
UM President Bodnar touts growing enrollment, strong research
James Dobson
(Missoula Current) Standing before a crowd of more than 300 faculty and staff, University of Montana president Seth Bodnar gave the “2024 State of the University” address outlining the institution’s strengths and challenges.
Standing at a podium in the in the Phyllis J. Washington Education Center on Thursday, Bodnar cited record-breaking enrollment growth and recent achievements by faculty, saying UM is gaining momentum despite economic headwinds.
“To put it simply,” Bodnar said. “It’s a great time to be a Griz.”
Enrollment at UM is up 6% in 2024, the largest year-over-year improvement since 2009. 10,811 are now studying at the university. In his address, Bodnar highlighted strong growth in first-generation students, who comprise 28% of the student body.
UM also broke the record for concurrent Native American enrollment, with 839 students.
“We are firmly in a cycle of growth,” Bodnar said. “Amidst a significant decline nationally in enrollment, we’re bucking those trends.
The number of U.S. high school graduates is expected to peak in 2025 and then fall for several years, according to research at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.
Many universities are bracing for an “enrollment cliff” where a loss of students could mean cut funding for central programs. Bodnar said UM’s focus on keeping education affordable and accessible will help avoid the loss.
“Everyone deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential,” Bodnar said. “We will never brag about how many people we turn away, as if somehow being exclusive means you’re high quality.”
In 2022, the university achieved R1 research classification, the top rank for a research institution. UM spends more than $120 million each year on its research projects.
Thursday, Bodnar said researchers are building on this achievement by being in the top 4% of research universities.
“Behind these research numbers are not only exciting scientific advancements but also incredible economic impact for our communities,” Bodnar said. “This research stimulates hundreds of millions of dollars of economic impact for our community and state.”
Bodnar also pointed to many challenges faced by Americans that could impact success at the university, including spreading national division, a slowing economy, growing income inequality and the transformational impacts of generational artificial intelligence on the workforce.
Because of this, he announced plans to create a College of Science on campus, further focusing efforts to grow Montana students in the STEM fields. Bodnar pointed out that some of the fastest-growing majors of study at UM are in the field of environmental science and sustainability.
To conclude his address, Bodnar told attendants that UM has “earned the right to be confident” and that “the time to own our distinction is now”.