dual enrollment models, and virtual high schools. Tom Anderson, of the Illinois Virtual High School, and World Organization of Webmasters experts Bill Culifer and Molly Holzschlag brought national perspectives and experiences to the statewide conference.

         On August 16, Great Falls Development Authority announced that Centene Corp., a Fortune 500 company providing ancillary support for the medical insurance industry, will expand its operations to Great Falls. Centene is proud of its reputation as an excellent employer, providing attractive wages, benefits, and support services for its employees. The corporation will bring 50 jobs to Great Falls within the next year and an estimated 250 jobs when fully operational in the community. The ability of MSU-Great Falls to provide workforce development in the form of training and academic programming was an important factor in Centene's decision to locate in Great Falls. Our Cisco programming, our many health care programs, and our responsiveness convinced Centene that we could prepare the workforce that they need.

         Between April and August of 2004, MSU-Great Falls hired 22 new employees, representing 21.2% of the total staff. Three of the new hires were necessitated by internal hires for another position. Five of the positions are temporary ones, created primarily by new grant projects. Of the 14 remaining positions, 6 represent additional staffing over the FY 2004 level and 8 positions were created by employee turnover, including 2 retirements.

Food for thought: Whenever a new employee is hired at MSU-Great Falls, 4-7 employees serve on the search committee, each devoting a minimum of 16 hours and an average of 20 hours to the tasks associated with selecting the new employee. That means that in the 20 weeks between April and August, 2,640 staff hours were devoted to finding new employees, a tremendous dedication of time for approximately 1/3 of the College's personnel. That figure does not include the substantial time that human resources personnel and administration devote to every search process.

The University of Montana-Missoula

President G. M. Dennison


         The University of Montana-Missoula is one of the nation's "best value" undergraduate institutions, according to a new book published by The Princeton Review.

         A University of Montana student-produced documentary titled "Settling the Tab on Montana's Alcohol Culture", received the E.B. Craney Award for outstanding non-commercial television program of the year from the Montana Broadcaster's Association and Greater Montana Foundation.

         An episode of The University of Montana Radio-Television department's "Business: Made in Montana" program earned a Student Emmy Award from the Seattle-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS)-Northwest Chapter.

         Andy Atkins-VanLieshout, a junior studying radio-television, earned a $2,000 NATAS scholarship and a $2,000 Great Falls Broadcasters Association scholarship. His classmate Sarah Cowan, a senior, earned a $1,000 scholarship from the Great Falls organization.

         Kenneth Willett, public safety director at The University of Montana, was sworn in as the 47th president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators during the organization's annual conference in Ottawa, Canada.

         The University of Montana will be one of 81 schools nationally featured in an upcoming book titled "Colleges With a Conscience: An Engaged Student's Guide to College." The book will be written and edited by Campus Compact and the Princeton Review.

         Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton and The University of Montana-Missoula have started a new doctoral program partnership designed to train the next generation of outstanding biomedical researchers.

         Printed by The University of Montana, a new series of Montana maps offers tantalizing glimpses of how Big Sky Country first caught the attention of cartographers, moving from tribal territory to full statehood.

         The doctoral program in clinical psychology at The University of Montana has received a seven-year renewal of its accreditation from the American Psychological Association. The APA is the main accrediting body for the field of clinical psychology.

         The Montana Museum of Art and Culture at The University of Montana has received an art loan from a private collector. The lender, who wishes to remain anonymous, has loaned the painting "Landscape of an Armchair" by Willem de Kooning.

         The University of Montana's Dining Services has earned the ultimate professional tribute in college and university culinary arts by winning the 2004 Loyal E. Horton Grand Prize in the "Catering-Special Event" category from the National Association of College and University Food Services.

         Don Read, a former University of Montana football coach, was named the University's new Athletic Director in May.

         Candy Holt, a longtime University of Montana administrator with years of experience in student union operations and activities has been named University Center Director.

         Jed Liston, after having filled in when Frank Matule retired in May, has accepted appointment as Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Services.

         Patrick Weasel Head has agreed to become the Director of American Indian Student Services, after filling the position on an interim basis during the founding year.

         The National Science Foundation's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research has been awarded $13.5 million for a multitude of science efforts at The University of Montana-Missoula and Montana State University-Bozeman. The money will be distributed during the next three years.

         A new University of Montana grant will educate the state's health professionals, faculty members and students about wellness testing for senior citizens. The grant will bolster three organizations: The University of Montana's Montana Geriatric Education Center, Improving Health Among Rural Montanans (IPHARM), and the Montana Primary Care Association.

         The University of Montana College of Technology's Future Focus programs provide weekend and online courses for a customer relations online certificate, National Carpentry certification, Microsoft or A+ certification, and associate of arts degrees.

