Montana Regents Unanimously Approve Jeremiah Shinn as University of Montana President

Overview

• Regents for the Montana University System voted unanimously to name Boise State interim president Jeremiah Shinn to lead the University of Montana.
• Shinn is scheduled to take office on July 1, with commissioner of higher education Clayton Christian handling presidential duties in the interim.
• Christian said the selection followed an expedited national search that reviewed more than 70 candidates.
• Regents set Shinn’s pay at $467,197 per year plus $76,875 in deferred compensation, and a 2.5% raise passed by lawmakers last year means predecessor Seth Bodnar would have earned a similar amount in 2026.
• The vacancy opened in January when then-president Seth Bodnar resigned to run for the U.S. Senate, which prompted the formation of a search advisory group.