Montana Board of Regents of Higher Education
Minutes
Special Meeting

October 6, 2000

Montana Higher Education Complex
2500 Broadway
Helena, MT 

These Minutes were unanimously approved by the Board of Regents at the November 16-17, 2000 meeting in Missoula, MT.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2000

The Full Board Convened at 10:10 a.m.

ROLL CALL - Roll Call indicated a Quorum Present

Regents Present: Ed Jasmin Vice-Chairman, Lynn Morrison-Hamilton,  Richard Roehm, Mark Semmens, Margie Thompson, Chairwoman, Deborah Wetsit and Richard Crofts (Commissioner).

Regent Jessica Kobos arrived in time for the Executive Session.

Regents Absent: None.

AGENDA

  1. Evaluation of Montana State University Presidential Candidates

    Chairwoman Thompson thanked Deputy Commissioner Joyce Scott, members of the Search Committee, campuses and communities who participated in the search for the new president of Montana State University.  More than 450 evaluation forms were received from individuals who interviewed the candidates and the Regents have received summaries of those.  Three finalists were selected, and the Commissioner's office and Regents have received dozens of phone calls, letters and e-mails from a multitude of people indicating who they believe should be chosen.  The Regents have seriously considered all of the information and Chairwoman Thompson personally met with each candidate and their spouses, spending about 5 1/2 hours with them. 

    Chairwoman Thompson asked if there was any individual or group that felt their input had not received sufficient consideration, with no response.

    She indicated that all three candidates had requested that the discussion of the evaluation of their qualifications be conducted in Executive Session.  She noted that the demands of individual privacy exceeded the need for public disclosure.  

The meeting was recessed at 10:15 a.m. for Executive Session.

The full Board reconvened at 1:00 p.m.

  1. Selection of New President for Montana State University

    Commissioner Crofts indicated that the Montana University System had finally come to the end of a very interesting and productive process which worked very well.  It was fortunate for the system that it produced three very strong candidates.  All three are well prepared to assume the position, and they have all received strong support from the campuses and the communities.

    It was his recommendation that the best person for the appointment was Geoff Gamble, the Provost at the University of Vermont.

 

    Regent Roehm moved that the Board of Regents select Mr. Gamble as the next president of Montana State University, and be appointed as Professor of Sociology at MSU-Bozeman in a tenure track position at a salary of $133,000 per year.

      The recommendation was APPROVED unanimously and confirmed by a roll call vote.

Chairwoman Thompson thanked Deputy Commissioner Scott and the Commissioner for the professional manner in which the search was conducted to obtain these three excellent candidates.

With no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 1:07 p.m.

 

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