University of Montana President Seth Bodnar visiting with Seeley-Swan High School seniors Dec. 3. This was the first time in more than 20 years that the president of UM made a personal visit to encourage SSHS students.
University of Montana President Seth Bodnar speaks to Seeley-Swan High School juniors and seniors Dec. 3.
SEELEY LAKE – "What are you going to be when you grow up?" asked University of Montana President Seth Bodnar of Seeley-Swan High School juniors and seniors Dec. 3. While Bodnar promoted higher education at UM and Montana College answering specific questions and talking individually to each student, he also left them with three important messages that he hoped would help them wherever life takes them.
After asking the students what they wanted to do after graduation, some were quick to share and others cringed.
"It's okay if you don't know what you want to do with the rest of your life," said Bodnar. "Even if you do know what you want to do, you are going to need to adapt and learn."
Bodnar shared examples of changes he has seen while serving in the Army, teaching economics and working for General Electric Company.
"Regardless of what you want to do, jobs are changing quite a bit." Bodnar said. "It's not about who knows the most, it is about who can learn the fastest. That is going to be very true in your careers."
He recommended a broad-based education to students, even if they know exactly what they want to do. This will allow them to better adapt and be more employable.
When the UM asks employers what they need from employees, Bodnar said they tell him they need people who can think critically, communicate effectively, work in teams well, are creative and innovative.
"Most jobs can teach the skills needed to perform effectively," said Bodnar. "However, employers don't have the time to teach someone to write well, to think critically, to build analytical capability. These are the skills that I encourage you to develop no matter where you go."
Bodnar encouraged the students to at least explore four-year and two-degree options because while there are a lot of different pathways, in excess of 90 percent of the jobs created since 2008 require at least some degree of education beyond high school.
The final point Bodnar suggested was that students should incorporate service to others into their daily and weekly activities.
"Your life will be richer when you have a portion of it that you have dedicated to the service of others," said Bodnar. "You can focus on yourself, your accomplishments and climb the ladder very quickly but your happiness will be higher when you widen the aperture and help others."
Bodnar brought with him UM Chief of staff Kelly Webster and UM Undergraduate Admissions Office Director Emily Ferguson-Steger to help answer questions and to interact with the students.
"These students are just awesome and it is fun for us to be here," said Webster. "It fills my cup a little bit and I love that."
The students appreciated the opportunity to ask questions about the fields they were interested in and learn more about what is offered at UM.
"I got actual personalized responses instead of just off the website," said senior Nicole Williams.
For Madison Hinchey visiting with Bodnar reassured her and got her excited about attending UM for wildfire biology since it is one of the top programs in the country.
Others said that while they weren't planning on going to school after graduation, they may look into UM as an option since there are so many different programs offered.
SSHS teacher Crissina Quinn thinks it is beneficial to have people that are leading the university system in Montana talk with the students. She doesn't think students realize how great the university system is in Montana for the tuition students pay.
"It reiterates what we tell them...writing is important, critical thinking is important and any sort of higher education is important," said Quinn. "It is good to hear it from really experienced people to help with what we [as teachers] are trying to do."
This was not Bodnar's only stop. He will be visiting many of the Missoula County public high schools.
"A lot of people see college as this big nebulous, amorphous thing that is hard to understand and hard to access. The reality is a four-year or two-year will have a transformative impact on these students' lives," said Bodnar. "I think the more we can get on a human level to help them understand what is possible and help them understand that they don't have to have it all figured out but it helps to give it a shot and keep learning and keep growing. That is going to serve them well over the course of their career."
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