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   REGISTRATION DEADLINE:  July 21, 2017     |  HOTEL RESERVATION DEADLINE:  July 21, 2017
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Goals For The Conference

GOALS FOR THE CONFERENCE ARE SIMPLE!
 |  To give you the opportunity to connect with your colleagues across the state.
 |  To provide information you can use in your daily working life and to offer professional development.


 
THE CONFERENCE OFFERS SOME EXCITING FEATURES

Nationally Renowned Keynote Speakers 
This conference will host several keynote presentations from nationally respected speakers!  It is at this  annual event that you will hear the latest news and trends from some phenomenal professionals in their field.  You do not want to miss this year’s Conference!      
  
New Professional Workshops
If you are just beginning your professional career, we invite you to attend these workshops. We’ll have seasoned professionals and admissions  veterans provide information about:  the MPSEOC organization, admissions and enrollment services in Montana, and overall trends in higher education.  This conference will offer many great opportunities to meet new and seasoned professionals across the  state!  
  
MPSEOC’s Future Goals
 As the future of Montana Higher Education changes , it is MPSEOC’s Goal to try and adjust to these new trends to better help its member institutions and Montana students.   This conference will offer an opportunity to share feedback on MPSEOC’s  future goals.  
  
General Sessions and Workshops
 We have designated certain topics to be appropriate for all professional levels. These sessions will give you an opportunity to learn more about subjects that affect everyone’s professional life.
 
Social Evening in
Billings, Montana

As we will be in the heart of downtown Billings, we will be hosting a social dinner and an evening of relaxation and laughs for you at the end of the first day.  This will allow for even more relationship building and an evening of fun!
 



 








MSPEOC Summer Conference 
|  Overview and Speakers

  August 8-9, 2017   |    Billings   |  Montana

Speaker Highlights

Dr. littlebear & Anthony Whitedirt

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|  EXPERIENCE 

|  President @ Chief Dull Knife College
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Dr. Littlebear was born in Lame Deer,  MT on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation.  He attended school in Busby MT to the 8th Grade. 
He graduated Lind (WA) High School, attended two community colleges in Washington, Centralia and Wenatchee Valley and eventually graduated at Bethel College in N. Newton, KS; served in the US Army in 1965-1967, was honorably discharged.  He earned a masters degree in school administration at Montana State U. in Bozeman; earned an Ed.D.in 1994 school administration from Boston University, in Boston, MA.
 

He worked on his home reservation for many years in various capacities, mostly in education.  He then worked for a multicultural service center based in Beaverton, OR. He transferred to a new job in Alaska, where he worked until August 1996, when he returned to the N. Cheyenne Reservation as the Chief Dull Knife College Dean of Cultural Affairs, until he was selected President on September 1999.

Presently, he is still the President in addition to being the interim Dean of Cultural Affairs. His organizational memberships include the following:  American Indian College Fund located in Denver, CO; American Indian Higher Education Conference, located in Alexandria VA; Indigenous Languages Institute, located in Santa Fe, NM; the Boys and Girls Club of t he  Northern Cheyenne Tribe, located in Lame Deer, MT; a commissioner on Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, located in Redmond, WA.

​Dr. Littlebear has been selected as an Outstanding Alumnus for Bethel College and he receive a Montana Humanities Award in 2015.
​

His wife, Janice, is an Educational Consultant for the Alaska Teacher Mentor Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.  She is also a Ph.D. candidate. 
The Cheyenne language is Dr. Littlebear’s first language.  He learned to read and write the Cheyenne language; he considers these his greatest academic achievements.

|  PRESENTATION
My Educational Trek ​|  Recounting of his educational trek from kindergarten to doctorate. ​


​
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|  EXPERIENCE 

|  Historical Researcher @ Chief Dull Knife College
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My name is Anthony Whitedirt. I am 25 I am a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe. I grew up in Lame Deer and was raised by my Mother and Grandmother. I attended Lame Deer Public schools all through Elementary. I had a good childhood while going to school at Lame Deer. 

Chief Dull Knife College was a great choice for me to start a college career.   I Graduated from Chief Dull Knife College with my A.A. Degree in 2014.  I recently helped conduct our Northern Cheyenne Language Immersion Camp. I recently enrolled in online classes through Capella University. I will be obtaining me Bachelors in Business Degree in a couple years. I am glad I am taking another leap forward with my education. I really enjoyed working at Chief Dull Knife College as a Historical researcher. I get to talk with people from the community. In recent years have seen a movement being carried out by the younger generations to retain our Language. I am excited for the Future and I am really excited to see how far we can go with our Language in my life time.

