Changes Needed at the Top?

[TheNorthRemembers]

Look as someone in college I can tell you that not a lot of high schoolers are interested in UM. Montana State is extremely attractive because of what people see and hear. MSU’s campus is far better than UM’s and with the new $101 million nursing building going up MSU will now be ahead in another study. I don’t think UM will ever pass MSU in enrollment

This is really the crux of the issue right here. It's not just athletics that MSU is whooping our ass in. Nobody wants to get a liberal arts degree anymore. MSU is viewed as the school of engineers, nurses, and programmers. Montana is viewed as the school of journalists, social workers and dancers. Whether that's actually true or not, that is the perception and how it's been marketed. Bodnar is seen as the hip cool president but truthfully he hasn't been doing much for UM recruiting academically.

 

[mthoopsfan]

Bodnar was a failing ceo of a flailing company. Not surprised at the result.

Bodnar was not a CEO of a failing company. "Seth Bodnar is an executive in Global Locomotive Operations at GE Transportation". He's described of an executive of this subsidiary or division. In another article I found, he is described this way: "said Seth Bodnar, chief digital officer of GE Transportation." I believe this company was successful and profitable.

 

[mthoopsfan]

This is really the crux of the issue right here. It's not just athletics that MSU is whooping our ass in. Nobody wants to get a liberal arts degree anymore. MSU is viewed as the school of engineers, nurses, and programmers. Montana is viewed as the school of journalists, social workers and dancers. Whether that's actually true or not, that is the perception and how it's been marketed. Bodnar is seen as the hip cool president but truthfully he hasn't been doing much for UM recruiting academically.

In a market where less kids are going to college, UM's enrollment went up 6% this year. And its retention rate has risen in various years recently.

 

[Skookum-Jim]

So which is it, do they choose to be a bub because of academics or because they feel hurt by Bobby?

I'm sure those are both reasons the best Montana kids are choosing MSU over the UM.
I suspect it's playing for Vigan and just the perception that MSU is a superior institution. Very few will actually become engineers.

 

[HikeGlacier]

This is really the crux of the issue right here. It's not just athletics that MSU is whooping our ass in. Nobody wants to get a liberal arts degree anymore. MSU is viewed as the school of engineers, nurses, and programmers. Montana is viewed as the school of journalists, social workers and dancers. Whether that's actually true or not, that is the perception and how it's been marketed. Bodnar is seen as the hip cool president but truthfully he hasn't been doing much for UM recruiting academically.

Liberal arts degrees are in greater demand than ever before. Carroll had the largest student percentage growth of any school in Montana. I do agree partially with Bodnar. He is a great guy, but he lacks a University scholarly focus. I don't think someone should be a President of a University if they lack a doctoral degree. I realize that view may be outdated. The University doesn't sell its unique professional school programs like law, pharmacy, and physical therapy. They should greatly look at expanding enrollment numbers in these programs. They also lost the deep connections to our Tribal communities. Not because they don't see the value but because SKC has broadened its offerings to include four-year degrees.

 

[mthoopsfan]

Liberal arts degrees are in greater demand than ever before. Carroll had the largest student percentage growth of any school in Montana. I do agree partially with Bodnar. He is a great guy, but he lacks a University scholarly focus. I don't think someone should be a President of a University if they lack a doctoral degree. I realize that view may be outdated. The University doesn't sell its unique professional school programs like law, pharmacy, and physical therapy. They should greatly look at expanding enrollment numbers in these programs. They also lost the deep connections to our Tribal communities. Not because they don't see the value but because SKC has broadened its offerings to include four-year degrees.

UM still has a very good NA program and connection to the reservations and community.

"With an average enrollment of over 600 Native American students, the University of Montana perennially has the largest enrollment of Native American students in the Montana University System."

Kyiyo

www.umt.edu

SKC college has 621 student enrolled full-time (75%). 3/4 are Native American and 1/4 aren't.

SKC Fast Facts - Salish Kootenai College

Total Student Count 0 Enrollment Status Full-Time Students 0% Part-Time Students 0% Race/Ethnicity Tribal Members 0% Tribal Descendants 0% Caucasian 0% Other 0% Tribal Affiliation CS&KT* 0% Other MT Tribes 0% Other non-MT Tribes 0% *Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribe SKC Students Represent US...

www.skc.edu

 

[HelenaHandBasket]

I'm sure those are both reasons the best Montana kids are choosing MSU over the UM.
I suspect it's playing for Vigan and just the perception that MSU is a superior institution. Very few will actually become engineers.

Well, I was asking the guy that posted stating it was because of "ACADEMICS" and then in a later post after I said it wasn't, added the Bobby part like it was the same thing.

 

[argh!]

Bodnar was not a CEO of a failing company. "Seth Bodnar is an executive in Global Locomotive Operations at GE Transportation". He's described of an executive of this subsidiary or division. In another article I found, he is described this way: "said Seth Bodnar, chief digital officer of GE Transportation." I believe this company was successful and profitable.

pretty sure they closed that entire division not long after he left, due to a lack of profitability. my personal opinion is he's not done much of anything, unless you want to give him credit for some decent faculty-generated grants that he likely had nothing to do with personally.

edit - looks like it was sold in 2019?

