Montana Education Excellence

The University of Montana Wilderness Institute is now accepting proposals for grants that support historical research, creative writing and wilderness studies projects that explore Montana’s land and people.

The world is changing so quickly that a worthwhile education has to teach people how to adapt to innovation and deal with completely new situations. Technology is driving that change, and technology has to be used to deal with it.

“I think if this country is going to be scientifically in the mix internationally, effort has to be put into getting kids excited about science,” said Douglas, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry.

The budget now, MSU President Gamble told lawmakers, will force MSU to make hard choices between maintaining the quality of the school and keeping it affordable. He also said it would not give him a way to help school employees deal with the high cost of living in Bozeman.

The leaders also stressed that MSU already does a lot with little funding.

With a renewed push for wind energy and German company Fuhrlander planning to build a wind turbine factory in Butte, the demand for qualified employees for the industry is only going to grow, said John Garic, dean of Montana Tech’s College of Technology.

The project will study the environmental effects of geologic carbon sequestration, which involves injecting large volumes of liquefied carbon dioxide deep underground. Storing CO2 underground keeps it out of the atmosphere and keeps it from contributing to global climate change.

A lot of workers are finding themselves asking that same question. Unemployment in the Flathead hit 7.3 percent last month. With that many peope out of work, the pressure on local community colleges and other two-year institutions increases.

Over the last two decades, the United States has lost its position of world leadership measured by the educational attainment of its citizens.

We now rank in the second tier rather than the first. Montana has paralleled the national trend, and the prospects for changing that at this point do not look good.

It behooves us to keep this challenge in mind as we think about ways to deal with current economic conditions.

"We’ve been researching wind energy technology and industrial technology for more than a year now," said Joe Schaffer, interim dean of MSU-Great Falls. "We’ve also been kicking around the idea of a regional program."

There may be a few spots remaining for students interested in a Montana State University Honors Great Expeditions class on global poverty that will culminate in a two-week tour of the Dominican Republic at the end of the spring semester.