I like being able to go to school in my hometown.  I like being able to help with our Language. A lot of people asked me why I didn’t go off for school and I had to think about it for a while. “Why?” Well for me I don’t want to miss out. People say “you won’t miss out; Lame Deer will always be here”. True, Lame Deer won’t leave but people will. I Love my People. We are losing our Language with every elder or young Cheyenne speaker that passes away. I’m scared to leave and when I’m gone lose some elders I could have been learning from. They have just as much to teach. I want to be around for them. I want to hold on to what’s left of my heritage and to me it’s the people of Lame Deer.​


|  PRESENTATION
My Educational Trek ​|  My Education on the Reservation

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​C.L. Lindsay​

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education|  EXPERIENCE 

|  Author 
​|  Attorney & Professional Speaker
  • ​|  Student Advocate
  • More information @ http://www.cllindsay.com
​C.L. Lindsay is the country’s foremost authority on Higher Education Law. He literally wrote the book on legal problems in higher education. The College Student’s Guide to the Law has become the definitive authority–used by students, university counsel and nationwide as a textbook for masters and law courses. His work has been featured in US News & World Reports, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Washington Post, and countless other national and local media outlets.

He has showcased at NACA Mid-Atlantic, South, Central, Northern Plains, Northeast, Mid-America, West and NACA and APCA Nationals. C.L. works regularly with Athletic Teams, Fraternities and Sororities, Orientations, Military Bases. Programs can be adjusted for the most conservative or liberal audiences.

But what defines C.L. isn’t his knowledge. It’s his uncanny ability to make legal concepts not only understandable, but outright hilarious. In fact, the movie rights to his book were recently purchased by Steve Carrell to be developed into a motion picture—something that’s unheard of for a non-fiction, legal reference. In the last six years CL has made more than 800 appearances at colleges from Coast to Coast. Bring him to your school, base or other venue and you’ll see why he has become one of the most popular speakers in the country.

|  PRESENTATIONS

Sex & the Law  |  Meets all Title IX programming requirements
​These are often topics we don't want to talk about, but they are extremely vital in the process of recruiting and working with students.  We are lucky to have CL to bring a light and engaging approach to sharing about these topics.  It is important that we all know the laws on the following:  Sexting  |  Consent  |  Sexual Assault  |  Prevention  |  Bystander Intervention  |  Stalking (including strategies for victims)  |  Contraception and Abortion Issues  |  Statutory Rape  |  Voyeurism  | 
  • Public Nudity.

Computing & the Law  |  Staying safe and legal online
  • Every wonder what you should or shouldn't post on Facebook or online?  Ever wonder what privacy laws are?  Ever witnessed Cyber Bullying but didn't know what to do?  Curious how your online presence could affect your job?  This session will help address these questions to keep you safe and within the laws.  Topics include:  Confessions Sites  |  Online Privacy (or lack thereof)  |  Online Plagiarism  |  Sexting  |  Cyber Bullying  |  Employers and Online Identity |  Intellectual Property Online.

Juan  Cangas

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​By |  EXPERIENCE 

|  Cool Speak @ http://www.coolspeak.net
​|  Professional Speaker
  • ​More information @  http://juancangas.com​
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Juan Cangas has spent most of his life pursuing one question, “Why do some people succeed in life while others fail?” Juan had to find his own motivation to succeed as a young Latino teen wrestling with the challenges of life. His drive to overcome barriers and desire to make his mother proud helped him become the first person in his family to attend college. Juan is an authority in youth leadership development, with over 6 years of experience inspiring students from all walks of life.
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Juan Cangas had to find his own motivation to succeed as a young Latino teen wrestling with the challenges of life. His drive to overcome barriers and desire to make his mother proud helped him become the first person in his family to attend college. Juan is an authority in youth leadership development, with over 6 years of experience inspiring students from all walks of life. He helped found the THRIVE Leadership Club (2011); an organization who’s mission is to help unite and equip students from different cultures (Nepal, Karen, Somalia, Latin America, etc.) and empower them to become servant leaders in their communities. He utilizes his life experiences and crazy humor to help inspire and coach students every single day.

