Northern's Limbaugh named Outstanding Advocate

James Limbaugh, chancellor of Montana State University-Northern, has received the Outstanding Advocate Award from Montana Associated Students.

The award was presented at the May meeting of Board of Regents in Great Falls.

The award is handed out annually to the most deserving administrator, staff or faculty member who has demonstrated hard work and shown consideration for students.

Montana Associated Students is comprised of student body presidents and vice presidents at each of the eight campuses in the Montana University System. MAS has approximately 47,000 constituents across the state.

The voting system implemented by MAS is a carefully thought-out process. Members first submit recommendations for nomination. These candidates are discussed and debated, and an initial vote is cast. Limbaugh first received 14 of 16 votes, but after a second vote was taken, Limbaugh was the unanimous choice.

Limbaugh was chosen, in part, because each member of MAS could recall some sort one-on-one, or personal interaction with him, said Asa Hohman, MAS president and president of the Associated Students of the University of Montana. He was very accessible not only to the Northern students, but also to students across Montana.

“There were a lot of other high- quality applicants,” said Hohman, “but Chancellor Limbaugh easily won the day.”

Another influential factor came straight from Northern.

“There were passionate words coming from Northern students,” said Hohman. He said Northern students felt Limbaugh deserved the award because of his involvement in and around campus and his ability to stimulate improvement.

In a press release, it was noted that Limbaugh’s wife, Trish Limbaugh, also was commended during the award presentation.

Together, they motivated the community to become involved in upgrades of the Student Union Building and development of the Northern Food Court.

In the press release, Limbaugh said, “This honor belongs to all of us: the MSUN community and the members of the Havre community who stepped forward and helped. It would not have been possible without the partnership of everyone who works tirelessly on a daily basis to provide our students the best educational experience possible.”