         The U.S. State Department approved the Freedom Partnership grant between Osh State University, Kyryzstan, and The University of Montana.  The grant, in the amount of $243,957, provides for a three year exchange between the Osh State Law Faculty and The University of Montana Law School.

         Three Montana women Diane Barz, Doris Poppler and Lee Rostad will receive The University of Montana Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumni Awards at Homecoming ceremonies in October.

Montana Tech of The University of Montana-Missoula

Chancellor W. Franklin Gilmore

         Montana Tech has been cited for its academics and value in the latest edition of The Princeton Review's annual college guide, "The Best 357 Colleges." Tech was ranked fourth in the United States in terms of best bargains among public schools. Tech was also named among the country's best 357 colleges or universities, and among the 134 "Best in the West."

         Montana Tech continues to set the pace for colleges and universities nationally by placing 99% percent of its graduating class of 2003, continuing an impressive decade long placement rate that has continually been above 95%. Starting salaries garnered by Tech grads are also impressive with engineers starting their careers at an average salary of nearly $49,000.

         Montana Tech's Biological Sciences Department has received continued funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct research into the sin nombre virus (SNV) in various Montana habitats native to the deer mouse. The $179,000 award, which may be continued annually, is for continuance of a project titled "Longitudinal Studies of Rodent Reservoirs of Hantaviruses in the Northwestern United States."

         Paul Beatty, Dean of Students, has been named to an advisory board on satisfaction and quality service by Noel-Levitz, a higher education consulting firm.

         The Montana Tech environmental design team traveled to Washington, DC in July to testify about their award-winning research on "Reduction of Fecal Bacterial Load in Produce Packing-House Wash Water" to members of the U.S. Senate and USDA officials. The Tech team also studied a multi-media sand filter at the Big Hole Water Treatment facility that Washington officials wanted to hear about both the chlorine dioxide sanitizer and the water filter. The team testified before the U.S. Senate Energy & Water Appropriations Subcommittee.

         Dr. Henrietta Shirk, PTC, has been elected Vice President of the Montana Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication, an international organization.

         A Montana Tech project "Reaching At-Risk Senior Citizens" was one of three Montana finalists for the 2004 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Partnership Award.

         Liberal Studies Professor Robert Ziegler's book, "The Mirror of Divinity: The World and Creation in J.-K. Huysmans," appeared this past June with the University of Delaware Press.

         The Technical Outreach Department successfully hosted three summer programs: 1. A one-week GEAR UP summer camp for 18 high school students; 2. A six-week Upward Bound summer academy for 35 low-income/first-generation high school students; 3. A three-week series of one-day workshops for students grades 1-6 called Kids' College.

         Dr. Larry Twidwell has been invited to present a Keynote lecture at the upcoming TMS Symposium on Arsenic Fundamentals and Applications.

         The world-renowned arsenic expert Dr. R. G. Robbins, Professor Emeritus, University of New South Wales spent three weeks in July working on Tech's Arsenic Mine Waste Technology Program project.

         Montana Tech's 5th annual Career Fair was held in early September with more than 60 companies registered for the event.

         The Mineral Museum, under the direction of the Montana Bureau of Mines & Geology, hosted a symposium on sapphires in July. In conjunction with the symposium, the Museum opened a new display featuring sapphires from classic localities around the world made possible by a one-year loan of specimens from the Will Heireman collection.

         Drs. Andrea & Don Stierle, and Grant Mitman presented their work at the International Society of Microbial Ecology symposium in Cancun last August.

Flathead Valley Community College

President Jane Karas

         Flathead Valley Community College honored U.S. Senator Conrad Burns July 22 during a dedication ceremony for the new RUS Distance Learning Classroom and Lab at the college's Lincoln County Campus. The college honored Burns for his help and support in making the distance learning project possible. Burns participated in the ceremony via interactive video television from Washington, D.C. along with partnering sites, including Flathead Valley Community College's Kalispell and Lincoln County Campuses, Libby Public Schools classroom located at LCC, St. Regis Public Schools and Lustre Christian High School in Frazer, Mont., which participated in the ceremony via their newly installed interactive video teleconferencing equipment. Beginning this fall, the project, funded through a $350,000 Rural Utilities Service Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture, will expand educational opportunities for individuals living in rural communities through distance learning by using state-of-the-art video conferencing equipment.

         Flathead Valley Community College has been awarded a $100,000Perkins Leadership Grant from the Montana University System Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education. The Career Pathways Initiative grant will fund the Montana Career Clusters in Manufacturing, Focusing Education on the Future project. The goal of the project is to reverse the employment trend of declining manufacturing jobs in Montana over the last four years and to support economic development by preparing secondary and postsecondary students and adults for the manufacturing industry workforce.