“Juan has the “It Factor” when it comes to inspiring kids and creating a contagious energy with young learners. Juan’s passion for his students’ success has taken many of our non-believing and hopeless- feeling students, to motivated and hopeful of a future they can be proud of…from, “I might graduate from high school” to “I WILL go to college!”


|  PRESENTATIONS
Keynote: 
Understanding & Helping Today's Students
Juan has a wealth of experience in working with the very students we try to entice to our campuses.  He will share the insight of how to truly build relations with today's generation of students and create an environment that helps lead to their overall success on your campus. 

Breakout Session:
REALLY Helping Students With Ethical Recruitment
Questions are the answer. – This workshop focuses on the power of questions to do 3 things – (1) Direct our focus, (2) Trigger emotions, and (3) Gifts to others and ourselves. This session will give you the tools to really help students ask the right questions when it comes to choosing the best option after high school.  By helping students ask the right questions, you also help them take the best next step in choosing the best fit after high school. ​​

Colleen Falkenstern

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​EXPERIENCE 

|  Western Interstate Commission For Higher Education
​|  Policy Analysis & Research
​|  Knocking At The College Door Report
A Collaboration of nationwide data with WICHE / ACT / The Collegeboard
  • ​More information @  ​http://www.wiche.edu
  • Colleen Falkenstern (WICHE) serves as a research coordinator in WICHE’s Policy Analysis and Research unit. In her role, she supports the development of WICHE’s annual data resources – Regional Fact Book for Higher Education in the West, Benchmarks of access and success, and Tuition and Fees in Public Higher Education in the West. She also provides analytical support for WICHE’s quadrennial projections of high school graduates (Knocking at the College Door). She received her bachelor’s degree in marketing and management from the University of South Carolina – Columbia and her master’s degree in higher education from the University of Denver.
  • REPORT:  http://knocking.wiche.edu/reports/2017/3/22/full-report
 ​One of the most widely cited sources of comprehensive and reliable data on the future size and composition of high school graduating classes throughout the nation, WICHE’s ninth edition of Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates (December 2016) examines data on public and private schools and projects the number of high school graduates for the nation, four geographic regions, the 50 states, and the District of Columbia. And, for the first time, WICHE also includes projections for Guam and Puerto Rico. Knocking also presents projections for public high school graduates, disaggregated by race/ethnicity.

|  PRESENTATION
Knocking At The College Door  |  The Future of High School Graduates in Montana  / Staying current with WUE/WICHE Programs for Students

Additional Presenters

Mark Willmarth

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Vision West Inc.  |  Owner & Professional Speaker

http://visionwestmt.com/
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Mark Willmarth is co-owner of Vision West Inc in Great Falls with his wife Mary and also works part-time at the city of Great Falls as the Training and Development Coordinator.

Mark Willmarth has over 20 years of experience speaking to and working with groups in and around Montana. He describes himself as a professional with a passion to help others discover their own potential. Everything he does focuses around the concept - “The more we understand and appreciate ourselves, the more success we will find in life.” His enthusiasm for the topics he speaks on is evident in his engaging but easy going style.


|  Work - Life Balance |  Pennies of Appreciation


Wayne Mortimer

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One Degree Education  |  Owner 

Professional Training & Coaching  |  Program Owner/Facilitator  |  Personal Development, Empowerment, Leadership, Staff Development and Team Building programs.
http://www.manaia.org/

Wayne Mortimer has worked for the past 25+ years with youth as a personal development facilitator and challenge course facilitator with a focus on experiential education.

|  TEAM BUILDING WORKSHOP
Challenging Conversations  |  How To Improve Your Team
​Improving Your Campus Orientation & Campus Visit Programs by Building Student Relations

 Barbara Wagner & Brett Carter

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Chief Economist at Montana Dept. of Labor and Industry  &  Research Analyst at State of Montana Office of Public Instruction

​OPI has worked hard over the last few years to create an online data reporting tool for you to use to better understand the outcomes and success of our Montana high schools and students.  Brett and Barbara will be teaming to share an overall picture of our Montana data and student outcomes.​

The Department of Labor has teamed up with the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education to complete a study on the workforce outcomes of graduates and to determine what programs are over-supplying or under-supplying the economy with workers.  The report was published in June, and we have been doing quite a few presentations with both colleges and business groups about the results of the study. 

