The Board of Regents has hired the next President of the University of Montana. He is 49-year old Jeremiah Shinn. The unanimous decision came just after 9:00 Tuesday morning. Board Chair Todd Buchanan said the University is growing and successful, “and we did not want any vacancy in leadershipto disrupt that momentum.”
Shinn brings 20-years of academic experience to the University. He has been the Interim President at Boise State, having been elevated from Vice President of Student Affairs. He held a similar position at L-S-U. He’s also held top-level positions at Indiana University Bloomington and Eastern Michigan University.
Last time around–over 8-years ago, the Board of Regents turned to the private sector to hire Seth Bodnar, who at the time was running the locomotive division of General Motors. Bodnar resigned to run as an Independent candidate for the U-S Senate, the seat currently held by Sen. Steve Daines.
Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian tells us that, with so many flagship Universities looking for their new President, they felt they needed to move quickly. Using the nationally recognized firm, AGB Search, they corralled more than 70 accomplished leaders from across the nation.