 

[mthoopsfan]

pretty sure they closed that entire division not long after he left, due to a lack of profitability. my personal opinion is he's not done much of anything, unless you want to give him credit for some decent faculty-generated grants that he likely had nothing to do with personally.

edit - looks like it was sold in 2019?

I don't think the division sold was what Bodnar was running. That was a much bigger operation. Bodnar had a smaller piece. My recollection is that Bodnar ran a piece that involved technology that helped railroads use their huge amounts of fuel more efficiency. Maybe that's why this article referred to him as a chief technology officer.

"Before his role at UM, Bodnar was a Senior Executive at General Electric, where he led digital innovations in the rail industry. He was GE Transportation’s first Chief Digital Officer and President of its Digital Solutions business, focusing on software and technology development for global optimization."

 

[grizfnz]

Liberal arts degrees are in greater demand than ever before. Carroll had the largest student percentage growth of any school in Montana. I do agree partially with Bodnar. He is a great guy, but he lacks a University scholarly focus. I don't think someone should be a President of a University if they lack a doctoral degree. I realize that view may be outdated. The University doesn't sell its unique professional school programs like law, pharmacy, and physical therapy. They should greatly look at expanding enrollment numbers in these programs. They also lost the deep connections to our Tribal communities. Not because they don't see the value but because SKC has broadened its offerings to include four-year degrees.

They just started an Occupational Therapy program and a PA program will follow next year. Sure glad they aren’t doing anything to increase enrollment.

 

[TheNorthRemembers]

In a market where less kids are going to college, UM's enrollment went up 6% this year. And its retention rate has risen in various years recently.

Great. We're still 6000 behind MSU which also went up about the same total number.

Liberal arts degrees are in greater demand than ever before.

Citation needed.

 

[HikeGlacier]

Great. We're still 6000 behind MSU which also went up about the same total number.

Citation needed.

Carroll College Achieves 4.5% Enrollment Growth

Carroll College has announced a 4.5% increase in enrollment year-over-year, bringing its total student population to 1,167 across all programs in 2024-2025. This growth includes the second largest first-year class in five years, with the class of 2028 comprising 284 new first-year students—a 4%...

www.carroll.edu

 

[grizfnz]

Great. We're still 6000 behind MSU which also went up about the same total number.

Citation needed.

Bozeman enrollment was up 1%.

 

[kemajic]

I don't think someone should be a President of a University if they lack a doctoral degree. I realize that view may be outdated.

lt's very outdated. I have a Ph.D. myself, but such specialized skills are not what's needed to navigate the times today. The credentials only go so far. It's a management job with high emphasis on people skills, management and marketing. Leadership and decision skills are key. Bodnar is an excellent fit and is digging the University out of a very deep hole. We knew it would take time and the product is likely to be different than the past.

 

[Money!]

Took you off ignore just to see if you’d smartened up any, and let me tell you, you don’t disappoint
How much are you willing to wager that there will be a $101 million nursing building constructed at the Bozeman campus?

While the $101 million is split between 5 buildings I have to imagine the Bozeman one is costing the most as it is the largest and in Bozeman.

 

[Money!]

You're joking, right?

I have spent a good amount of time at both campuses. MSU’s is 100% better. Miller Dining hall is the best in the state and the new $60 million Student Wellness Center is phenomenal.

 

[CDAGRIZ]

I have spent a good amount of time at both campuses. MSU’s is 100% better. Miller Dining hall is the best in the state and the new $60 million Student Wellness Center is phenomenal.

I have spent a good amount of time at both campuses. UM's is 100% better. Easy peasy.

 

[Btown]

So which is it, do they choose to be a bub because of academics or because they feel hurt by Bobby?

The latter, Boobie is a piss ant and they would rather be coached by someone that respects his players.

 

[HikeGlacier]

lt's very outdated. I have a Ph.D. myself, but such specialized skills are not what's needed to navigate the times today. The credentials only go so far. It's a management job with high emphasis on people skills, management and marketing. Leadership and decision skills are key. Bodnar is an excellent fit and is digging the University out of a very deep hole. We knew it would take time and the product is likely to be different than the past.

You can still be those things and be presented by Professors. Again, I like him, but it's a stretch to say he's digging UM out of a hole.

 

[Copper Griz]

Look as someone in college I can tell you that not a lot of high schoolers are interested in UM. Montana State is extremely attractive because of what people see and hear. MSU’s campus is far better than UM’s and with the new $101 million nursing building going up MSU will now be ahead in another study. I don’t think UM will ever pass MSU in enrollment

What a ridiculous statement when someone uses terms like ever or never. The world changes. Kitten fans never thought they would win again after losing their 16th straight game. Insane. The economy will shift. Education will change. The state will evolve. Bigger may not be better at some point. It just might mean empty buildings with no students because the world changed. Remember K Mart and malls? Now we have Amazon and Wal Mart. One may find itself in trouble with the high tech world. U of M will be fine and is fine. The coaching staff needs to evolve because the world changed. Kids went to MSU for a lot of different reasons. Some of them might have been lack of scholarships available at U of M. The sky isn’t falling, it’s just foggy out right now. The fog will lift.