The full report is available here: http://lmi.mt.gov/Publications/PublicationsContainer/meeting-state-worker-demand.  For your group specifically, I think it is helpful information to know the wage outcomes of different degrees pursued at the colleges.  For example, the report find that roughly ¾ of graduates from Montana’s colleges work in Montana after graduation, and most earn wages above the median wage within three years.  Those obtaining an associate degree in information technology earn $33,559 five years after graduation, but those earning a bachelor’s degree earn over twice that at $69,928 after five years.  Conversely, registered nurses make about the same (around $50,000) regardless of whether they earn a bachelor’s degree or associate degree.

​The report also explores the returns to education by program and whether starting at a 2-year college than transferring makes financial sense (which depends on the program).  Finally, the report also identifies fields where we are not training enough workers in Montana, and also identifies fields where we are over-supplying the market with too many workers trained for the field. A graduate who graduates in an over-supplied field typically has a longer time before they are able to find a job, and typically has lower wages than people graduating in fields where supply is appropriately meeting demand. 


|  PRESENTATION
​Montana Data & Projections  |  Understanding The Montana Economy

 Amy Williams

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​Montana University System-Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education

Dual Enrollment and Big Sky Pathways Program Manager 


Mrs. Amy Williams oversees dual enrollment and Montana Career Pathways for the Montana University System. Dubbed “Montana’s Dual Enrollment Guru” by Governor Bullock, and widely recognized as a content expert, she has done extensive work in dual enrollment policy and program development/management. Mrs. Williams works on policy at the state, regional, and national levels, and is the current chair of the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) State Policy & Leadership Committee. She is a passionate advocate for programs that build relevancy into education, ignite a passion for learning, and give high school students an early start on college and career.
Mrs. Williams has a strong background in research science and more than a decade of experience in STEM education, curriculum design, outreach, and program coordination as a consultant and educator. As an educator, Mrs. Williams was awarded the NASA Stellar Award, chosen as a Space Foundation Teacher Liaison, and received a curriculum award from A&E/The History Channel. As a consultant, she designed outreach programs and curriculum for k-12 targets, serving clients including Georgia Tech, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and National Institutes of Health, among others. Over the years she has worked with students of all abilities and served in a wide variety of work environments, as a result she is an avid advocate for multiple paths to education and the importance of students making an informed choice in pursuing a postsecondary education. Mrs. Williams received her B.S. from Montana State University, Bozeman, and M.S. from UC Santa Barbara.


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|  PRESENTATION
Get in the Loop! The Past, Present, and Future of Montana Dual Enrollment

Emily Williamson  |  MASFAA

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MSU Billings & MASFAA  |  Director of Financial Aid

Emily Williamson is currently the Director of Financial Aid & Scholarships at Montana State University Billings, a position she has held since May of 2014. Her first foray into the financial aid realm was in 2006 as a work-study student at the University of Montana (UofM). From that point forward she was hooked and held various positions within the UofM Office. She is currently serving as the President for the Montana Association, MASFAA and also taught a neophyte level class at this year’s 2016 Summer Institute (Go Wheel of Fortune!). She is very excited to share what she learned from her recent Federal Program Review with her colleagues at this year’s conference.

|  PRESENTATION
Financial Aid  - Keeping Current With The Changes

Joey Ditonno & Emily Ferguson-Steger 
The Montana Tribal College Team

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Montana Tribal College Circuit Team Meeting
|  PRESENTATION
Montana Tribal College Circuit Team - Fairs, Recruitment, Best Practices, Sharing, etc.

Matt Allen & Mike Ouert

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 Director of Admissions  |  University of Montana Western  &  Assistant Director of Recruitment  |  Montana State University 

|  PRESENTATION
New Professional's Institute

Melissa huntington

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Reach Higher Montana  |  www.reachhighermontana.org/
|  UPDATES & REPRESENTATION
​Updates From Reach Higher Montana  |  What's Ahead?

DERRICK WINSTON

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GoToCollegeFairs
|  UPDATES & REPRESENTATION
​The Evolution Of College Fairs & Student Data  |  What's Ahead?

 Additional Topics
​| Tribal College Team Collaboration & Best Practices
|  Marketing, Printing, & Social Media Best Practices

|  MPSEOC Institutional Representatives & Discussion
|  MPSEOC Board of Directors
|  MPSEOC Membership Meeting & Goals

|  Social Evening @ the Prestigious & Beautiful SKy Club
 
Catered Dinner, Local Spirits, DJ & Music Requests, Music Trivia, and more!  An evening of relaxation and smiles in beautiful downtown Billings!  

|  And...much more!

Register Today! 


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