Last week the dining hall at the country club was crowded with a variety of special guests for our noon meeting. Our featured speaker was UM President Seth Bodnar, who brought along a number of other UM staff. We also welcomed as guests many members of the area Lions Clubs, who were invited to get an update about the University of Montana from the guy in the top job.
President Bodnar focused on the short shelf life of discipline-specific education. He was educated at West Point for a kind of warfare that was rendered obsolete by 9/11. Fortunately, there and at Oxford, where he completed two master's degrees as a Rhodes Scholar, he also received the broad scientific, historical, and philosophical education that we call studies in the liberal arts. He was, in a phrase the UM is now using as its brand, "tomorrow-proof." He had the background, the perspectives, and the critical and creative thinking that allowed him to foresee, adjust to, and thrive on change.
Describing himself as a "5th-generation Montanan by marriage," Bodnar had deep ties to Montana before leaving a senior position at General Electric last year to take the helm at the University of Montana. He's been inspired by what he sees and excited about the university's future. He reminded us that UM has the top wildlife biology program in the country, the highest pass rates for accountants west of the Mississippi, and 3 researchers among the top 1% of cited researchers in the nation. Last year's Pulitzer Prize winner and this year's commencement speaker, a winner of a MacArthur "genius" grant, are UM graduates.
Bodnar and his team are well aware that the UM also has its problems. They're reaching out to connect more with Montana communities, especially Montana high school students, and innovating internally to ensure student success.
The new president is an insightful man and a charismatic speaker. For the quotes alone, his presentation was worthwhile. Acknowledging that the UM has ground to gain, he reminded us that Bill Gates once observed that people often overestimate what they can achieve in one year, but underestimate what can do in ten. This is clearly a man who doesn't fear the unknown and is confident he can move the university and the state it serves forward in changing and challenging times. Tomorrow-proof.
Next Week at Rotary
Next week we'll get an update on the Air National Guard from Col. Buel Dickson. Rhonda Wiggers, a guest from the Lions Club last week, failed to find Mr. Jack O'D, so the 50-50 pot will be teeming with at least $196! All that and the pleasure of one another's company! Join us at noon at the country club!
Please note that the Fire Pit Inspection at Tim Peterson's home (aka, the end-of-the-month social) has been re-scheduled from Thursday, the 23rd, to Thursday, the 30th. Should be fun!
This week's bulletin bucks winner is #41. If that's the number on the back of your Rotary button, contact Todd Neighbor for your prize.
On That Lonesome Highway ...
It may have been mid-May, but it was gloomy and brisk when our intrepid crew of volunteers met last Thursday for the semi-annual highway clean-up. A commitment is a commitment.
They got right to work and, other than our president running a-muck at one point (see our Facebook photo), the event went without incident. It's amazing the amount and variety of trash they picked up: a pillow, purple snakeskin pants, hubcaps, beer cans galore, a dust cap, a chocolate milk carton ... they even met a friendly little mouse. Sure feels good to know only the mouse remains!
Salud to the crew and their organizer, Carey Gray! Pictured here, from left, they are Todd Neighbor, Bill Knick, Jennifer Creed, Eric Hinebauch, Leon Green III, Carey, and Kurt Baltrusch.
Updates from the Board
Your Rotary board of directors gathered last week for its monthly meeting and has two major items of business to report.
The first is their decision to appoint Chayleen Person to fill the vacancy left on the board by Rob Rezek's resignation. We are fortunate to have someone with Chayleen's energy and talent to step up to serve. Thank you, Chayleen! We look forward to seeing more of you! (And, Rob, thanks for your service.)
The board also felt that it was important to be proactive in addressing the problem with the bridge leading to Camp Rotary. As reported in last week's bulletin, the load limit has been reduced to a level that restricts current use and suggests that the bridge is ending its useful lifetime. After lengthy discussion, the board decided to hire an engineering firm to prepare a report on the bridge with options for rehabilitation. That will help the board determine next steps to take.
Your board meets to serve you. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask officers Todd, Cari, Lacey, Megan, Dean or any of the other board members.
Milestones
A bumper crop of birthdays this week ... Mark Finnicum today, Ryan Miller tomorrow and Kimberley Hawn on Friday. Each unique, each special - another reminder that variety is the spice of life!
Weekly Wisdom: One Big Happy Family
Tolstoy said that happy families are all alike; only unhappy families are unique. Well, last week our club proved Tolstoy wrong.
As is our tradition, we ended our noon meeting with "Happy Moments," when any club member can get up before the group and share something that made them happy that week. Last week, we had a bumper crop of happy people, each happy in his or her own unique way. Some were happy about an upcoming event, several were happy about daughters getting degrees, but the degrees were as different as the daughter. One was happy about buying her very own home in Great Falls.
Here is what happy people look like while they wait in line to share their bliss. Calm. Content. Savoring the anticipation. Each one's news was worth the wait: happiness is contagious.
Last week the dining hall at the country club was crowded with a variety of special guests for our noon meeting. Our featured speaker was UM President Seth Bodnar, who brought along a number of other UM staff. We also welcomed as guests many members of the area Lions Clubs, who were invited to get an update about the University of Montana from the guy in the top job.
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