John Cech smiles when he tells the story of a Carroll College moment that easily comes to mind.
Years ago, there were some houses on campus rented out to students and the Carroll College president accompanied staff one chilly day as they inspected them.
They discovered a small horse living in one of the houses.
“A student had a miniature horse and it was 20 below … and the horse was in the living room,” Cech recalled.

John Cech is the 18th president of Carroll College.
He also noted that “horses have bodily needs and we encouraged the student to not have her horse living in the house.”
But that home and several others were beyond repair and, like the horse, are no longer on campus.
The homes near Founder's Corner at Euclid and Benton avenues have been replaced with a lush green outdoor area students can enjoy.
And at the end of his seventh year as president, Cech is retiring — or, as he calls it, “rewiring,” as a new job awaits him — from Carroll effective June 30, the completion of his contract extension with the college.
“It’s been a wonderful experience,” the 63-year-old Cech said during a recent interview in his wood-paneled office in St. Charles Hall.
Since he took over as Carroll’s 18th president in 2018, the private Catholic college has undergone several changes, including making improvements to the library and athletic facilities. It’s also added programs and tapped into the growing field of health care education.
Cech, accompanied by wife, Victoria, was seen frequently at public events in the Helena area and elsewhere, usually wearing something boasting Carroll’s purple and gold school colors. And during public speaking, which Cech often did when given a chance, he would end speeches by leading a cheer of “Go Saints!”
“There is no question John Cech has been Carroll College’s biggest cheerleader,” said Joyce Stewart, an officer on the Carroll College board of trustees. “No one would ever question John’s passion for Carroll College.
“He just loved the place,” she said.

President of Carroll College John Cech and Victoria Cech, his wife, help serve food at the Late Night Breakfast.
Cech had been serving as deputy commissioner of the Montana University System since 2011 when his son Isaiah was recruited by then-coach Mike Van Diest to play football for the Carroll College Saints.
Cech said his son, who had been a middle linebacker at Helena High School, came home one night and said he knew his dad wanted him to stay in the Montana University System, but he wanted to go to Carroll College.
“It was through Isaiah’s eyes that Victoria and I discovered Carroll,” Cech said, adding they got to know the coaches, their son’s friends and faculty and “just fell in love with this place.”
He said the experience not only changed his son’s life, but his life as well.
Cech said he once told the coach there was a “99% chance that if he hadn’t recruited Isaiah, I probably wouldn’t have come to Carroll College.”
Another plus is that Cech has always been a Roman Catholic.
“Faith has always been important to me, wherever we lived,” he said. “It was important to be in an environment where I could live my Catholic faith.”
He said Carroll sits on 63 acres and has 1 million square feet of building space.
And a lot of the buildings are historic. The previous president, Thomas Evans, started a major push to modernize buildings, Cech said.
Cech said he picked up the baton and worked with 1962 Carroll graduate Roy Simperman and his wife, Frances, who wanted to see the library modernized.

