Roundup Record Tribune & Winnett Times -

BILLINGS — Montana State University Billings will start 2021 under new leadership as Dr. Stefani Hicswa, Ph.D., takes the reins as Chancellor Jan. 11, following the resignation of Dan Edelman in July due to health issues.

Hicswa comes to MSUB from Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming, where she has served as president since 2013. Under her leadership, Northwest College achieved the highest completion rate in its history, completed significant capital projects and launched comprehensive strategic visioning and master plans.

“Dr. Hicswa demonstrated an incredible depth of understanding and strength of vision for higher education combined with a sincere passion to help students succeed," said MSU President Waded Cruzado, as she announced Hicswa’s selection for the position in October. “Her enthusiasm for MSU Billings and Montana is clearly evident.”

Chancellor Hicswa will have the opportunity to carry forward significant momentum, including student achievements.

2020 also saw the naming of MSUB’s fifth Goldwater Scholarship nominee. Junior DJ McGee is pursuing a double major in psychology and biology with a minor in chemistry. He’s uncovered his passion for neuroscience, specifically in the fields of research and education.

And the MSUB peer education group HEROES was among three nationwide to earn the Outstanding Peer Education Group award at the General Assembly of NAPSA for their work to provide consistent health and safety resources on their campus, including using social media as an educational platform and creating online health resources.

2020 saw the launch of the 1+3 Pathway Program, a partnership of MSUB and Billings Public Schools that enables high school students to complete their first year of college while in high school. A combination of dual credit courses such as Advanced Placement, High School Connections and University Connections will count toward the 31 credits of general education requirements needed to start college as a sophomore. The program includes education courses so future teachers can complete college and start their careers sooner.

Also in 2020, MSUB was named a bronze-rated Military Friendly School by militaryfriendly.com. The ratings are based on six categories of benchmark standards for meeting the needs of military students including academic policies and compliance; admissions and orientation; culture and commitment; financial aid and assistance; gradu-ation and career and military student support and retention.

Meanwhile, MSUB became an official site of the Office of Public Instruction’s “Systems of Care Tribal Wraparound Project." The new location in the MSU Billings College of Education is among nine sites statewide that provide culturally based, comprehensive services to youth in grades 6 through 12.

MSUB received funding this summer for two five-year grants through the U.S. Department of Education’s Student Support Services/TRIO Program. Funding for MSU Billings university campus is $362,740 and City College, MSUB’s two-year campus, received $261,888 annually for the next five years, totaling more than $3.1 million. The Student Support Services/TRIO Program provides academic and person-centered services to low-income, first-generation, or disabled college students to increase student retention and graduation rates and foster an institutional climate supportive of the success of these students.

MSU Billings also launched its new Advising and Career departments, which split the former Advising & Career Services department into separate units to fully carry the tenor of MSUB’s Strategic Plan – Students First – throughout the institution. The goal of this separation is to serve students in a more integrated, comprehensive and holistic manner from the time they enroll through the launch of their career.

The MSUB College of Business kept its place among elite business schools, earning extended accreditation from The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International. MSUB also received a glowing report on its Seven Year Mission Fulfillment and Sustainability Evaluation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

MSUB’s two-year campus, City College, received Montana Governor’s Emergency Education Relief grant funding for several health and trades programs that support new workforce-based programming with a remote learning component. Sole project funding was awarded for the Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) program in the amount of $30,766.

City College, together with Great Falls College and Gallatin College, received $180,000 in total funding for the OneMSU Workforce Consortium on Respiratory Therapy. In addition, a statewide project for Construction Technology with partners Gallatin College, Great Falls College and Missoula College yielded $150,000 in funding