Davidson campaign promotes education

Connecting the dots between education and economic development, Ian Davidson launched a statewide campaign Tuesday to support
higher education in Montana.

"When you talk about economic development, interestingly enough it always comes back to education," said Davidson, chairman of the
Davidson Cos.

By LINDA CARICABURU
LINDA CARICABURU Tribune Staff Writer

The campaign, called Alliance for Montana’s Future, will coordinate a year of grassroots efforts from 11 regions around the state to "call to
the state citizens’ attention the importance of higher education," Davidson said at a news conference in Great Falls. Each region will
determine its own plan to raise public awareness.

The group will not be involved in lobbying or writing legislation, he said, but he hopes its efforts generate more creative thinking and
solutions for education.

There are "all kinds of possibilities" for increasing financial support for schools, he said — from tapping the Coal Trust Fund, to creating
special bonds, to boosting foundation endowments.

Implementing any of them, however, will take tremendous public support, he said.

The organization is something of an offshoot of economic development summits held earlier in Great Falls.

Davidson said many of the discussions from the Economic Development Action Group formed from the summits kept returning to
education.

The group wants to raise support for all forms of higher education, including private schools, tribal colleges, community colleges and the
university system, he said.

Carol Donaldson, an attorney for First Interstate BancSystem in Billings and daughter of former governor Stan Stephens, is executive
director of the alliance.

A Havre native, she, too, stressed the "direct link between job growth and education in Montana."

The organization is composed of people not directly involved in education. But educators do serve an advisory role, Davidson said.

Susan Humble, president of Anderson Steel in Great Falls, is chairwoman of the region that includes Cascade, Musselshell, Golden
Valley, Wheatland and Meagher counties.

Davidson said private donations and education foundations will pay for the organization’s efforts.

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/news/stories/20020522/localnews/357304.html