Montana State University Billings and Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming are 90 miles apart but the two institutions are working to shorten that distance academically.
The two schools have done collaborations in the past but see a renewed opportunity.
"Northwest reached out to us because of our reputation and our student focused abilities here," says MSUB Chancellor Dan Edelman.
He and a group of administrators made a field trip to Powell last week to meet face-to-face with their counterparts and explore how the two schools can better serve their students.
One of the strong draws for Northwest College is MSUB’s far-reaching
"There’s some things we can do to shore up the curriculum at MSUB," Hicswa said.
An example is engineering, with more courses at the two-year college in Powell than in Billings.
The meeting between the administrative teams was very preliminary, more of a get-to-know-you event, but both administrators are excited about the education possibilities for their student.
"You know, you get a bunch of smart people into a room and its way bigger than what Chancellor Edelman or I could have come up with ourselves," Hicswa said.
MSUB is the closest four-year institution to Powell and other nearby communities in the Big Horn basin.