The following statement was adopted
by the Board of Regents in March, 1990.
Mission Statement
Under the Constitution of the State of
Montana, the governance and control of
the Montana University System are
vested exclusively in the Board of
Regents of Higher Education which has
full power, responsibility, and authority
to supervise, coordinate, manage, and
control the Montana University System.
In addition, the Board of Regents
exercises programmatic oversight of
Montana's three community colleges.
The Board of Regents appoints, by
constitutional mandate, a commissioner
of Higher Education as the chief
administrative officer of the Montana
University System.
In 1987, the Legislature vested the
Board of Regents with general
administrative oversight and supervision
of post-secondary vocational-technical
education. The Commissioner of Higher
Education serves as chief administrative
officer for post-secondary vocational-technical education in Montana.
As public servants of the state of
Montana, the Regents and
Commissioner are obligated to exercise
several principal responsibilities on
behalf of the citizens:
Coordination for the Maintenance of Diversity and Access
Fundamentally, all units of public post-secondary education exist to serve the
educational, social, and campus
environmental needs of a diverse student
population not bounded by the
traditional definition of college-age
students. It is reasonable for these
Montanans to expect a wide range of
instructional programs in their
institutions of higher learning. College
bound and vocational-technical students
should find available in Montana
academic and technical disciplines
commensurate with those found in other
states. Generally, undergraduates and
vocational-technical students should not
have to leave Montana to pursue
programs of study because they are
unavailable in the state. In cases where
a particular program of studies is not
offered in Montana, the Regents will
make very effort to secure access to such
a program in another state though
interstate cooperative arrangements.
To be sure, not all programs can be
made available on each college campus
or vocational-technical center.
However, the Board of Regents must be
cognizant of educational needs in all
areas of the State and endeavor to
provide reasonable access to as many
programs as possible for as many
qualified citizens as possible. This
effort should involve, when feasible,
state-of-the-art technology for distance
learning and the development of
nontraditional modes for the delivery of
courses and programs.
For reasons of economy and necessity,
public expectations for diversity must
necessarily narrow when considering
graduate education. Master's programs
should be initiated and continued only
when needs, resources, and institutional
missions so dictate. Doctoral programs
should be very limited in number and
scope. They should not be initiated or
continued if resources are inadequate to
permit regional and/ or national
reputations of high quality as determined
by appropriate external reviews.
The Board of Regents has the
responsibility for coordinating the
delivery of public post-secondary
education in Montana. Accordingly, the
system must set the proper role and
scope configuration of programs at each
campus, determine state wide
educational needs, and provide
leadership and support to the several
campuses in meeting these needs. The
Regents must be mindful of economic
limitations and wary of unnecessary
duplication.
Assurance of Quality
Through careful and regular review of
programs in both vocational-technical
and academic areas, the Board of
Regents assures high educational
standards in all public post-secondary
institutions. Further, the Regents seek to
provide institutional budgets that are
consistent with the maintenance and
enhancement of high quality instruction,
research, and public service.
In cooperation with secondary schools
in Montana, the Montana University
System establishes appropriate statewide
standards for admission to post-secondary education. Minimum
admission standards improve the
preparations of college-bound students
and provide to students assurances of
increased likelihoods of success. In
addition, through various scholarship
programs, the Montana University
System seeks to attract outstanding
Montana high school students to one of
the several campuses.
The Board of Regents, in concert with
the several campuses and centers, has
the responsibility of providing leadership
in helping to attract and retain
outstanding faculty, staff, and
administrators. This is to be done
through improved salaries, better
working conditions, and professional
development opportunities.
Accountability to the Public
Montana Citizens have over the years
placed a high priority on public higher
education and, therefore, have a right to
proper accounting for the actions and
expenditures of the Montana University
system and the post-secondary
vocational-technical education centers in
the State. Accordingly, the Board of
Regents makes public explanations of
activities, expenditures, and discharge of
responsibilities.
The Regents exercise their
responsibility to be accountable in
several ways. First, they require that all
institution achieve and maintain
accreditation by the northwest
Association of Schools and Colleges.
