By Mick Holien
I’m not a person of hyperbole but I feel comfortably saying that the selection of Seth Bodnar as the University of Montana’s 19th president is not just a home run it’s a Grand Slam.
I do have to admit that before I met him as he visited Emma last week, I came to that conclusion by one of the first things he did after taking the reins from Interim President Sheila Stearns with a agreeable nod to her husband Hal, the state’s first Interim Gentleman.
Early on Bodnar said Academics was not necessarily his strength and he expected to place a priority on hiring a top-of-the line amd highly experienced Provost.
Currently an Interim Provost-and Vice-President for Academic Affairs is pushing the ball down the floor while four finalists for the position will visit campus next month.
By definition, a variety of interdisciplinary units (Deans) report to an institution’s Provost, a position that has been described as the institution’s most important.
I guess I would call the position the Chief Operating Officer (COO).
And the use of a business term to describe the position in this case is apropos.
At the age of 38, whatever cumulative years Bodnar lacks, he counters with the length and breathe of a quite diverse document.
Mark my words and I also am not into prognostication, my early recognition of Seth and Chelsea as the state’s “Gold Medal Power Couple “could be understated.
But wherever the bar is set any of Bodnar’s early success will not just enhance reputation but also lend credibility to his selection.
So what rung my bell when I met him you ask.
You’ll find out next week. Just sayin’
