Community college honors Hurst with mentor award

Jim Hurst, owner of Owens and Hurst Lumber, discovered he was on tap for more than the commencement speakership Friday at the Flathead Valley Community College graduation.

College President Jane Karas awarded Hurst the college's first Montana Mentor Award.

"He did a lot for his employees to continue their education," Karas said, reporting the award at the board meeting Monday.

She said Hurst asked his employees to stay in touch and report how their education and lives continued after the close of the mill. He told Karas that he had received hundreds of cards about their positive experiences at the community college.

"We're talking about a lot of people who were intimidated about going back to school," she said.

He received the award in front of about 1,000 people attending the 2006 graduation, at which 270 students received degrees and certificates.

"Jim Hurst was very surprised and touched," Karas said.

She told the Board of Trustees that she plans to develop criteria to make the mentor award an annual event.

Trustees heard about several other successes for the college including the largest audiences to attend the annual Honors Symposium.

Brenda Rudolph, president of the Faculty Senate, said 1,374 people attended the lecture series, averaging 196 each night.

"That's nearly double last year," she said. "It was the most successful of all time."

The symposium featured seven speakers addressing the theme "Jefferson's Wall: America's Debate Over Church and State."

Record numbers also turned out for the foundation's Bibler Garden tours, with 342 people taking the expanded tour. The event raised $3,000 for scholarships to the community college.

Another major fundraiser for the foundation, Springtime in the Rockies, takes place June 4-9. The event features gourmet dinners at restaurants across the valley, capped by an outdoor wine-tasting event June 9 on the college campus.

During the president's report at the board meeting, Karas announced a celebration planned for the college's 40th anniversary next summer.

It will coincide with the completion of the community college expansion project in July.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.