Tim Leeds Havre Daily News tleeds@havredailynews.com
Montana State University-Northern, facing declining enrollment along with the rest of the state university system, is trying to adjust itself to a smaller budget while working to increase recruitment. “It’s not a matter of just cutting, it’s a matter of realigning,” said Chancellor Alex Capdeville, “making a better investment if you will.” Part of the problem is deciding where to make cuts, he added. Enrollment declines are not uniform, with some programs having growth, others losing a few students and others losing a few more. “If it was all in one program it would be easy,” Capdeville said. While the university is down overall, some programs are going strong, he added. “Nursing has a waiting list,” Capdeville said, adding that other programs like the electrical engineering technology program is doing well, the two-year diesel program is doing well, and the plumbing program has a stable enrollment Although it could be strengthened. Jim Longin, dean of the College of Education, Arts and Sciences and Nursing, said the budget has been stabilized partially through attrition. Some contracts have not been renewed and some retirees not replaced, he said. One area that has happened is in the education department. “For the moment we will reduce some of the staffing in the education area, instead deliver some of those critical classes with very qualified adjunct (professors),” he said, adding that using K-12 teachers who are the “players in the field” can provide a definite advantage for the classes. Capdeville said the budget has been adjusted for this year, and Northern is continuing to look at other ways to better allocate funds. “You’ve got to bring the budget in line with what you have for enrollment, there’s no getting around that,” he said. Across-the-board cuts isn’t an option, he added, because it makes no sense to cut programs that are strong and growing. The university will focus on programs with better potential for growth and high enrollment, he said. Another area Capdeville won’t cut is recruitment the university needs to focus on recruitment, he said. “We are doing some targeted recruiting. We just have to do a better job, in my mind, in marketing and marketing is expensive,” Capdeville said. Some programs with low enrollment may be eliminated some are already under moratorium, meaning students in the programs can get their degrees, but no new students will be accepted. “I think we have a number of twoyear programs that are under subscribed to,” Capdeville said, listing the education department’s minors in business education and computer information systems, as well as the graduate program in broad field science, which he said has not had any students enrolled for several years. Capdeville added that some programs will probably be consolidated into other programs. “(We can) better utilize the faculty we have,” he said. “We’re doing some right-sizing and growing things we can grow, and will eliminate those that don’t have potential. “Without that optimism you can’t turn it around. It is a challenge, no doubt about it,” Capdeville said
