Montana Board of Regents Elects New Chair
May 30, 2008
Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education
Contact: Tyler Trevor (406) 444-0307
The Montana Board of Regents elected a new chairman at a meeting held on the MSU-Northern campus in Havre on Friday. By unanimous vote the Board selected Steven M. Barrett as its new chair. Barrett replaces Lynn Morrison-Hamilton, who has held the post for the past two years.
“I feel privileged to be selected to chair the Board of Regents and look forward to working with the commissioner of higher education, the campuses, the governor's office, the legislature and our colleagues in the K-12 system to continue to move the University System forward,” said Barrett. “This is an excellent Board that continues to tackle issues surrounding affordability and access for Montana students and at the same time is working to find ways to make the university system more efficient in order to hold costs down.” Governor Brian Schweitzer appointed Barrett, a Bozeman based attorney, to the Board of Regents in May 2005.
Commissioner of Higher Education Sheila Stearns said, “Steve is an excellent choice to lead the regents; his business sense coupled with a “get-it-done” attitude will position the university system well as we work toward the next legislative session.” Stearns added, “Lynn Hamilton has done an exceptional job as chair and will be passing the baton to an equally capable person.”
The Regents also elected Clayton Christian as vice chairman. Christian, the owner and CEO of Stewart Title of Missoula, has served as a regent since July 2006.
