History

Around the Oval

Recent UM News and Highlights

Recent UM News and Highlights

Recent UM news and highlights
Griz Nation

Griz Nation

Grizzly Athletics shares how the pandemic impacted UM student athletes
A UM student in a face mask in a lab

UM Responds to the Pandemic

UM responds and adapts to COVID-19 with innovation, creativity and compassion. 
Griz Nation

Griz Nation

Grizzly Athletics shares how the pandemic impacted UM student athletes
SEA Change logo

Be a Part of S.E.A. Change

Learn how you can be a part of S.E.A. Change!
Environmental studies Professor Neva Hassanein

Awards and Accolades

Accomplishments from UM faculty, researchers and students
UM Researchers Combat Nation's Opioid Addiction

UM Researchers Combat Nation's Opioid Addiction

UM’s pioneering opioid vaccine lands $3.3 million National Institutes of Health grant
Women attend suffrage rally in 1900s

UM Launches S.E.A. Change Initiative

UM effort commits to promote societal change that empowers all women
Montana Attorney General Speaks at UM's First-Ever Fall Commencment

Griz Nation Holds First Fall Commencement

More Than 150 Graduates Participate in Event
President Seth Bodnar speaks at the November Board of Regents meeting in Missoula.

The President’s Perspective

A message from Main Hall
UM President Seth Bodnar finishes the Missoula Marathon

The President’s Perspective

A message from Main Hall
Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament and rhythm guitarist Stone Gossard on stage at Washington-Grizzly Stadium

A Night to Remember

Pearl Jam stuffs stadium with 25,500 fans
UM grad Bob Carlson

Law Grad Elected ABA President

Bob Carlson selected to lead the American Bar Association
“Scene near Douai: Children” by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot

‘Copper King’ Art Arrives at UM

Works from famous painters now belong to Montana Museum of Art & Culture’s Permanent Collection at UM

Homecoming Art Show, Sale

Show featuring art by two outstanding UM alumni will be held Homecoming weekend
Five-year-old Cianna Belle DesRosier of Browning (Maatsui Suipoyaukii “Loon Woman” in Blackfeet) enjoys UM’s 50th annual Kyiyo Celebration.

Still Dancing: Kyiyo Turns 50

Kyiyo Celebrates Native Culture for 50 Years
Charlie Russell (Photo courtesy Gilcrease Museum)

Russell's World

New MontanaPBS documentary explores icon of the American West 

Five Receive 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award

The outstanding accomplishments of five UM alumni are being recognized with the University’s 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award.

Notable & Quoteable

Campus notes and faculty quotes from around campus
Bill Johnston gets a hug from a well-wisher at his retirement party in August, which was held at Caras Park in Missoula. More than 300 people were in attendance.

President's Perspective: A Farewell to Remember

Tireless UM advocate Bill Johnston retires after 36 years of service to alma mater

Four Receive 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award

Choate, Conver, Fishbaugh, Seekins ’74 receive highest honor presented by UM Alumni Association

New Lady Griz basketball coach Shannon Schweyen answers questions at a press conference in August.

Best Replaces Best

Schweyen selected as Selvig’s successor to lead Lady Griz

Notable & Quotable

Campus notes and faculty quotes from around campus
Kayleigh Valley shoots

Griz Nation

Keep up to date with the Montana Grizzlies
Syrian refugees arrive at Dortmund Central Station in western Germany last summer. At the peak of the past year’s refugee crisis in Europe, it was reported that almost 10,000 people a day sought asylum in Germany. (Photo by Shane Thomas McMillan)

Documenting History

UM students to report on Syrian refugee movement in Germany

George Gogas (Photo by Photo by Geoff Sutton)

Odyssey of the Stars Honors Gogas

Annual event features UM alum and celebrated artist George Gogas

Four Receive 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award

Grotzinger, Isern, Stearns, Thomas awarded highest honor presented by UM Alumni Association

President Royce Engstrom and a group of veterans display the award naming UM a Purple Heart University.

UM Named Purple Heart University

UM becomes the only school in the Northwest designated as a Purple Heart University

Notable & Quoteable

UM has been selected as Montana’s host site for First Folio! The Book that Gave us Shakespeare, a national traveling exhibition of one of the world's most treasured books.

Five Receive 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award

Sprunk, Kohlstaedt, Hood, Juneau, Murray honored by Alumni Association
More than 1,000 boxes of former Senator and current Ambassador to China Max Baucus’ papers recently were donated to UM.

