By After more than two decades of teaching, mentorship, and leadership in the Business Department, Dr. Belle Marie is retiring, marking the close of a meaningful chapter for both her colleagues and students.
Known for her dedication to accounting education and her wide-ranging professional expertise, Marie has spent years shaping the academic and professional paths of countless students.
Her work in the classroom, along with her research in areas such as financial literacy, ethics, and corporate responsibility, has left a lasting impact on the campus community.
“Belle is a professor who approached any question you had with kindness and genuine care,” said junior Katie Fuchs, a double major in business accounting & strategic finance and financial planning from Billings. “She always made sure students felt heard and supported in whatever they were doing. She brought an optimistic outlook to the classroom that made challenges feel manageable. Belle was always committed to her students, and she consistently went above and beyond, truly wanting the best for each of us.”
In keeping with her character, Dr. Marie has chosen to step away quietly. She has expressed gratitude for the recognition, but shared her preference for a simple departure to go “quietly into the sunset without any fanfare.”
“I am not surprised Belle prefers to go quietly,” said Brent Northup, who began at Carroll in 1989, just three years before Marie started. “But don’t be fooled. Her warm, gentle presence and love for our students have left a lasting legacy here. And lots of us will cheer this quiet Saint very loudly as she slips away.”
While she may be leaving without a formal spotlight, the influence of her work and presence will continue to be felt across campus. Her legacy lives on in the students she taught, the colleagues she inspired, and the standards of excellence she upheld throughout her career.
“She taught with kindness while demanding mastery,” said Northup. “She could turn scared math-phobic kids into accountants. As a bonus she raised three bright lovely daughters. The nuts didn’t fall far from the tree.”