Second, the Montana University System
encourages, and in some cases requires,
specific program accreditation. Third,
the Regents are responsible for
monitoring learning accomplishments of
students and professional
accomplishments of faculty. Finally, the
board of Regents must provide
appropriate reports of financial
expenditures. The best system of
education exists when the greatest
possible results are achieved with the
most efficient expenditure of the
taxpayers' investment. The Regents
have committed themselves to this ideal
and seek always to provide explanations
and assurances to the citizens that their
funds are being prudently expended.
Seek Adequate and Stable Funding
In as much as excellent higher
education is essential for the cultural,
economic, and social well being of
Montana, it is imperative that funding
for higher learning in Montana be
adequate and stable. Consequently, it is
an obligation of the Board of Regents to
advise the legislative and executive
branches on fiscal challenges and
opportunities facing higher education.
Undeniably, it is a primary responsibility
of the Board of Regents to be staunch
and committed advocates of adequate
educational funding, to that end, the
higher education community must stand
ready to provide accurate, broadly-based
data to be used in the construction of a
tax structure for all state purposes. In
addition, the Board of Regents has the
responsibility of seeking creative
funding alternative to supplement state
revenues. These would include but not
be limited to institutional partnerships
with private businesses and industry,
aggressive fund raising efforts from both
private and public agencies, and internal
reallocations that eliminate unnecessary
expenditures and assure funding for
programs of high quality, priority, and
demand.
Enhancement of Economic, Environmental, and Cultural Well-Being of Montana
Through its many programs in
teaching, research, and public service,
post-secondary education has the
responsibility of making Montana a
better place to live. Continuation of the
State's economic growth will be
increasingly dependent upon its ability to
meet the demands of existing
commercial enterprises and new
industries seeking to locate within its
borders. Higher education opportunities
for managers, scientists, and technicians
must come largely from the colleges,
universities, and vocational-technical
centers. Moreover, the development of
new products can be enhanced through
expanded research capabilities within the
Montana University System. Low-cost
counsel to nascent businesses and
assistance in the transfer of technology
from laboratory to factory to
marketplace are proper obligations of the
campuses and vocational-technical
centers.
Montana has been blessed with a
splendid natural environment-clean air
and water, abundant wildlife, verdant
and plentiful forests, spaciousness, and
breathtaking beauty. The systems of
higher learning in Montana, through
educational, research, and service
programs, assist in the preservation of
this natural environment while
encouraging desired economic growth
and diversification.
The quality of Montana's human
environment rests in large measure on
the competence of its teachers, health
care providers, public administrators,
law enforcement personnel, business
leaders, and officers of the judiciary.
The Montana University System and
post-secondary vocational education
enhance this rich human resource
through a myriad of education
opportunities for training, retraining, and
upgrading.
In addition, the Board of Regents
recognizes its responsibility to help
improve the educational fortunes of
Montana's large Indian population.
Measures of this commitment include
close cooperation with the tribally
controlled community colleges, Indian
student fee waivers, establishment of
Native American Study Centers on the
campuses, extensive data collection and
student tracking, and many other efforts
to recruit and retain Indian students.
Role and Scope Statement
The Montana University System is
comprised of six colleges and
universities bound together for the
common purpose of serving the citizens
of Montana. The system includes
comprehensive research universities,
specialty institutions, and smaller
colleges closely attuned to regional
needs. The State of Montana does not
need nor can it support six identical
comprehensive institutions of higher
learning. Hence, the System is
committed to provide reasonable access
without unnecessary duplication of
programs. Indeed, examination of the
six institutions will reveal that they are
diverse, shaped by different histories,
and designed to meet different needs.
This uniqueness is recognized and
encouraged.
While the institutions are unique, they
function as part of an integrated hole
seeking to achieve maximum
cooperation and interdependency as
directed by the Board of Regents. this
cooperation and interdependency is
marked by:
- Sharing of intellectual and material
resources;
- Collaboration among units in
teaching, research, and public service;
- Participation in a common transfer
core curriulum;
- Guaranteed acceptance of credits
from other institutions in the System;
- Use of a common academic calendar;
- Mutual efforts to assure orderly
educational changes in response to shifts
in society.
