Our View: Kegel for Chancellor

More than 40 people spoke at a public forum Thursday morning in favor of naming Greg Kegel permanent chancellor of Montana State University-Northern.

Speaker after speaker cited Kegel’s temperament, judgment, ability to create a teamwork atmosphere and his ability to calm tense situations.

Faculty, students, administrators and local governmental and business leaders joined in pushing for Kegel’s permanent appointment to the position he has held since the fall.

The comments match what we’ve heard in the coffee shops and gathering places around Havre. Kegel has restored a sense of purpose to the institution that is so vital to our community.

We’d like to enthusiastically add our voice to the chorus. We hope the Board of Regents will, this one time, do away with the lengthy search process and appoint Kegel to the post and let Northern begin the tough job of moving forward.

Northern seems to be more united in planning its future and less interested in the vitriolic verbal brawling that has dominated the place under the last two chancellors.

People seem to be catching their breath. Calm is returning.

There are certainly advantages of conducting a nationwide search, and MUS policy says we should. Very often a fresh set of eyes can offer a lot of good suggestions on how a campus should meet the problems it faces.

But in this case, we think the interim chancellor has the ability to draw people together and inspire confidence. He has a unique set of qualification that match perfectly with what Northern needs.

Kegel knows Havre and Northern like the back of his hand. There will be no learning curve.

He is familiar with and has the respect of staffers from liberal arts and the technical communities. The nursing program, which has undergone a tough few years, seems to be back on track.

And Kegel has a knack for raising money. He has successfully pulled off what many people thought would be impossible — raising enough money to ensure that the new automotive and diesel technology building will be built — without cutting back on necessities. Northern will be needing a lot of money in coming years, and, sadly, the Legislature doesn’t seem willing to open up its purse for all that is needed.

Maybe the stars have aligned and this time it’s best to ignore traditions that usually work well. Maybe it’s time to pick the local guy who seems to have all the qualifications so he can continue the process of healing at a badly hurt institution.

A Kegel appointment will not be an end-all of Northern’s problems.

Northern’s future is bright, but some difficult decisions will have to be made in a variety of areas. The school faces gradual enrollment declines that have to be reversed. There are financial problems. There is an aging teaching force. There are changing student needs.

Those who now are praising Kegel may be on the losing side of some of those tough decisions.

Will there be vigorous debate on these issues? You bet. Northern people are passionate about the school. Northern and Havre folks are always willing to express their opinions.That’s part of life in academia.

But let’s keep it civil and remember that the long-range goals of Northern are more important than any single issue.

When things get tough, Kegel will need backing from some of the people supporting him now

We have a great opportunity here to do something very good for Northern. Let’s move forward.