Roy Simperman, a 1962 Carroll College graduate, right, and John Cech, president of Carroll College, discuss the $7 million renovation of the 40-year-old Corette Library on the Carroll College campus in 2018.
That project unfolded over six years, along with financial help from the Simpermans. The Corette Library expanded with the Simperman Learning Commons, and is now a "stunning hub for study, creativity and collaboration."
Cech said students knew what they wanted in a new library and it was simple:
They wanted light, he said. “And they wanted individual study space, better access to technology, a lab and increased access to electronic databases."
The result?
“I believe it is one of most state-of-the-art and beautiful academic libraries in the Pacific Northwest," Cech said.
Students also wanted improvements in the campus center. He said the dining room was beautiful but out of date. The college worked with food partner Sodexo on renovations.
They also renegotiated the Sodexo contract in which dining room hours in the St. Thomas Aquinas dining hall were expanded to 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Carroll College President John Cech passes a muffin to a student on the first day of classes in 2018.
Cech said he and his wife Victoria try to eat one or two meals a week with the students.
“We love being with the students,” he said. “And if the students see us in there eating Sunday dinner, maybe they will think, ‘Well if it is good enough for the president and the first lady, then maybe it is good enough for us.’ And it’s really good food. We are going to miss that.”
He said the college was also able through donors and its foundation to revamp its nursing program facility to one of the most advanced nursing facilities in the state.
Also, the college built a canine training center for its anthrozoology program, where human and animal psychology meet. They now have an equestrian center on Lincoln Road that just got started in the past year.
And Cech mentions the houses along Benton Avenue, the house that served as a makeshift stable for a horse.
He said that working with partners Dick Anderson Construction and Mosaic Architecture, they moved the house and put in green space.
Cech said enrollment has ebbed and flowed during his time at Carroll. It dipped during COVID-19 but went back up last year.
In September, it announced a 4.5% increase in enrollment from 2023, bringing its total student population to 1,167.
He said attracting more students has been one of the goals.
The college added a master of social work program and an accelerated nursing program. He said the college created an advanced nursing simulation facility, and the pre-med program has sent 161 students to medical school in the past 10 years with an acceptance rate of 80%, vs. a 41% national average.
The college is also adding cybersecurity this fall, and Spanish for health professions.
“We added a Catholic studies major, which is a deep dive into our Roman Catholic faith,” he said. “We’re staying in motion. And diversifying.”
Another improvement was Nelson Stadium's new Valley Bank Field, which has state-of-the-art lighting and ranks among the NAIA's top five stadiums.
Stewart called the launching of the master of social work program one of Cech’s biggest accomplishments, adding a lot of students will be drawn to that program.
She said the physician’s assistant program, which she said will benefit “rural America,” will be popular once it is launched.
Cech recently was given the Ron "Swede" Kenison award from the Frontier Conference, which is given to someone who promotes the conference and has made valuable contributions to its growth and well-being.
The job of president required some traveling, with Cech saying he had to find a balance of external and internal duties.
The external work included being an ambassador for the college and meeting with alumni, with one or two trips a year to Washington, D.C., for advocacy purposes.
Cech said he has been on a first-name basis with Montana’s two senators and two congressmen, keeping them in the loop of what is happening and seeking their help for funding that could initiatives or legislation that could impact all of higher education.
A highlight of his time as president was when he and Victoria traveled to the Vatican in May 2024 with 13 other Catholic college presidents and met with Pope Francis.

Carroll College President John Cech shakes hands with Pope Francis during Cech's visit to the Vatican in May 2024.
His group had a 40-minute meeting with the pope, who said in English at one point, “Let’s have a conversation.”
“Who will be first, if anyone is brave enough?” Francis said, according to Cech.
Cech raised his hand.
He said he told Francis about Carroll’s Global Student Refugee initiative, with students from around the world attending the Helena campus. He said it was an honor to help them.
The pope, according to Cech, smiled and said: “Catholic colleges around the world should emulate what Carroll is doing with this program. This is very important to me.”
Cech — who wore a Carroll lapel pin, Carroll pocket square and bowtie with Carroll's school colors of purple and gold — refers to this visit as “the highlight” of his professional career.
“This was a very powerful moment,” he said.

John and Victoria Cech and host families pick up Mariia Savchenko and Anzhela Stoliar from the Helena Regional Airport on Jan. 15, 2023. Savchenko and Stoliar are a part of Carroll College's Global Student Refugee initiative.
Cech recently announced he has taken on a new gig after leaving Carroll.
He's taken a job as senior fellow for education with Smith Garson, a Washington, D.C., government affairs firm.
He said he’ll be working with private and public colleges, helping them navigate the government landscape including policy issues, regulations, advocacy and funding.
Cech said he will have an office in Washington, D.C., as well as Clancy.
He said he will work with American governing boards to help them with some of their presidential searches.
And he said he and Victoria plan to stay in Helena. His son Isaiah and wife Isabelle, who also attended Carroll, are expecting a baby girl in August.
Days before Cech’s retirement it was announced his replacement, William Ruud, would not be taking over as president of Carroll after all due to unforeseen events.
The board appointed Jennifer Glowienka, senior vice-president for academic affairs, and Bishop Austin Vetter, bishop of the Diocese of Helena, as co-presidents for the upcoming school year.
Cech addressed the change in plans at Thursday’s Hometown Helena meeting.
“I am confident that Carroll College is in excellent hands for the coming year,” he said, adding he hired Glowienka.

John Cech, president of Carroll College, stands inside the school's campus center in November 2022.
“She’s an incredible person and has brought exceptional skills to the college …” Cech said, noting she has a profound commitment to the college.
He called Vetter “a respected member of our board and chancellor." Cech said Vetter has demonstrated unwavering dedication to the College and its Catholic mission.
“No one will do a better job that Bishop Vetter and Dr. Glowienka,” Cech said. “I have total confidence in the future of the college this next year.”
Phil Drake is the managing editor of the Helena Independent Record. He can be reached at phil.drake@helenair.com or 406-231-9021.