Further, all units of the Montana
University System have the common and
fundamental purpose of developing the
intellectual potential and aesthetic
awareness of all students, including the
skills of inquiry, reasoning, and
expression. Through a variety of
professional programs, the System seeks
to important essential competencies that
students will require for successful
careers both now and in the future.
The Montana University System
emphasizes undergraduate education
through a broad range of Associate and
Bachelor's degrees in the arts,
humanities, sciences, social sciences,
and professional disciplines. In
addition, Master's, Specialist, and
Doctoral degrees are offered in certain
fields. The System is committed to
lifelong learning opportunities and
continuing education for both degree-seeking, and nondegree-seeking
students.
The Montana University system
recognizes the significant relationship to
research (including artistic and creative
works) to all instructional programs.
Accordingly, each campus has a research
mission consistent with its defined role
and scope. The community of scholars
operates in an atmosphere conductive to
free inquiry, unfettered exploration of
the unknown, and honest examination of
hypotheses and accepted bodies of
knowledge. Moreover, the System
affirms those commonly accepted
principles of academic freedom that are
hallmarks of American public higher
education.
Public service is a natural and desired
outgrow of the instructional and research
activities of the System. Each institution
offers public services consistent with its
specified role and scope, and when
adequate expertise exists to assure the
quality of the program. In addition, all
units in the System serve as cultural
centers for their local communities and
regions. Through a variety of shows,
festivals, performances, and symposia,
Montanas are exposed to artistic and
cultural developments from around the
world.
The entire higher education enterprise
is coordinated by the Office of the
Commissioner of Higher Education so
that the needs of the state can be met
efficiently and effectively with minimum
of cost.
Institutional Philosophy
To meet its obligation to students and
the state, the University maintains
programs of high quality in liberal arts
and professional disciplines at both
undergraduate and graduate levels. The
liberal arts emphasis of the College of
Arts and Sciences is supplemented by
the professional programs in both the
College and the Schools. Undergraduate
teaching is a major concern of the
university, while graduate education
encourages faculty members to stay
abreast of developments in their fields
and to contribute to new knowledge
through research.
The University promotes high-quality
instruction through support of traditional
programs, development of new curricula,
encouragement of innovative and
interdisciplinary programs, and
modification or elimination of programs
that require change or no longer warrant
support. It recognizes the individuality
of each student by encouraging close
contact between student and teacher and
by providing advising and counseling
services.
The University's foremost
responsibility in service to the state is to
prepare students for the intellectual and
ethical challenges of responsible
citizenship. But it also maintains a
strong program of continuing education,
including sponsorship of off-campus
programs, courses and workshops;
promotes public access to cultural
programs and other University-sponsored events; and encourages
faculty members to offer their
knowledge and creative talents to the
public through publishing, consultation,
artistic performance and participation in
public affairs and forums.
The University serves the broader
society and the nation by exploring for
new knowledge and seeking solutions to
social problems. It vigorously supports
research programs and fives high priority
to the maintenance of adequate
laboratory facilities and library services.
The College of Technology of the University of Montana-Missoula
The mission of the College of
Technology is to provide lifelong
occupational learning opportunities for
Montana residents. The College is
committed to developing the vocational
skills and background needed to give
students ongoing occupational
competence and to the development of
this occupational competence through an
emphasis on hands-on experience.
Faculty and staff believe in the
encouragement of the fullest
development of each student's individual
potential, so that students can continue
to contribute creatively to society.
Student dignity is enhance by fostering
respect for individual differences,
talents, and abilities.
The College is committed to an
ongoing relationship with our national,
regional, state and local community.
This challenge of community interaction
is met by providing a technically skilled
workforce, by developing programs
responsive to industry needs, and by
listening and responding to the
community workforce and other
educational institutions.