HAVRE — Montana State University-Northern plans to expand advising and career support with approximately $2.5 million in federal funding over five years, helping students understand how their coursework connects to their future.
WATCH Madison Collier's report below:
The funding comes through the U.S. Department of Education’s Strengthening Institutions Program. Northern’s first-year award is $457,704, with funding beginning Oct. 1, according to Interim Chancellor Jennifer Brown.
“We wanted to help them have the information that they need, explore the careers that they might be interested in, and then ultimately make a decision that they can really be happy about when they look back several years later,” Brown said.
She explained that in the first year, plans include hiring student advisors, acquiring labor-market data, and further exploring scholarship information. Those resources are meant to help students better understand job opportunities and the skills employers need or look for, while identifying financial support for their education.
The hope is advising will connect those pieces, helping students consider their goals, the skills they need, and which academic programs are better suited for their path.
“One part of the grant includes bringing alumni back to campus so that students can really connect with people that are successful in the career that they might be pursuing,” Brown said.
Another priority discussed was creating additional opportunities to help students get off-campus and experience what working in their field looks like.
She said those efforts complement Northern’s existing relationships with employers. Many academic programs have advisory boards made up of industry leaders who help guide curriculum development and keep instruction aligned with workforce needs.
Northern’s programs span careers including nursing, diesel and automotive technology, plumbing and electrical work. Brown said the university strives to identify workforce needs, particularly along the Hi-Line, and prepare students to meet them.
Brown also wants to look at making the transfer process easier. She explained that students arriving with credits from other institutions can face uncertainty of which courses will count toward their degree.
The grant will support better coordination with two-year colleges and high schools, including pathways for students bringing dual enrollment credits. The goal is to reduce unnecessary coursework and create a more efficient path toward graduation.
“Northern serves a remote part of a very rural state,” Brown said. “And the students that we serve often come from frontier counties, maybe come from towns that don’t have as many resources as other towns might.”
The college supports a rural, 13-county region of north-central Montana. The five-year grant effort runs through Sept. 30, 2031.
Brown said the first year will lay the groundwork for the years ahead, allowing Northern to assess which approaches are working and where adjustments may be needed.
The aim is to give students the guidance and information they need to make intentional choices about their futures.
