Sheila Stearns named as new Commissioner of Higher Education for Montana

The Board of Regents today unanimously approved the appointment Dr. Sheila
Stearns as Montanaís Commissioner of Higher Education. Sterns will begin
her tenure on September 1, 2003. She takes over the position vacated by Dr.
Richard Crofts following his retirement in February.

Dr. Stearns currently serves as President of Wayne State College in
Nebraska. Stearns served as the Chancellor at University of Montana-Western
from 1993-1999.

Prior to that, Stearns held positions as Vice President of
University Relations and Director of Alumni affairs at the University of
Montana-Missoula.

A native of Glendive, Stearns attended the University of
Montana-Missoula for her bachelorís, masterís and doctoral degrees. She
taught for several years in the Missoula public schools.

"It is a privilege for me to introduce Dr. Sterns as the new Commissioner,"
said Regents Chairman Ed Jasmin. "She brings the needed experience and
knowledge to the position at this critical juncture for public higher
education in Montana. She has been a campus leader and understands the
complexities of the Montana University System, and she knows how critical
it is for the Montana University System to be a partner in leading this
state through a period of economic transformation."

According to the terms of the one-year employment agreement, Sternís
compensation package includes a base annual salary of $144,500, provisions
for a car and standard employee benefits.

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Regents make another good move

SUMMARY: Expect Montana’s new commissioner of higher education to be a good ambassador as well as a fine administrator.

Missoulian Editorial

Montana’s Board of Regents has taken another step in the right direction with the hiring of Sheila Stearns to serve as commissioner of higher education. Stearns, president of Wayne State College in Nebraska, is a familiar face to many Montanans. She’s the former chancellor of the University of Montana-Western and a former vice president for university relations at the University of Montana.

It’s not exactly fair to compare Stearns to the man she replaces, Dick Crofts, who resigned last winter, but let’s just say the Stearns we know is not aloof, arrogant, secretive, confrontational or controlling, and that she will be an improvement in that office. From her we expect a more congenial, open and consultative administration of the state’s university system.

Stearns’ work at UM and in Dillon included the high-profile role of legislative lobbyist for the university and university system. That experience should prove most useful, because one of the greatest challenges facing the commissioner of higher education is to forge a better, more constructive relationship with the Legislature. No one will have to explain to Stearns why this is important.

Stearns, in an essay written for the Missoulian in 1992, wrote that when she approached alumni as potential contributors to the university, their "initial reception is frosty because they think my hand is out. Of course it is, but the challenge is to make it a well-gloved rather than a grasping hand."

It’s safe to say the "grasping-hand" approach has not served the university system well in recent years. Legislators, governors and too many of the people electing them seem inclined to view higher education as a burden to bear, rather than a catalyst for better things. The university system has tried but hasn’t always succeeded in finding tangible ways to show its value to taxpayers, especially outside campus communities. Stearns may have better luck using her approach.

The Board of Regents recently signaled an inclination to put itself on a different track when it abruptly replaced its chairman and vice chairwoman. Now it’s hired someone we expect to be more than a fine administrator, but also a splendid ambassador of higher education. The university system still faces daunting challenges, but the change in leadership offers cause for optimism.

http://missoulian.com/articles/2003/06/20/opinion/opinion5.txt

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Stearns’ work cut out as higher ed commissioner

Great Falls Tribune Editorial

If nothing else, Sheila Stearns won’t lack for challenges.

Stearns was named the state’s new commissioner of higher education this week. Or, put another way, she’s the chief executive of the university system.

A former chancellor of the University of Montana-Western campus at Dillon, Stearns is a splendid choice. She knows the state and the U system.

But she’s going to need all that knowledge plus a truckload of vision and diplomacy to help guide the state’s universities through the current budget crises, internal conflicts and public relations snafus.

Among the challenges waiting to greet her are:

# A lack of state funding that borders on irresponsible.

Time and again we hear evidence that economic development is tied to strong education.

Yet while virtually every legislator makes a hullabaloo about the need for more jobs, far fewer are willing to commit the resources to build education.

So while our neighboring states invest in education — and most see their wages rising — Montana hasn’t upped its contribution in more than a decade. Area students pay roughly 40 percent more per college pupil than Montana contributes.

Businesses here, meanwhile, complain that they can’t get enough well-trained workers.

At the same time, students face increasing tuition hikes. The cost has risen so dramatically that it threatens to price some Montana families out of an education for their children.

# An unexplained disconnect between public support and political support.

Though Montanans almost universally say they support higher education, they haven’t pressured politicians or policymakers to make adequate funding a higher priority.

# A history of secrecy in the Board of Regents.

There’s been a disturbing trend of the commissioner and regents wanting to do their business with as little public scrutiny as possible.

