It's so bad that Billings couldn't even openly have that conversation without Bozeman's permission because the administration and operation of it is a function of Montana State University President Waded Cruzado. We can't blame her for not wanting to make Billings stronger. Doing that would likely come at Bozeman's expense.

That's why the Montana University System is flawed, fatally from MSUB's perspective.

Legislative fix

The only possible fix is a legislative one. Regents and lawmakers must rethink keeping Billings captive and subservient to Bozeman if they want a healthy, thriving public university offering in Montana's largest city.

We hope lawmakers look at the what's happening in Missoula and wonder: Why isn't that happening here? We also hope they consider the budget cutting going on at MSUB, along with the plummeting enrollment. We hope it spurs them to action.

Taxpayers and Billings itself have made huge investments on the campus. Right now, MSUB is being allowed to languish. We don't believe that anyone involved with the leadership at MSU Billings can really be happy with the direction, nor do we think they believe the programs are a good match for Billings and Eastern Montana. But what are they to do when none of the decisions get made in Billings?