(L to R) Debbie Kern the Nursing Administrative Assistant, Alex Capdeville - Chancellor of MSU-Northern, Diane Oldenburg - Director of the Central Montana Education Center, and Krystle Smith - a nursing student in Lewistown, cut the ribbon on Tuesday, October 30 at the Grand Opening of MSU-Northern's new Lewistown campus in partnership with the Central Montana Education Center. The facility is located at 773 Airport Road. Over 200 people were in attendance.

Dr. Miller and the NW team shared their recommendations and commendations during the exit interview on Wednesday. Retired Chancellor Dr. Alex Capdeville, Interim Chancellor Dr. Rolf Groseth and Provost, Dr. Joe Callahan recently traveled to Seattle Washington to defend our accreditation status to the Northern West Board of Commission on Colleges. We are not anticipating any problems with having our accreditation renewed.

The Electrical Program at MSU-Northern received a grant from Northwest Energy to purchase and install a solar panel. This panel will produce electricity to help power Brockmann. The panel will be set up so people can use the web to monitor how much electricity is being generated. This will be a great research tool for people who are thinking of purchasing a similar solar panel for their home.
 

Bill Turcotte (L) and his son Buck Turcotte © presented Sharon Day with a traditional native blanket in honor of her service and retirement. On Wednesday, December 12th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Donaldson Commons the Students Support Services hosted a retirement party for Sharon Day. Sharon has worked at Northern for over 33 years and has been a blessing to everyone.

The Timely Trio was back by popular demand. This group consists of (1 to r) Dena Tippets, Mavis Filler and Kim Callahan. They are known for their tight harmonies and folk, acoustic style. The concert was last night in the H.H.S. Auditorium.

Montana Motorcycle Rider Safety had another very successful year. They registered 1648 students this year, with 1516 students receiving training. That is an increase of 82 student registrations and 36 students receiving training compared to 2006. They trained 6 new RiderCoaches (instructors), bring the total to 40. Also this season. the program purchased 30 new motorcycles thanks to a $90,000 federal grant from the Department of Transportation.

Planning for next season is already underway. Montana is hosting the National Association of State Motorcycle Safety Administrators (SMSA) annual conference in Billings in August. It is expected to bring approximately 400 motorcycle safety professionals from across the country to our state.