Now that Engstrom is gone, maybe a teacher should run the school

By Dan Brooks in Montana Politics 0 Comment

One of the few images of former UM president Royce Engstrom left undestroyed

Enrollment at the University of Montana here in beautiful Missoula, Montana has declined almost 25 percent in the last five years. This drop roughly coincides with the tenure of President Royce Engstrom, who stepped down last week in a mutual decision with the Board of Regents that they announced. Here’s regent chief Clayton Christian:

After careful discussion and consideration, University of Montana President Royce Engstrom and I have decided that he will step down as UM’s president effective December 31. I asked President Engstrom to consider this transition at this time based on my belief that a change in leadership direction is the right step for UM going forward.

Sounds like an amicable discussion to me. Engstrom is probably just one of the many Americans who quit their jobs right before Christmas to focus on family. But maybe he got fired. If that’s the case, the most interesting phrase in Christian’s statement might be “at this time.”

Why now? Engstrom got through the first few years of declining enrollment, big cuts to teaching budgets, and a Department of Justice investigation with his job intact. So what prompted the regents to cut him loose last week, in the middle of the school year?

You can read my speculation on that and other subjects in this week’s column for the Missoula Independent, which advances the piping-hot take that maybe a teacher should run the school. Never forget that when declining enrollment forced UM to lay people off last year, 98% of the planned cuts went to classroom instruction. Administrators don’t cut administration. But instruction is what UM is selling. Facing an enrollment crisis, the Engstrom administration decided to offer fewer services for the same price. Maybe there’s fat to be trimmed somewhere else. We’ll be back tomorrow with Friday links!

Amid budget cuts and enrollment collapse, UM president wins award

By Dan Brooks in Montana Politics 0 Comment
University of Montana president Royce Engstrom

University of Montana president Royce Engstrom

During the five years Royce Engstrom has served as president of the University of Montana, enrollment has fallen by almost a third. Last week, the College of Humanities and Sciences announced cuts of 30% to its teaching budget and 50% to its operations. The last five years have seen a federal Department of Justice investigation into the university’s handling of sexual assault, the publication of a book titled Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town, and the payment of a $245,000 settlement to former quarterback Jordan Johnson. Meanwhile, the Montana Associated Students has named Engstrom its 2016 Administrator of the Year.

At first I thought they were being cruel. But MAS really means it: they gave Engstrom the award for how well he has handled the process of “realigning the workforce so that the budget reflected the institution’s current enrollment.” Essentially, he has been publicly commended for overseeing the collapse of the university.

That collapse may not be Engstrom’s fault, but it has coincided with his tenure. Enrollment was at a record high when he took office. He may have inherited many, many scandals related to sexual assault, but he also was in charge during the botched investigation for which the university just paid Johnson a quarter million dollars. If Engstrom is the best administrator in the state, who was the second best? And what meteor were his students crushed beneath?

You can read smart remarks such as these in this week’s column for the Missoula Independent. I don’t want to be too hard on Engstrom, because many of the problems that have blossomed during his administration were planted in previous ones. Still, we should not pretend that the University of Montana is in a good position right now. Nor should we tell ourselves that it is being run well when it continues to fall apart.