MSU President Gamble hosts Oct. 23 town meeting on future of education

Bozeman — Montana State University President Geoff Gamble will bring together educators, legislators and university constituents from throughout the state on Oct. 23 for a town hall meeting on the present and future of higher education in Montana.

Carol Schmidt, MSU News Service

The meeting will include panel presentations and interactive discussion focused on understanding current trends in higher education and their implications for MSU.

"We will be examining the big picture — what’s happening in the state and region and the implications for MSU’s four campuses and two agencies," Gamble said. "One of our priorities is creating partnerships with other organizations to address the challenges faced both by MSU and the state as a whole. This meeting is only the first step, but it gives us a start on developing those collaborative efforts."

President Gamble’s approach of using a public town meeting format to analyze information and plan for the future has found favor with fellow educators and community leaders, according to the chairman of the Montana Board of Regents.

"President Gamble’s initiative to have concerned citizens discuss higher education issues in a roundtable format is appropriate, timely and essential to our future," Richard Roehm said.

"If we are to prosper, we must invest in our children’s education. Education is a better safeguard of our liberty than a standing army," added Roehm, who has retired from a military career.

Cathy Conover, director of MSU University Relations, will lead a panel of experts from throughout the state in a discussion about trends in Montana’s economic and social environment and how they affect higher education. Among the members of that panel are: Chuck Swysgood, director of Budget and Program Planning in the Governor’s Office, and Paul Polzin, director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research.

Mary Moe, dean of the MSU-Great Falls College of Technology, will lead a panel discussion that will include Montana Lt. Gov. Karl Ohs; John Mercer, member of the MUS Board of Regents; and Carol Stephens Donaldson, executive director of the Alliance for Montana’s Future; and the Directors of the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station and the MSU Extension Service.

Scott Levandowski, vice president of First Interstate Bank in Bozeman, will lead a panel discussion on the expectations from stakeholders, or constituent groups with a direct interest in the university system. This panel will include representatives from businesses, the agricultural community, students, parents, and the K-12 system.

A panel of state legislators will discuss how members of the Montana Legislature view the role and contributions of the university. The panel, moderated by Jamie Doggett, county commissioner of Meagher County, will include Senators Bob Keenan and Emily Stonington, and Representative John Witt.

A concluding panel and audience discussion will be led by Ron Sexton, chancellor of MSU-Billings. The group will examine how best to chart higher education’s course, considering the perspectives and data provided throughout the day. Members of that group will include Richard Crofts, Commissioner of Higher Education, Regent Mark Semmens, and representatives from all MSU campuses.

Observation of the discussions during the day is free and open to the public.

The meeting will be held in Ballroom A of the Strand Union Building of the Montana State University campus in Bozeman.

For more information, call the MSU Office of the President (406) 994-2341.

http://www.montana.edu/commserv/csnews/nwview.php?article=557