Moisey: Northern major player in region, the state and the country

Bear Paw Development Corp. held its annual meeting Thursday at the Student Union Building of Montana State University Northern where Northern Provost R. Neil Moisey gave a presentation on the university's effect on the local economy and their ambitions for the future.

Bear Paw Development Executive Director Paul Tuss said he's happy they're able to do this event in person again after last year, where they had to have a much smaller event remotely.

Before Moisey's keynote Tuss talked briefly about his organization's accomplishments over the past year, one marred by the pandemic, but also one where they were able to continue providing a great amount of support to the local community.

"I can proudly report that 2021 was a banner year for Bear Paw Development," Tuss said.

He said the COVID-19 related investments Bear Paw helped coordinate, on top of the $13.1 million in other funding they dealt with, will impact the region for decades to come.

He said for every one dollar contributed to them by local government partners they were able to leverage 125 for the community.

Tuss also said he wanted to recognize Bear Paw's staff and board of directors for everything they do day in and day out, not only making the organization and community better, but making his job as executive director immeasurably easier.

After a round of applause for the people of Bear Paw, Tuss introduced Moisey and apologized that Northern Chancellor Greg Kegel, who was originally set to give the presentation, wasn't able to make it due to illness.

Moisey also apologized of Kegel's absence and said he'd do the best he could to fill in.

He said Northern, coming up on its 100th Anniversary in 2029, continues to be a massive part of the community and a driver of economic activity not just locally, but through the state, and its impacts have been impressive given its size.

"This is a very significant institution despite its size relative to (Montana State University) or University of Montana," he said.

Moisey said that, in 1929, the university was considered something of an educational frontier and while the Hi-Line has changed a lot in the almost hundred years since then, they aim to remain on the frontier, pushing boundaries and giving students unique opportunities, in particular lower-income students.

He said Northern is structurally similar to many other universities in the state, but they stand out in that they have a huge number of Pell Grant-eligible students.

He said these students tend to be first-generation college goers, come from lower-income backgrounds, and have less academic preparation than their peers and the university continues to do a great job working with those students.

Moisey said of all universities in the state, Northern's students demonstrate the most economic mobility, and they're doing pretty well compared to other U.S. universities in that respect.

He said the university continues to provide the community with workers during a time of critical staff shortages.

"We are the generator of the workers who go and work with you and work for you and provide work for you," he said.

Beyond that, he said, Northern's students also bring a significant amount of economic activity to the area and the university is continuing to work with the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce to get students active in the community, which is a huge benefit to everyone, especially in such a rural and remote area of the U.S.

Moisey said Northern also remains the fourth-biggest employer in the area and its presence still drives economic development in the region.

He said one of the main things Kegel has been talking about lately is how to make sure the university continues to evolve and stay on top in these rapidly changing times.

"What are we going to do as a campus to stay relevant so we are proving the students with the best opportunity," he said.

Moisey pointed to the university's Bio-Energy Research Center, which continues to generate research dollars from around the U.S. and the world, a testament to the cutting-edge research they are doing.

He also talked about their efforts to expand their programs into areas like equine studies and meat production and processing.

The university has also pushed the limits when it comes to how they deliver their education, adapting to the pandemic along with their students.

Moisey said he's heard stories of students in Turner driving over an hour to a place with internet and cell service just to attend remote classes, an indication of the devotion of their students.

He implored the audience to continue supporting the institution so they can keep supporting the community.

"Help us help the Hi-Line," he said.