BOZEMAN — The MSU Presidential Search Advisory Committee invites the MSU community and the public to participate next week in campus visits by finalists for the position. The Committee has identified two finalists and has released a schedule for each visit, which will include an open forum and community reception.
The candidates in order of their campus visits are Kurt Schnier, PhD, and Brock Tessman, PhD.
Dr. Kurt Schnier
Dr. Kurt Schnier will visit the campus on March 25-26, 2025. An open forum will be held in the Student Union Ballrooms from 4:30-5:30 on March 25, to be immediately followed by a community reception in the same location. Dr. Schnier’s curriculum vitae, biography, and full interview schedule is available on the presidential search website.
Dr. Schnier is the Vice Chancellor for Planning and Budget and the Chief Financial Officer at the University of California, Merced, where he has also served as Professor of Economics since 2014.
Dr. Schnier was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics at the University of Rhode Island and an Associate Professor for the Department of Economics at the Georgia State University Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. Dr. Schnier has a bachelor’s degree in Management Sciences from the University of California at San Diego, a master’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and a doctorate in Economics from the University of Arizona.
Dr. Brock Tessman
Dr. Brock Tessman will visit the campus on March 27-28, 2025. An open forum will be held in the Student Union Ballrooms from 4:30-5:30 on March 27, to be immediately followed by a community reception in the same location. Dr. Tessman’s curriculum vitae, biography, and full interview schedule is available on the presidential search website.
Dr. Tessman is the President of Northern Michigan University (NMU) and has been an Associate Professor and Assistant Professor in the University of Georgia’s (UGA) Department of International Affairs, a Professor in the University of Montana Political Science Department, and Dean of UM’s Davidson Honors College. Dr. Tessman has a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Brown University, a master’s degree in International Affairs from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a doctorate in Political Science from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
The Committee encourages the MSU community and all interested members of the public to participate in the open forum and the reception for both candidates.
For more information about the Committee and the search process, please visit the presidential search website and email msupresidentialsearch@montana.edu with any questions.
