Michael P. Malone

Michael Peter Malone (April 18, 1940 – December 21, 1999) was an American historian who served from 1991 to 1999 as the 10th president of Montana State University. One of Montana's preeminent historians and writers, he was named by both The Missoulian and the Great Falls Tribune newspapers as one of the 100 most influential Montanans of the 20th century. His Montana: A History of Two Centuries (co-written with Richard B. Roeder) was called the "definitive history of the state" by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

Early life Malone was born on April 18, 1940, in Pomeroy, Washington, to John and Delores (Cheyne) Malone. His father was the son of a farmer who (with his brothers) owned several farms in Garfield, Walla Walla, and Whitman counties. The Malones were of Irish descent, and Michael was deeply proud of his heritage. Michael Malone later said his father was the "finest man he ever knew". He graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree. He then enrolled in the doctorate program in American studies at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, graduating with a Ph.D. in 1966.

As dean of graduate studies, Malone was critical of what he perceived as the state's lack of foresight regarding higher education. He told the Los Angeles Times that the state legislature was unwilling to invest in academic disciplines that would help build the technology sector, and generally failed to invest in higher education as a whole. He also criticized the state for failing to teach business skills and entrepreneurship. "We're victims of the old mind-set, that any corporation heading for Montana must be bent on rape. Montana is the last of the Old West and we're in crisis and we're not doing the most obvious things that have to be done," he said. "We're trying to preserve a unique life style and trying to put our feet into the future at the same time. So far we really haven't come to terms with the conflict this creates."

In 1987, Malone pressed the United States Congress to make "tuition-remission" scholarships tax-exempt, so that more students would be encouraged to seek graduate education.

Montana State University presidency

Appointment Montana State University president William Tietz announced his retirement at the end of 1990.

Malone was unanimously named MSU's acting president on January 1, 1991, He subsequently appointed the first chancellors of the three major campuses in 1995: Ron Sexton at Montana State University Billings, Will Weaver at Great Falls College Montana State University, and William Daehling at Montana State University–Northern. He also appointed the second chancellor at MSU-Northern, Michael Rao.

Malone's governance style was democratic and personal. Faculty, employee, and student leaders agreed that he sought input and consensus on decisions.

In 1999, Malone fired Bobcats football head coach Cliff Hysell after eight losing seasons. Malone hired Mike Kramer, the winning coach at Eastern Washington University.

Research and enrollment were other areas where Malone achieved success. He pushed hard for faculty and the university to seek and win federal funding for scientific research. The success here was significant: Federal research funding grew from just $13 million in the late 1980s to more than $50 million in 1999. Under Malone's leadership, enrollment at Montana State University hit a historic high of 11,746 students in 1999. Clerical and administrative support staff represented by MEA-MFT struck for higher pay in 1992, and Malone lobbied the state legislature for higher clerical/administrative pay in 1998. For years, the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company had distributed free samples of Skoal and Copenhagen dipping tobacco to students at the event. The event moved away from MSU in 1997 after 1996 attendance fell 3,000 short of the 25,000-attendee goal. But in late August 1998, the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) voted unanimously to not return to Bozeman due to the no-tobacco-handouts rule.

The NCAA permitted Montana State to impose its own sanctions on the women's basketball program.

Gamble himself implicitly criticized some of Malone's financial decisions. The football stadium renovations, he noted, had gone ahead even though MSU did not have the money in-hand to pay for them. That, he noted, was a common budgetary tactic at MSU. One of the first financial rules Gamble laid down when his presidency began was to pledge that the university would not initiate projects without having the money to complete them. Dr. Billy G. Smith was named the first Malone Professor of History in 2002. (The title is awarded for three years, and the incumbent may not seek an immediate second term.) In 1988, a bronze cast was made of the "Wankel Rex", a nearly-complete fossil skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex held by the Museum of the Rockies. It was the first full-scale bronze skeleton of a dinosaur in the world, and was erected at the entrance of the museum. It was named "Big Mike" in his honor in 2002. In 2010, MSU renamed the Centennial Mall the Michael Malone Centennial Mall to recognize his efforts which led to its construction. In 2011, Malone was named as one of Montana State's most important presidents—following in the footsteps of William Tietz—by MSU historians Jeffrey Safford, Pierce Mullen, and Robert Rydell in an interview with the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Montana State University Archives and Special Collections holds the Michael P. Malone Papers, which consists of correspondence and research materials.

Other organizations have also honored Malone. In 2000, the National Association of State Universities and Land-grant Colleges established the Michael P. Malone International Leadership Award to recognize individuals who make outstanding contributions in international education. The same year, the Montana Ambassadors organization named its Educator of the Year award for Malone. In 2002, the Western History Association established the Michael P. Malone Award for the best published article, commentary, or essay on state, provincial, or territorial history in North America. Journalist Rick Allen won the first $500 Malone Award in 2002 for his article on the Montana Vigilantes.

Publications At the time of his death, Malone had written nine books and 20 articles. One Montana newspaper called it "the standard text on state history". According to Lang, Malone's emphasis on national and global factors in the history of the American West was controversial. Yet, it also had a significant impact at larger, reputable university history departments at Yale and Harvard. Safford characterized Malone's professional output as a university president as "absolutely extraordinary." Historians and the American West (1983) with Rodman W. Paul The Battle for Butte: Mining and Politics on the Northern Frontier (1981) Montana: A History of Two Centuries (1976) with Richard B. Roeder (1st ed.); with Roeder and William L. Lang (2d ed.) Montana As It Was, 1876: A Centennial Overview (1975) with Richard B. Roeder C. Ben Ross and the New Deal in Idaho (1970); editor The Montana Past: An Anthology (1969); editor with Richard B. Roeder

Personal life Michael P. Michael married Kathleen Campbell on April 18, 1983. He already had two children, Molly and Thomas. He became a stepfather to Kathy's children Clint, Molly, and Wendy.

He was survived in death by his wife, Kathy; his two children and three stepchildren, his stepfather, and his four foster siblings.