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Good Monday morning. The announcement that the University of Providence is closing was big news last week, and I have more details below with comments from other public and private institutions. There’s a lot to work out between now and the final school day, but it’s likely to change the face of that large, park-like campus that existed there for decades. More to come.
But first… heads up, Great Falls
Great Falls city offices are closed on Tuesday for Election Day. That also means that the city commission meetings, usually held on Tuesdays, will be moved to Wednesday, Nov. 4. Agendas can be found here.
Other schools offer transfer information after Providence announcement
Administrators at the University of Providence cut expenses, including course programs and staff positions over the past year. An online nursing program went away. Leaders sought partnerships, even potential acquisitions, with other institutions.
It all created some breathing room in the budget in the short term, but it wasn’t enough. Enrollment, shown at 630 on the university’s website, is closer to 430 this fall, according to university President Caroline Goulet. Staff is at 115, down from 244 a year ago. In August, the school’s accreditor put the University of Providence on probation, citing financial instability.
So on Oct. 27, the school’s board of trustees voted to close the nearly century-old university. That afternoon, administrators gave a press conference at the Catholic school’s chapel.
“We are committed to ensuring that the education students receive at the University of Providence this year will be every bit as strong as the education our graduates have received for past generations,” Goulet said.
The school is arranging “teach-out” agreements with other institutions for students who will transfer to complete their degrees. The Montana University System set up an informational page about areas of study and their transferability to public universities and colleges.
Carroll College, also a private Catholic institution, set up an informational page for prospective transfer students and offered condolences on social media.
“The University of Providence has made lasting contributions to that mission, and its legacy will endure through the thousands of graduates and community members whose lives have been shaped by the institution,” the college’s statement said in part.
Great Falls College MSU CEO Leanne Frost also gave a statement on social media last week. The college is across the street from the Providence campus.
“To all Argo students, Great Falls College and the entire Montana University System stands ready to help you,” Frost’s statement said in part.
During last week’s press conference, Goulet said that there aren’t yet firm plans about the future of the university’s real estate. The final day of instruction is Aug. 20.
For more on what led to the closure, read our story from 2025 about how a major financial backer of the university pulled its funding.
Photo Op 📸
Representatives from the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office, Many Rivers Whole Health, the Great Falls Police Department and the Indian Family Health Clinic broke through a wall Oct. 29, ceremonially starting work on a mental health stabilization center in downtown Great Falls.
The facility, which has been a project of the sheriff’s office, will be a secure place to bring people suffering a mental health crisis for up to 72 hours. Many of those people come into contact with law enforcement, and the goal is to place them in a mental healthcare setting rather than the county jail. The facility is being built on the second floor of the Indian Family Health Clinic on Central Avenue.
Kami Stone, the Cascade County crisis diversion coordinator, is also working to establish a mobile response team that places mental health professionals in the field alongside law enforcement. A similar effort is in the works in Missoula County, and my colleague Katie Fairbanks recently reported a thorough look at what it takes to make that happen.
Public Notice 🧐
Election Day is Tuesday. Late voter registration can be done Monday from 8 a.m. to noon at the county elections office, 325 2nd Ave. N. Same-day registration on Tuesday can be done at Exhibition Hall, part of the Montana ExpoPark, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Exhibition Hall is also the polling place for Great Falls voters.
Here are four races to watch in Cascade County. Read interviews with candidates for Cascade County justice of the peace and county commissioner.
Montana Free Press has an election guide for state and federal races, including maps of district boundaries. Our election coverage can be found here. The county election information page is here.
Following Up ↩️
Federal prosecutors have secured a new grand jury indictment against Tommy Michael VanHoose, a former Great Falls gun store owner convicted of tax fraud.
VanHoose was set to be sentenced Oct. 8. He didn’t show up for that hearing, and a judge issued an arrest warrant later that day. This new indictment, filed on Oct. 23, adds a new charge of failure to appear for sentencing. This charge has a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
VanHoose was in the conservative political spotlight in 2023 after the IRS raided his Great Falls business. He claimed that he was the target of political harassment by the Biden administration and fundraised $25,000 for his legal defense. Prosecutors charged him with five counts of tax fraud in 2024. He pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one of those counts as part of a plea agreement.
VanHoose’s whereabouts remain unknown. He had been going through cancer treatments in the past year, but his attorneys said in August that he was healthy enough to proceed with sentencing.
Great Falls in Brief ⏱️
The Weissman Hood Institute, formerly McLaughlin Research Institute, announced the donation of 480 acres to be “held as an endowment to fund Alzheimer’s research.” It’s one of the largest donations in the institution’s history. The donation comes from Arnold Swanberg, who grew up in Great Falls but spent his adult life in Washington state. Read more about the impact of the donation here.
The city of Great Falls is holding an open house with VenuWorks, a proposed management company for the Mansfield Theater and Civic Center convention space. The open house is 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 4 in the convention center space. Read background on the management change here.
Calumet is collecting nonperishable food for its annual Cat/Griz food drive in support of the Great Falls Community Food Bank. Calumet has pledged a $1 donation for every food item. The drop-off location is at the company’s office at 1807 3rd St. N.W. The food drive ends Nov. 20.
From the MTFP Newsroom 📰
Authorities in Cascade County issued a warrant for a man who allegedly forged signatures to get independent candidates on the Montana ballot. An investigation began in the spring after local election officials noticed suspicious details in returned candidate petitions. The Oct. 27 story has been updated to include the lengthy charging document for public download.
Here is our initial story about the University of Providence’s closure announcement. The MTFP local desk will continue to follow developments in the coming months.