Currently they’re fighting a district court ruling that says meetings among top university officials should be open to the public.

A few years ago the regents endorsed a proposal that would let university president keep slush funds for entertainment and other activities. Expenditures would not be made public.

Then they tried to impose a ban on what regents could say to the press and public. Fortunately that policy was voted down.

We can’t help but think that this reluctance to operate openly contributes to public mistrust and ambivalence about funding.

# Tumult on the board itself.

Last month an opposing faction voted the chairman and vice chairman of the board out of their positions.

Dissent can be healthy, so long as board members can continue to work together. It’s not yet clear whether that can happen.

# Lack of a clear vision for the university system.

Montanans must decide what role the system will play both in education and in economic development. Based on that decision, it must commit to an appropriate level of funding and support.

Clearly there’s a need for strong leadership at the helm of the university system.

We welcome Stearns to the job and wish her the best in addressing these serious concerns.

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/news/stories/20030620/opinion/513168.html

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Guest Opinion: New regent leadership should use political clout for higher ed

By LYNN HAMILTON Billings Gazette

ecent changes in the leadership of the Board of Regents will have little effect on the day-to-day work of the Montana University System. Faculty members and administrators will continue to provide students with a quality educational experience and serve the state through research and public service.

To many Montanans, the proposed "Agenda for Progress" for the University System will sound more like a campaign platform than a long-range strategic plan. The author of the agenda held party and legislative leadership positions during a 20-year decline in education funding and helped lay the groundwork for many of the problems in Montana today. Promises to reform the system should be measured against past performance.
Cost-effective colleges

Let’s begin by setting the record straight. According to a legislative study, ours is one of the most cost-effective university systems in the region. Our campuses spend more on instruction and less on administration than their peers. Students are coming to our campuses in record numbers. Although faculty salaries are among the lowest and faculty workloads are among the highest in the nation, when we look at quality indicators. we find that their accomplishments in teaching and research are recognized nationally and internationally. Student pass rates on licensing and certification tests are above national averages. Our graduates are in demand. They’re competitive in national and international job markets. Most of them work in Montana after graduation. A recent public opinion poll shows that Montanans are proud of our students and our campuses.

There is no status quo in the University System. The culture under attack is one that promotes the pursuit of knowledge in a constantly changing environment. We don’t ask for handouts. We advocate for state support, offer opportunities for investment and make the best use of the appropriations we are given. The problem we face as regents is how to maintain quality as state support drops and how to maintain access as tuition rises. This should be our focus, not political rhetoric and games.
Disconnect in support

The real "disconnect" is between what Montanans want and what they appear to be willing to pay for. State funding per student is nearly 40 percent less than the average of our seven peer states. In 1990, student tuition and fees covered 25 percent of instructional costs and the state provided about 75 percent. Today, state support has fallen to nearly 40 percent while enrollment and fixed costs have risen. The result has been program and faculty cuts, bigger class sizes, fewer course offerings, and higher tuition and fees. Tuition for Montana resident students has nearly tripled since 1992. Higher tuition discourages enrollments, especially among low-income and minority students, a significant portion of Montana’s potential new resident-student population.

Education and economic development are not mutually exclusive. For nearly two decades Montana has had to compete in a global marketplace by cutting taxes and deregulating industry. We’ve watched businesses that benefited the most from those changes disappear from the landscape, taking their contribution to Montana’s tax base with them.
Pursuing excellence

Don’t be distracted as you listen to those who object to our constitutional autonomy and the way we conduct our business as they try to pit segments of the university community against one another. Remember, the University System has a history of balancing its budget and getting things done. As a public, not-for-profit institution, our sole need for revenue is to offset our costs. Montanans who look beyond negative headlines and sound bites will find a University System pursuing excellence in the classroom, concert hall and laboratory as well as on the playing field.

The University System has and will continue to help identify and solve Montana’s problems. Our efforts are most visible in research and public service, through our outreach agencies, centers and bureaus, and through our partnerships with governmental entities as well as private business and industry. We make our finest contribution to economic development, however, when we produce a quality product – highly educated, trained and skilled graduates who can afford to work, build businesses and raise and educate their families in Montana.

With every challenge comes opportunity. The new board leadership has an opportunity to use their considerable political influence to engage policy makers in a public dialogue about the importance of quality, opportunity and investment in higher education. Rather than tacitly accepting an ever-shrinking percentage of the state budget that forces the regents to either compromise quality and access or make up the difference by increasing tuition, they can initiate a discussion about what an appropriate level of state support should be.

Public education and training opportunities represent an investment by the state in its residents and its future. Montana’s ability to produce college-level knowledge will determine our overall economic competitiveness, and we will succeed only to the degree the poorest among us succeed.

Lynn Hamilton of Havre is a member of the Montana Board of Regents.

Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.

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