Montana State University
11/12/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/12/2026 11:38
Terry Leist, Montana State University vice president for administration and finance, announces retirement
Montana State University Vice President for Administration and Finance Terry Leist. MSU photo by Kelly Gorham
BOZEMAN - Montana State University's vice president for administration and finance, Terry Leist, announced today his plans to retire at the end of the 2026-27 academic year after more than 20 years with the university.
Leist came to MSU in 2006 after 20 years in finance at UPS. He spent five years leading budget and fiscal operations for the university's student affairs and academic affairs units before becoming vice president in 2011.
Leist provided fiscal leadership to MSU through the most intensive period of expansion in its history. MSU set records for enrollment, including becoming the first university in the state to top 16,000 and then 17,000 students, and Leist helped manage the corresponding growth in revenue and served on the university's enrollment management committee.
MSU also saw more than 20 major construction or renovation projects during Leist's tenure, and he oversaw more than $100 million in student housing investments since 2010, such as the construction of the Hyalite and Yellowstone residence halls.
Also under Leist's guidance, MSU received an AA- credit rating in 2024 from S&P, the highest rating the university has ever achieved, and MSU became the first university in Montana to earn a gold ranking from STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, a widely used framework that measures and encourages sustainability at colleges and universities. Under Leist, the University Police Department also successfully completed its accreditation process, making it the only accredited law enforcement agency in Montana.
Leist has helped advise the MSU student government's finance board since 2007 and oversaw the development of MSU's popular Cat Tracks campus shuttle service and the conversion of Grant Street into a pedestrian corridor.
"I'm beyond grateful for the care Terry has brought to his work and for the service he has provided to people along the way," said MSU President Brock Tessman. "I hope all will join me in thanking him for what he has done for Montana State and wishing him well in retirement."
Leist's final day at MSU will be May 7, 2027. Information on a national search to replace him will be released at a later date.
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