FOIA Request to Montana State University-Northern regarding employee compensation data for Fiscal Year 2025 on November 4, 2025.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to Montana State University-Northern by Big Sky Times, a media organization dedicated to delivering comprehensive news coverage on local governmental affairs. The request seeks detailed records concerning employee compensation for all individuals employed by the university during Fiscal Year 2025.
The requested information includes various data fields: employee name, gender (if recorded), age or year of birth (if not exempt), date of birth (if not exempt or limited to month/year), employer name, title or position, hire date, compensation amount (including base pay and any additional pay), compensation type (such as salary, hourly wage, stipend, or bonus), and employment type (full-time or part-time).
Big Sky Times emphasized the importance of access to public records in fulfilling its role in holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency. As a member of the media, they have requested a fee waiver for accessing these records.
The requestor is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization that assists media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through FOIA and Sunshine Laws. More information about this coalition can be found at https://stopsecrecy.org/about/.
Our team will continue to keep you updated as we gather and report news related to this request and other matters of public interest. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further clarification regarding this matter.
