HELENA – A University of Montana decision to create a new administrative position drew the ire Friday of the governor and a regent — both arguing such a move sends the wrong signals after the school just sought a tuition hike.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer called UM officials “tone deaf” for seeking to create the new post of associate vice president of student affairs — just after it successfully argued a tuition hike was needed to maintain quality in the classrooms.
“They didn’t need more researchers and they didn’t need more teachers. What they needed was another vice president? Really?” Schweitzer said.
UM President George Dennison told the Missoulian newspaper on Thursday that the post is necessary even as the university reduces the work hours of some employees, to save money. UM Dining Services recently trimmed the hours of some kitchen workers and middle managers.
The new associate vice president will work with the Office of Student Affairs, which includes Dining Services, Dennison said.
University officials did not return a phone call seeking comment Friday.
One member of the Board of Regents, which oversees the college system, was miffed at the news.
“It seems like the campuses favor administration over putting dollars in the classroom,” said Regent Todd Buchanan of Billings.
Buchanan had unsuccessfully argued that the schools should make do with a tuition freeze. He was in the minority on regent votes that resulted in a tuition increase of 3 percent at the flagship schools and an increase in a number of fees charged students.
The schools, which in some instances sought even larger tuition increases, argued that the quality of education was the utmost priority and should not be sacrificed even in tough financial times.
“Looking back at the last couple of months, what’s the message from the University System? ‘Dear Student, we are going to raise your expenses, fire modestly paid frontline employees and create and fund new administrative positions’?” Buchanan said. “That is the wrong message, but unfortunately it is exactly what we are saying and reiterates the need to talk systemic reform.”
Schweitzer had advocated a tuition freeze like the one he sought and received for the previous two years.
But the schools argued funding from the state was inadequate to keep up with costs. The Board of Regents approved the increases over the past few weeks. The regents operate autonomously from the governor and have constitutional authority to make their own decisions over higher education budgets.
Schweitzer said Montanans are going to have a hard time understanding UM’s decision.
“It is about the dollars. But it is about the message,” Schweitzer said. “What are they saying? We are saying to every student’s parent that you have to pay more for your student to go here so we can hire another vice president?”