         Total summer student enrollment at Flathead Valley Community College increased 12 percent from last summer. The college had a total FTE of 290.86, and of those, 252.73 attended the Kalispell campus and 38.13 attended the Lincoln County Campus.

Miles Community College

President Darrel L. Hammon

         Julie Blotsky, Food Service Director, was awarded the Blue and Silver Award for the fall 2004 semester. The Blue and Silver Award is given each semester to an employee in recognition for his or her outstanding commitment and work at the College.

         Miles Community College welcomes Josey Bishop-Assistant Resident Director; Jeff Brabant -Technology Instructor; Bret Bratland-Technology Specialist; Cindy Cosmo, Administrative Assistant for the FIPSE project; Krista Dammon-VISTA; Christine Devena-Math Instructor; Gary Geiger-Maintenance Della Howell-RSVP Director; Nancy King-RSVP Administrative Assistant; Jack Larson-Agriculture Program Coordinator; Todd Larson-Maintenance; Ann Rutherford-Librarian; Rita Whitmer-Resident Director.

         Senator Burns met with faculty and staff and the Board of Trustees on August 10, 2004. Senator Burns visited with the Board of Trustees, Agriculture Advisory Committee members, community members, Miles Community College faculty and staff. The visit focused on three areas: 1) health/nursing, 2) agriculture, and 3) technology.

         Simon Chabel from Senator Baucus Washington, DC office and Liz Ching from the Billings office visited Miles Community College on Wednesday, August 18, 2004. He met with campus faculty and staff and the Board of Trustees. Simon and Liz also met with the Custer County Commissioners, the mayor, and the City Council.

         Faculty will be back on Monday, August 30. Students begin classes on Wednesday, September 8, 2004.

         Miles Community College was a recent recipient of a Carl Perkins state grant for $100,000 to "develop and offer an Information Technology Career Pathways that ranges from life skills and remedial courses with contextualized curriculum for at risk high school students and economically and educationally disadvantaged adults to articulation agreements with four-year institutions for those learners pursuing careers that require advanced degrees."

         2004 Summer Enrollment Numbers hovered at 73.3 FTE compared to 75.166 FTE last summer, or an almost 2 FTE decrease. Last summer, we had a few more sections than we did this summer.

         The Interdepartmental Coordinating Committee for Women (ICCW), an organization established by Executive Order of the Governor, selected Kathy Wankel, Miles Community College Nursing/Health Sciences Director, as one of two recipients of the 2004 Montana Excellence in Leadership Awards, based on her exemplary leadership, achievements, and outstanding efforts to help women excel in the workplace. The ICCW's mission is to create a positive change for all state employees by promoting the full participation of women in state government.

         We are embarking on our 10-year accreditation process. Our accreditation visit is scheduled for April 2006. Thus, we are using this year as our "accreditation year."

Dawson Community College

President Terry Hetrick

         On July 26, 2004, DCC conducted a ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of its new Physical Education and Performing Arts Centers. The event was well attended by the community and college personnel.

         On Tuesday, August 3, 2004, Dr. Geoff Gamble made a presentation to the DCC Fund-Raising Committee and Board of Trustees on fund-raising methods for the facilities expansion project. Dr. Gamble encouraged the group to expand its reach beyond Glendive and Eastern Montana by establishing an alumni association and making contacts with former residents of Glendive. Dr. Gamble and his staff continue to assist the College with its endeavors to raise funds for this very important project.

         Five new faculty members were hired this summer. Tom Speechley will teach History and Humanities; Philip Schmitz will teach Physics, Geology, and physical sciences; and Rudy Stulc, Sr., James Bergstrom, and Kay Younkin will teach Farm/Ranch Business Management. Mr. Stulc and Mr. Bergstrom will teach the program in the Lewistown area, while Mrs. Younkin will teach the program in Glasgow. Currently, enrollment in the three, Farm/Ranch Business Management program expansion sites is growing. At the present time, twenty-two units have enrolled in the Lewistown area (totaling 31 full-time resident students) while eight units have enrolled in Glasgow (totaling another 10 full-time students). Once enrollment has concluded, this new program expansion should result in over 50 new resident, full-time students for DCC. Efforts to hire instructors for both Miles City and Plentywood will continue this fall.

         This summer, Cheryl Kolberg was selected to succeed Lucille Hilbert as Director of the Eastern Montana Tech Prep Consortium. Cheryl was formerly the Tech Prep Program Assistant. Lucille Hilbert accepted a Tech Prep Directorship in Butte. In addition, Ray Glueckert was selected to succeed Bill LaFond as the DCC Women's Softball Coach. Under Mr. LaFond's able direction, the Women's Softball Team achieved several regional championships and twice attended the World Series for their respective athletic division.