University of Montana President Seth Bodnar will resign after eight years of leading one of the state’s flagship universities, the school said Wednesday.
The announcement comes a week after news broke of a potential Bodnar candidacy for U.S. Senate as an independent. Bodnar didn’t indicate when his last day would be.
“I write today with a deep sense of gratitude to share that I am stepping down from my role as president of the University of Montana,” Bodner said in a 900-word letter to the campus. “I love this university and am inspired by our work here.”
Members of the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education were assembling on the campus Wednesday morning to discuss next steps, said David Kuntz, University of Montana communications director.
Bodnar’s interest in a possible U.S. Senate campaign surfaced Jan. 9 as Democrats responded in alarm to the possibility of a high-profile independent candidate running against incumbent Republican Sen. Steve Daines. A text message, allegedly from former Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, characterizing the Montana Democrats’ brand as “poison” made headlines. The text specifically mentioned Bodnar as an independent candidate for Senate.
Tester hasn’t confirmed the text was his, or returned calls placed by MTFP over the last nine days.
The university president hasn’t declared a candidacy. A spokesman for Bodnar told Montana Free Press on Jan. 12 that Bodnar wouldn’t be discussing a campaign ahead of an official announcement. Independent candidates have to gather signatures to qualify for the ballot.
Bodnar would need to gather about 13,000 signatures by May 26 to qualify for the general election ballot. There are five Democratic candidates with organized campaigns in the race, though their combined cash on hand is less than $27,000, according to federal campaign finance reports. Daines also faces a primary challenger who reports zero dollars in fundraising.
Bodnar, 46, has been president of the University of Montana since 2018. He is a West Point graduate and veteran of the Green Berets. He is still active in the U.S. Army Reserve. Prior to becoming president of the University of Montana, Bodnar was an executive at General Electric working on next-generation freight locomotives.
The University of Montana was in a prolonged enrollment decline when Bodnar was hired. The university reports that enrollment has stabilized, but its population of four-year undergrads is still declining.
State Board of Regents Chair Todd Buchanan said in an email to MTFP on Wednesday that the University of Montana is in a good position because of Bodnar.
“Under his leadership, the campus and broader Missoula community have experienced an empowering turnaround, positioning the University to continue positively impacting the lives of so many Montanans,” Buchanan said in the email.
Bodnar was clear when he interviewed to be president in 2017 that the University of Montana wasn’t going to be his last job, said Clayton Christian, Montana commissioner of higher education. Bodnar was still in his 30s when he was hired.
“He’s a young guy. He didn’t see himself retiring in this position after 35 years. I don’t think that would have been the right path anyway,” Christian said in an interview on Wednesday. “Some transition is healthy. We’ve had very stable leadership in Montana, which is interesting when you compare it to the national scene. National presidential tenure now is about four and a half years.”
Both Buchanan and Christian said a wide search for Bodnar’s replacement would take place, though Christian cautioned against the University of Montana going too long without a permanent president. The university has some momentum behind it, Christian said.
“We have brilliant faculty that care for the academic needs and responsibilities of our institution,” Christian said. “I sort of look for a skill set for a CEO position, an ambitious leader who can create a vision and help the campus establish its mission, help the campus deliver on executing plans that it puts together, someone who can interact with the public, the Legislature, and various constituent groups, donors. That external focus that’s become so incredibly important for presidential leadership around the country, and that’s certainly the spot we want to be in in Montana.”
Bodnar was already the subject of a political attack ad by Wednesday afternoon, even without a declared candidacy. Leadership in Action, a political action committee with several past and current elected Montana Republican officials on its donor list, characterized Bodnar as “an elite academic elitist who loaded up on woke liberal professors.”