Board of Regents Announces Committees for Montana’s "Shared Leadership for a Stronger Economy" – Access to Education, Distance Learning, and Worforce Training and Education initiatives

Committee and Leadership appointments for "Shared Leadership for a Stronger Economy"

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Access to Education Committee and Advisory Group: http://www.montana.edu/wwwbor/Access%20to%20Ed%20Advisory%20Committees.pdf

Questions for this Committee: http://www.montana.edu/wwwbor/AccessQuestions.htm

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Distance Learning Committee and Advisory Group:
http://www.montana.edu/wwwbor/Distance%20Advisory%20Committee%20list.pdf

Questions for this Committee: http://www.montana.edu/wwwbor/DistanceQuestions.htm

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Workforce Development Committee and Advisory Group:
http://www.montana.edu/wwwbor/Workforce%20Advisory%20committee%20list.pdf

Questions for this Committee: http://www.montana.edu/wwwbor/WorkForceQuestions.htm

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Shared Leadership for a Stronger Montana Economy

Montana Board of Regents

Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education

Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity

Montana Legislature

What’s It All About?

July 2004

Economic development in Montana has many advocates, including the Governor, state legislature, congressional delegation, educators, and the business community. The Board of Regents is determined to participate in a partnership through which the considerable resources of the Montana University System will be effectively teamed with our State’s executive and legislative branches, our congressional delegation, local schools, and the business and labor communities to improve Montana’s economy and create more good jobs for Montana’s citizens.

Shared Leadership for a Stronger Montana Economy is a cooperative program now engaging people from government, education, business, and labor – the public and private sectors – profit and not-for-profit – all working toward identifying concrete actions the Montana University System can take to help make a Stronger Montana Economy a reality.

Beginning in April, six initiative teams worked in earnest to identify actions that could be understood, prioritized, and ultimately adopted by the Regents to fulfill a goal to benefit all Montanans. The Regents and the Legislature’s Committee on Postsecondary Education Policy and Budget considered these issues July 7 at Salish-Kootenai College in Pablo, Montana. Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Higher Education, Dr. Sheila Stearns and the Governor’s Chief Business Officer, Mr. Dave Gibson conducted a series of community conversations throughout the state between June and September. The results of these conversations have resulted in a broader understanding across the state of the goals and implications of this initiative.

On November 3, (see agenda below) the next major step in the program will begin as three steering committees established by the Board of Regents at their September meeting meet to begin designing specific action plans for the Access to Education, Distance Learning, and Worforce Training and Education initiatives. These steering committees will be the focus of action on the program over the next several months.

Find more program information at the Regents’ website:

http://www.montana.edu/wwwbor/SharedLeadInfo.htm

Or contact any of the following:

John Mercer, Chairman, Montana Board of Regents

Sheila Stearns, Commissioner of Higher Education

Dave Gibson, Chief Business Officer, Governor’s Office

Bob Person, Program Coordinator, [email protected] ; 406 444-0323

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November 3, 2004

Steering Committee Meeting

Location: Colonial Red Lion, 2301 Colonial Drive, Helena, Montana

Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., November 3, 2004

Purpose: to provide a strong start for the steering committees formed to implement the
three priority initiatives for the “Shared Leadership for a Stronger Economy” effort.

Agenda:

8:30 – 9:00. A continental breakfast will be available.

9:00 Convene, welcome and overview. All three committees will meet jointly for this “plenary session.”

10:00 Break.

10:15 Steering committees meet individually.
Each Steering Committee will meet individually and begin with a round table
discussion on the committees assigned initiative.

12:00 Lunch (provided). David Longanecker, Executive Director of the Western
Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), will present an overview of
what is happening in our region in our three initiative areas. (See bio. below)

1:00 Committee sessions.
Each committee will convene to hear a series of briefings by representatives of the
state’s higher education institutes on the current status of “programs” in the initiative
area.

3:00 Committee sessions.
Discussion on initiative, goals, and next steps.

4:00 Adjourn.

David A. Longanecker is the executive director of the Western Interstate Commission
for Higher Education (WICHE) in Boulder, Colorado. Previously he served for six years
as the assistant secretary for postsecondary education at the U.S. Department of
Education, developing and implementing national policy and programs providing more
than $40 billion annually in student aid and $1 billion to institutions. Prior to that he was
the state higher education executive officer (SHEEO) in Colorado and Minnesota. He
was also the principal analyst for higher education for the Congressional Budget Office.
Dr. Longanecker has served on numerous boards and commissions and was president
of the State Higher Education Executive Officers. He has written extensively on a range
of higher education issues. He holds an Ed.D. in education from Stanford University.