Interim chancellor shares vision

Montana State University-Northern Interim Chancellor Greg Kegel has amassed more than 40 years at the institution.

Kegel said what he wants for Northern's future is for the university's faculty, staff and students to define who they are. He said he wants to make sure everyone understands what the university's niches are.

"That's always the worry of any chancellor, is do we have a working infrastructure?" Kegel said. "I think that Northern will be healthy. We have to figure out what our right size is. We have to determine and use that as a goal to be healthy."

Kegel was named chancellor in August, when Jim Limbaugh abruptly resigned in the wake of several controversies. Montana State University President Waded Cruzado said Kegel was the right person for the job at this time.

Kegel said the university will be down a few full-time equivalent students this fall - Limbaugh had promised an increase in enrollment. Kegel said he is looking at niche programs like diesel and nursing to bounce it back up.

"Our nursing program is a program that we have to have," Kegel said. "It's needed in the Hi-Line region."

He said he and other administrators have also been talking about the possibility of extending the rodeo program and creating more extensive degree programs in the College of Agriculture.

"Those are programs that are right for this region," Kegel said. "There's a lot of ag-related economy here."

He added that secondary education will also have a high importance in future plans.

"We know that forever Northern has been and started as a teaching institution," Kegel said. "We know how important secondary education is."

His plans include finding ways to gain $4 million to fund the new auto diesel technology center.

Kegel said there have been a lot of excellent things that have happened at the college and what he thinks is the most important thing to work on to further the institution is bring the staff and faculty of Northern together, as well as the Havre-area community.

"People have to feel like they have a voice and that Northern supports that voice," Kegel said.

He began his relationship with Northern as a student. He said he had plans to transfer to another college but decided to not leave. After completing his undergraduate degree, he taught at Havre High School for six years and was recruited back to Northern around 1982, he said.

Since his return as a professor, he has been an integral part of a number of innovations and upgrades at the institution. He said he was instrumental in developing the first computer-assisted design system and the creation of two training centers that were at the time, top-of-the-line centers.

He became dean 13 years ago, where he succeeded in raising money for the new Applied Technology Building and creating the Bioenergy Innovation Testing Center, among other projects. The creation of the testing center was made possible through Kegel's acquiring a large grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to construct the building, he said.

"That was probably my last biggest thing as the dean," Kegel said.

Under his administrative rule as dean, the College of Technical Sciences was divided into four programs as student enrollment in the college expanded. The students in some programs are granted credit on their journeyman cards and the diesel program has doubled in size since he became the dean, he said. The program also gained a network of industry partners that Kegel said has the most extensive list of partners in higher education today. The program also see a 100 percent job placement rate for the students who go through it.

"I had one of the greatest group of faculty to work with," Kegel said.

Kegel said the success of the program is dependent on the students Northern attracts.

"We've been fortunate in our ability to recruit kids that usually come out of the Northern plains and have that Montana work ethic," Kegel said. "Our industry partners love our kids."

On the subject of collegiate sports at Northern, Kegel said he was an athlete, his sons both played collegiate sports and he believes sports programs are absolutely necessary in any university.

"I've already committed to the athletic director and all the coaches," Kegel said. "I'll mow the lawn if I have to. I believe it's that important and I know it's very important to Northern."

Kegel, in his fourth week as interim chancellor, said he has had to learn much in his new role he was promoted to without much warning.

"It was a little bit of a tough time," Kegel said. "I wish I could have celebrated it a little bit more. It was a great thing for me personally, but there was a confusion and it happened quickly. That diminished it a little bit."

Despite the tumult of his taking the position, he said that he was incredibly honored and humbled to be asked and that it was overwhelming.

"I'm trying to get my arms around all the different things a chancellor has to deal with on a daily basis, but I have an excellent supporting cast and I'm starting to feel better about it," Kegel said.

Kegel said that he has a one-year contract as chancellor, but does not know when a national search for a permanent chancellor will be. He said he is going to throw his hat into the ring when it happens, though.

When asked what his least favorite part of the job is, he said there are a lot of people asking him to "please don't change" and be the person he has always been. He said he hopes these statements will turn out to be unnecessary.

"I guess wearing a suit every day and being politically correct is a little difficult," Kegel said, laughing. "But I have people to help me make positive changes in the campus and the community."