During the latest of a handful of visits to Havre in the past few months, Montana State University President Waded Cruzado met Tuesday with the committee that will consider candidates to replace MSU-Nothern Chancellor Frank Trocki.
Meetings throughout the day brought together members of the search committee with the faculty, staff and students at Northern and community members who were invited to meet in Hensler Auditorium.
During the community meeting, Cruzado introduced Doug Steele, MSU vice president for external relations, who will co-chair the committee with Joe Callahan, the interim chancellor and former MSU-Northern provost.
Steele asked community members, including Mayor Tim Solomon and City Council member Pam Hillery, questions about what the community wanted out of a chancellor and what challenges such a candidate could face, to help him and the rest of the committee make informed decisions.
Lorraine Verploegen, director of the Hill County United Way, said she remembered when “Northern was one of the best teaching colleges in the Northwest. I would like to see that program focused on, to get more kids wanting to come here for that degree. ”
Northern’s Foundation President Cole Chandler said that the university is a unique institution, with unique applicants.
“I think it appeals to a different type of student than the University of Montana, or even MSU Bozeman, which is a strength, ” Chandler said. “Many students come here with one idea and find they can do so much more. ”
Steele agreed.
“If Harvard were to disappear tomorrow, I don’t know if it would be Yale or Stanford, but something would take its place, ” Steele said. “If Northern were to disappear, I don’t think anything could replace it. ”
As for what sorts of challenges the committee and the candidates they choose could face, the group had a number of ideas.
Solomon said that the aging infrastructure would be a main concern.
Hillery said that she thinks the school needs as strong a leader as possible, within the university.
“A strong leader can only be so strong, because they’re a part of a larger system, ” Hillery said.
Many in the crowd were concerned about the relatively small size of the Havre community, and how that would affect Northern’s ability to be heard.
Chandler said that the underdog mentality is one of Northern’s fundamental ideologies.
Steele said some of the qualities he would be looking for in a candidate included strong vision, the ability to hire and retain good employees and the kind of go-with-your-gut intuition that comes with experience.
Shauna Albrecht, MSU-Northern Foundation executive director, said she thought the position required a certain degree of business sense.
Others said that the university needs a leader to be here for several years, not someone looking to get some experience on their way to the next gig.
At the end of the day, Cruzado said the main lesson of the day is how important the school is to the community.
“Northern is very important in the lives of so many people, ” Cruzado said. “It’s important for our faculty. It’s incredibly important for our students. It’s an engine of economic development for our community. ”
