Eleven years ago I had the honor of nominating George M. Dennison
for the presidency of The University of Montana. I'd known George when he was an
undergraduate history major here because he played guitar in a rock band downtown at the
Ratskeller. I knew he'd had a successful career since then as a historian and an
administrator. And he was a Montanan from Kalispell. The first UM president I knew, Bob
Pantzer, was a Montanan, and he was the best. Why not another?
The most significant aspect of
President Dennison's tenure is its length -- a decade and counting, longer than all but
one of his predecessors. In 1963, the year he received his master's degree, Time magazine
called UM the "graveyard of presidents." But Pantzer and his successors were
strong leaders. They built a foundation for George. He took a good university and made it
better.
College presidents can no longer sit back and
wait for legislative appropriations to pour in. Such appropriations are skimpy in Montana
-- skimpier than elsewhere -- and they do not cover basic necessities. To prosper,
universities must strike out on their own. George has led the drive for self-sufficiency
in numerous ways. First, regrettably but necessarily, he has acceded to a tuition
increase. In Montana, tuition rates historically have been low. They still are by national
standards, but students today pay for a higher percentage of their education than their
parents did in their day. Or should we say that parents pay more for their children?
Second, President Dennison has presided over
the most extensive building boom since the University's enrollment more than doubled after
World War II. Again, UM cannot rely on the Legislature to meet space needs. The last
state-funded edifice constructed here was the Gallagher Building, and even that required
private seed money and some truly astonishing legislative log-rolling. Low national
interest rates, timely bond issues and individual donations have financed dormitories, a
parking garage, the Davidson Honors College, the Skaggs Building, the James Todd Building,
improved athletic facilities and expanded student services in the Lodge and in the Curry
Health Center.
The campus model in Main Hall is constantly
changing. We still have problems -- historians |
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need larger offices -- but many of us enjoy
the new elbow room.
Third, outside funding for research has increased by almost
450 percent -- from $7 million to $38 million -- during the 1990s. This support helps
faculty and staff members, provides space and equipment, and puts UM on the national
education map. Finally, all alumni know that George Dennison presided over the most
successful capital campaign in Montana's history. The UM Foundation raised more than $70
million -- almost twice its goal -- for scholarships and institutional support.
Two other achievements must be noted. Diversity is a modern
hallmark of American higher education, and George has reached out to Montana's Indian
population, establishing scholarships funded by him and his wife, Jane, and creating an
official Department of Native American Studies. The number of foreign students attending
UM also has increased. Many come from universities with which UM has exchange agreements
-- in Japan, Denmark, Canada, England and Chile. I took advantage of George's
internationalism by teaching summer school at Northampton College in England this year. I
enjoyed everything about the experience except for the price of gas.
There are other achievements: Internet access; administrative
restructuring with Montana Tech, Western Montana College and the Colleges of Technology in
Helena and Missoula; a Division I-AA national football championship in 1995; and a new
institutional theme, "The Discovery Continues." George Dennison has outlined an
ambitious agenda for the next five years, but based on his track record, there's no
question he'll achieve his goals. Just one problem: George's biggest headache remains
unsolved and apparently unsolvable -- parking. I have the answer to that one and will
reveal it in return for a guaranteed space.
Harry Fritz
December 2000 |
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