by William Skink

During the past decade no other flagship university has had the decimating drop in enrollment that the University of Montana has had.

With a new decade beginning, is this the year the University of Montana will make a turn toward finally increasing enrollment? The numbers say no, though the spin say things are improving

The University of Montana’s enrollment dipped again, though with improvement in retention, as well as continued growth reported in the graduate and law schools, spring enrollment reports show.

The Montana University System’s flagship school has seen declining enrollment since a record high point in Fall 2011, with the current figures showing a nearly 35% decline in total student headcount since then.
…
“Last year, we had 3.0% fewer students in spring than fall; this year it’s 2.3%,” Cole wrote in the press release. “That may seem like a small change, but when you consider we were down 8.2% in 2018, 6.9% in 2017 and 9.1% in 2016, we are clearly moving in a very positive direction. This data affirms progress in our strategy of making incremental improvements in rebuilding enrollment.”

While enrollment keeps going down, the amount of money paid out to Seth Bodnar keeps going up every year. Here is news on his last raise, which the Board of Regents ok’d last November:

The Montana Board of Regents approved a $500,000 deferred compensation plan for University of Montana President Seth Bodnar, plus a 2% pay raise for both Montana State University President Waded Cruzado and Commissioner of Higher Education Clay Christian at its meeting in Bozeman on Friday.

All three administrators – including Bodnar — will receive a boost in salary from their current $320,122 to $326,524, effective Jan. 1.

It’s fascinating how our glorious capitalist system generously rewards those at the top of corporations and institutions of higher learning for failing. Outside of these ivory towers people don’t get rewarded for failing in their jobs, they get demoted or fired.

Gee, I wonder why more and more people aren’t terrified at the thought of a self-identified socialist winning the White House.