University system regents lukewarm about Gianforte donation

Members of the Montana University System’s Board of Regents said they had mixed emotions about receiving an $8 million donation from Greg Gianforte for the School of computing at Montana State University.

But they voted unanimously to accept the gift at the Regents meeting at Montana State University-Northern Friday.

Gianforte, the Republican candidate for governor, and his wife Susan had pledged to make an $8 million donation over five years to the MSU School of Computing in Bozeman. In return, the university would rename the school the Gianforte School of Computing.

The deal has engendered opposition from critics who have said that it amounts to an election year ploy, while others have cited Gianforte’s opposition to a non-discrimination ordinance passed in 2014 prohibiting discrimination against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity and his donations to groups opposed to LGBT rights as being at odds with values espoused by the University.

William Johnstone said   he had mixed feelings on the matter, but that accepting the money was the course of action that the university would benefit from the most.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the gift will enhance the quality and value of the computer science program, and increase and improve educational opportunities for many students well into the future,” Johnston said.

He said the Gianfortes have a record of donating to MSU, and that the latest gift and donation was the capstone of giving.

Johnstone said that while he backed accepting the $8 million, it did not mean Gianforte’s views aligned with his own.  

“Asa Hohman, the student regent, said he had received over the last two weeks, “ a number of communications with the majority opposed to accepting the gift.

At one point, Hohman, appeared to get choked up.

“What I can say is that I am of a generation that unequivocally will not stand for … any the uh, mistreatment of anyone   be they be transgender, gay, straight, queer and any notions to the contrary   in my opinion, is untenable,” he said.

Hohman said the concerns of students who have voiced concerns about the gift and renaming should be considered going forward and that students need to have a larger role in decisions that the University’s foundations make.

“It’s been an issue on UM’s campus, it has been an issue on MSU’s campus and I think it is time that the students have a say in that process,” Hohman said.

Gianforte is the Republican party’s nominee for governor and hopes to unseat Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat and longtime gay rights supporter, in November.

“I really don’t have any reaction to that as a general matter.” Bullock said.

He said that increasingly state universities are becoming more reliant on private donors. He said that on average since the start of the Great Recession, state budgets for higher education have gone down 17 percent in student funding when adjusted for inflation.