| With
the state of Montana facing a budget shortfall of over
$200 million, Montana State University is approaching
the current session of the Montana Legislature as a partner
looking for solutions. MSU will not be adopting an argumentative
stance as the issues of university funding are being debated,
according to MSU President Geoff Gamble. |
| "As
partners with the legislature we'll look together at strengths
and weaknesses and we'll find solutions," he said. "I
want to take the anger off the table going in. I think
the Legislature feels embarrassed that they're not able
to do more for higher education, but they just don't have
the resources. Every state is facing tough financial times."
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"I
see the potential this university has," he
said. "It has tremendous energy and academic
achievement that is unparalleled for an institution
of this size. We are educating at extremely
high levels and doing it at a very low cost."
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| He
noted that the State of California has a budget shortfall
of over $20 billion. "In Montana we're not seeing the
magnitude of shortfall that other states are facing." |
| In
looking at the current legislative session, it's important
to see the societal trend that is being reflected in higher
education funding. |
| "States
are stepping away from the financial obligation of higher
education because a college degree that was once seen
as a public good is now viewed as a private good. The
societal view now is that students should pay a larger
share of the cost of that education, and as a result,
decreases in state funding are being seen across the nation." |
| "We're
moving away from state support to state assisted support
for higher education," Gamble said. "Let's accept graciously
what the state can do---then we'll do what we need to
protect the state's investment in this university." |
| Gamble
says MSU can make that move because of an aggressive program
of recruitment, retention and fund-raising. |
| "I
see the potential this university has," he said. "It has
tremendous energy and academic achievement that is unparalleled
for an institution of this size. We are educating at extremely
high levels and doing it at a very low cost." |
| Gamble
said that he sees the best case scenario for the current
Legislature as one where MSU will maintain the status
quo in regards to state funding, but he acknowledges that
an erosion in funding is possible. |
| "But
as I've said before, whatever happens we will stay in
(financial) balance with revenue enhancements and expenditure
reductions." |
| However,
Gamble notes one area of concern is the funding for the
Montana Agricultural Experiment Stations and the MSU Extension
Service. He said because those agencies do not have revenue
from tuition as the instructional budgets do, they have
to fully absorb any state budget cuts. |
| "We'll
need to argue that the state will have to put some dollars
into those agencies if they're to continue," Gamble said.
"These agencies reach out to the agriculture industry
and are helping them move into the 21st century." |
| Cathy
Conover, '87 M, MSU's lobbyist and director of University
Relations, expressed concern about the future of the state
Research and Commercialization Fund. This fund was created
by the 1999 Legislature and is funded from the interest
from the permanent coal tax trust fund. The funding has
been eliminated from the governor's 2004-2005 budget.
From this fund nearly $5 million was awarded to research
projects in 2002, though the amount was reduced to $3.6
million for this fiscal year. Researchers at universities
and private companies and labs can apply for these funds.
Selection for the awards are based on the potential for
commercialization, and 20 percent of the funding must
go to production of agricultural projects. |
| Conover
explains that a good portion of those funds have gone
to support EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive
Research) grants. Montana is one of 18 EPSCoR states which
are given exclusive access to competing for federal research
funding. This is a tremendous advantage to the research
program in Montana, but it requires that the state partner
with the federal government by providing state funding
as a match. |
| "If
the Research and Commercialization fund is dissolved,
Montana would lose its EPSCoR status which would severely
affect our research efforts," Conover said. |
| EPSCoR
is a joint program of the National Science Foundation
and several states and territories. |
| "Research
may hold the key to moving the state forward economically,"
Gamble said. |
| Gamble
hopes that the state will look at its entire budget as
MSU does and that Republicans and Democrats alike will
realize that solving the state's financial crisis can't
be done entirely with funding cuts. "But I think we'll
see both sides of the aisle come together." |
| "I
think also it's time to take a look at the tax structure
in the state," he said. "Is the tax structure well situated
for Montana in the 21st century?" |
| Gamble
says that the northern Rocky Mountains have started to
be classified as a new poverty belt. |
| "We
have to move the state out of its poverty status. But
we have to remember that it's taken us awhile to get here,
so there are no magic fixes. It will take hard work and
consistency in leadership working toward a common goal.
The state will have to do things new and differently to
provide a strong revenue stream." |
| He
sees MSU as providing a leadership role in moving the
state forward. In the past, Gamble has pointed to MSU's
business assistance programs as making a difference. The
Montana Manufacturing Extension Center (MMEC) has provided
engineering and managerial assistance to more than 350
Montana manufacturers. TechLink helps area businesses
form partnerships with federal laboratories for commercialization
of technologies. TechRanch is a business incubator located
in the MSU Research Park that provides support to entrepreneurs
planning to start a new business. The Center for Entrepreneurship
for the New West partners closely with TechLink and TechRanch
and utilizes MSU students to provide assistance to startup
businesses and assists MSU scientists in developing the
commercial potential of their product or service. |
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"[MMEC] is
one of the best business assistance programs
we have--the impact is tangible. Their direct
services have resulted in the creation of
over 300 manufacturing jobs and 330 related
jobs in the last two years,"
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| Conover
said that she's concerned with the continued funding for
MMEC as it was slated for losing funding in the August
special session, though the funding was eventually restored.
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| "It's
one of the best business assistance programs we have--the
impact is tangible. Their direct services have resulted
in the creation of over 300 manufacturing jobs and 330
related jobs in the last two years," she said. |
| It's
important for MSU to make all the members of the Legislature
aware of the contributions higher education makes to the
state of Montana. In the current Legislature there are
27 first-time lawmakers in the state House of Representatives
alone. |
| "It's
important for us to provide background to new legislators,"
Gamble said. "New legislators mean a new infusion of ideas,
but at the same time there is a loss of continuity and
history." |
| The
real enemy of the legislative session is time. During
the 90 days the Legislature is in session, the lawmakers
may review as many as 2,000 bills. |
| Alumni
can stay in touch with the progress of bills that affect
the university system through the MSU Web site at www.montana.edu.
Conover will post a daily summary of issues of interest
to the university system. |
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MSU
Alumni Who Are Montana Legislators
| Jerry
Black, '57 EX BUS, Shelby |
| Gary
Branae, '66 Sec Ed, Billings |
| John
Cobb, '75 PSci, Econ, Augusta |
| Ronald
Devlin, '75 EX AgPr, Terry |
| Dick
Haines, '59 ME, Missoula |
| Donald
Hedges, '58 Engl, Antelope |
| Bea
McCarthy, '57 ElEd, Anaconda |
| Mark
Noennig, '70 EE, Billings |
| Jim
Peterson, '68 AgSci, Buffalo |
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| Clarice
Schrumpf, '55 EX BUS, Billings |
| John
Sinrud, '98 PSci, Bozeman |
| Veronica
Small-Eastman, '88 BuEd, '96M, Lodge
Grass |
| Robert
Story, Jr., '49 AgEd, Park City |
| Bill
Thomas, '58 PMed, Hobson |
| Fred
Thomas, '81 BuFi, Stevensville |
| Cindy
Younkin, '82 Micro, Bozeman |
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