A New Angle

Investment in higher education is a hot topic across the country and in Montana especially. Every ten years since 1948 Montanans vote on a ballot measured called the 6-mil levy, which represents a substantial funding mechanism for the state's university system. The 6-mil levy returns to the ballot this November. In this special episode we present the viewpoints of Senator Jon Tester (D), Congressm...

Eric Sprunk was the commencement speaker at this year's University of Montana graduation ceremony. In today's episode, we track Eric's experience as an accounting student who graduated in from UM in 1986 though to his current position as head of Nike's global operations. It's an amazing story and along the way Eric has developed a powerful and inspiring set of leadership principles. He also has so...

Jeff Ament was born in Havre and grew up in Big Sandy. His Montana roots and pride run deep and returning to his home state is a big part of what keeps him balanced. Our conversation dug into several key themes about the basis for his gritty work ethic, his creative process, and his commitment to creating opportunity for others. We also explore the magic that has kept Pearl Jam at the top of its g...

Lisa Mills is the creator of the world's first tea certification program. In this episode she tells us about the devastating effects conventional tea farming has on the severely endangered population of Asian elephants. The program she launched - Elephant Friendly Tea - is a fantastic example of the important collaborative, interdisciplinary work happening at the University of Montana. Housed at U...

This week we chat with Christopher Preston, Professor of Philosophy at University of Montana. Christopher recently published The Synthetic Age: Outdesigning Evolution, Resurrecting Species, and Reengineering Our World. The central argument of the book is that human beings have fundamentally altered the planet in a manner unprecedented in history. We chat talk about the areas in which this is happe...

This week's episode features my conversation with Karen Knutsen, Executive Director of the Clark Fork Coalition. Karen's focused and dynamic leadership has lead the coalition to many critical achievements in its work to protect and restore the Clark Fork River watershed. We talk about the mission of the CFC and how she uses that mission as a guide for deciding what the CFC should do and initiative...

In this episode we chat with some of the amazing University of Montana students behind Switchback Records. Switchback Records is an entirely student-run record label operating out of the College of Business’s Entertainment Management Program. On April 13, Switchback will launch its first album Elvis: Missoula to Memphis and this episode we discuss all the work leading up to this achievement. Enjoy...

Learn how Missoula's Dram Shop went from crazy idea to booming business in this week's conversation with Zach Millar. This interview was done on location, catching Zach as he tuned up the shop for a regular day of business. That makes the sound quality a bit challenging, but we think the content is solid and authentic. The Dram Shop will be celebrating its 3rd anniversary on Saturday April 7th wit...

Joel Benenson is a premier political strategist and pollster. He's the only Democratic pollster to have played a leading role in 3 winning presidential campaigns. He recently visited University of Montana to speak with our students about the Big Sky Poll project. Joel and I discuss the roll of polling, the problems associated with reporting on poll results, and how some things went wrong (for his...

This week we feature Michelle Cardinal, CEO and Co-founder of the R2C Group, a digital marketing firm headquartered in Portland, OR. Michelle was recently on campus as this semester's Gilkey Lecture Speaker. She used the opportunity to talk about the power of business to give back and do good. We talk about the important work she and her firm are doing to fight homelessness and we also discuss som...

In this episode we connect with "friend of the pod" Mike Foote. Mike is a legendary mountain athlete who competes with the world's best in two sports that few people know about - ultra running and ski-mountaineering. He is the co-founder and race director of The Rut Mountain Runs and sits on the board of the Five Valleys Land Trust. We talk about the creative and innovative spirit he brings to The...

Today we drop in a special episode. Over the last year I've had three members of the UM Men's basketball team as students in my class - Jamar Akoh, Fabijan Krslovic, and Bobby Moorehead. These fellas exemplify what student-athletes can be and are great representatives of our community. I caught them for a quick chat on the eve of the Big Sky Conferences Tournament. We talk about the team's develop...

It's award show season, so this week we feature our conversation with Jeremy Sauter, Marketing Executive at Paramount Pictures. We discuss how a film moves (or doesn't) from idea to release and the various drivers of success. It's a bit of art and a bit of science and Jeremy draws on his deep experience working on many films to help us understand this complicated and mysterious industry. Jeremy is...

In this episode we speak with Michelle Huie and Stef Sample. Michelle is founder of VIM&VIGR and Director of Marketing at Submittable, two important start-ups headquartered in Missoula. Stef is a serial Montana entrepreneur who owns and operates a broad portfolio of businesses. She is also a professional coach and coaches executives and entrepreneurs through the REWIRE platform. Stef coaches Miche...

This week we sit down with Missoula Mayor John Engen. Mayor Engen is a graduate of the University of Montana's School of Journalism. He worked for years at the Missoulian before joining Missoula City Council and then winning the Mayoral election in 2005. We discuss his vision for the optimal relationship between Missoula and the University of Montana. Oh, and we break some news on an issue troubli...

In this episode I sit down with University of Montana President Seth Bodnar. Seth is six weeks in the job and brings a unique blend of experience an youth to the position. We explore his leadership philosophy and how to bring thoughtful change to UM. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com/subscr...

In this episode I'm joined by University of Montana Regents Professor of Marketing Jakki Mohr and Associate Professor of Management Suzanne Tilleman. Together we explore the timely topic of sexual harassment and misconduct in the workplace and our role as business educators in addressing the problem. We're not experts in this area, but we tried to advance the conversation as best we could. This is...

In today's episode I speak with former professional cyclist Tyler Hamilton. Tyler's amazing story has been told well in several other places (probably best in his book - The Secret Race). In this conversation we explore what he wants to do next and why he wants to do it in Missoula. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visi...

In this first episode of A New Angle, I sit down with Bryce Ward, Associate Director at the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research, to explore the future of higher education. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com/subscribe

On January 26 we are launching A New Angle, a bi-weekly podcast featuring cool people doing awesome things in and around Missoula, MT. Subscribe here or wherever you get your podcasts! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.anewanglepodcast.com/subscribe