Baucus Donates Official Papers to UM

Engstrom says donation advances goal of building a University focused on leadership, distinct opportunities
Artwork by Neal Wiegert

Grizwald

Meet Grizwald, UM‘s cartoon bear. In frequent issues of the Montanan, we provide a drawing of Grizwald that needs a creative, original caption
The UM Foundation and the MMAC thanked the Crockers with an oil painting, Clouds Over Many Glacier, by Montana artist Greg Scheibel. (Photo by Aaron Rosenblatt)

An Artistic Vision

Couple expresses love of Montana and art through generous gift
Sandra Day O'Conner

O'Connor Honored by UM

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate of Laws.
Fallen Soldier Memorial

Fallen Soldiers Honored

The memorial, bearing the names of Montana soldiers who lost their lives in the recent wars, was recognized as the official State Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans’ Memorial this past fall.

Artifacts

Turning of the Stone

Turning of the Stone

UM is paving a new future. One-hundred-year-old bricks, to be exact.
President Seth Bodnar and his daughter plant a tree together.

A Stand for the Future

A historical ceremony took root at UM this spring in the act of planting trees.
UM's historical women in a black and white photo

Artifacts: UM Women Pioneers

A look at UM's earliest women leaders. By Jake Daly, Montanan student intern.
Missoula's Bible has its own story.

Artifacts: Missoula's Bible

The ceremonial good book used to inaugurate President Bodnar has its own story. 

Dick Powell

UM's Evolving Fight Song

The storied history of UM's famous fight song
UM student Meshayla Cox

Finding True Identity

UM's African-American Studies program turns 50

 

Dave Guffey has accrued quite the collection of Griz memorabilia during his career, including twenty-six championship rings perched here atop The Red Book. The two he wears are from national championships. (Photo by Todd Goodrich)

Artifacts: Guff's Stuff

UM's longtime Sports Information Director Dave Guffey calls it a career after nearly 37 years
Emma's Dress

Artifacts: Emma’s Dress

Emma Sansaver has an incredible story—one of courage, tenacity, perseverance, and hard work.

Real gold leaf was used in the illustrations of the Ellesmere Manuscript facsimile.

A Tale of Tales

There are only forty-two copies of The Workes of Geoffrey Chaucer, edited by John Stow, held in public institutions across the United States. Of the forty-two, a mere eleven reside west of the Mississippi. The University of Montana just happens to have one of them.

Bookshelf

Books on a shelf

Bookshelf

Featuring 10 new books with UM connections. Compiled by Ginny Merriam.
Books on a shelf

Bookshelf: New Titles from UM Authors

Featuring 10 new books with UM connections. Compiled by Ginny Merriam.
Books on a shelf

Bookshelf: New Titles from UM Authors

New titles from authors with UM connections
Books on a shelf

Bookshelf: New Titles from UM Authors

New titles from authors with UM connections

Compiled by Ginny Merriam

Books on a shelf

Bookshelf: New Titles from UM Authors

New titles from authors with UM connections
Bookshelf

Bookshelf

New titles from authors with UM connections
Bookshelf

Bookshelf

New titles from authors with UM connections

Feature

President's Perspective

President's Perspective

UM President Seth Bodnar shares his hope that each student at UM develops a confident personal voice.  
Mimi Eiden, a black-student athlete

Voices of the Moment

Black student-athletes in Grizzly Athletics share their vision for a brighter future for all. 

Photos by Tommy Martino
Amy Sings In The Timber

Justice For All

The new director of the Montana Innocence Project has a UM law degree, a gift for fundraising and a lifelong commitment to racial and social justice.
The New Big Sky Singers

All In The Band

The New Big Sky Singers look back at 50 years of musical memories, friendship and a band of brothers that began at UM.
Larry Hufford

Facetime: Larry Hufford

Managing a college is complex task, but Larry Hufford, evolutionary biologist and the new dean of UM's College of Humanities and Sciences, is used to life's intricacies.
Robby Beasley

On the Cover

Robby Beasely, a UM freshman on the men's basketball team, shares his reflections and hopes for a brighter future.
President's Perspective

President's Perspective

UM President Seth Bodnar shares how Grizzlies are rising to the challenges posed by the pandemic with innovation, courage and selflessness.
A Recipe for Good

A Recipe for Good

Tobin Miller Shearer parlays the personal and professional into his students and scholarship as a white man directing UM's African-American Studies department. It's not easy. But nothing important ever is.
Ahead of the Data

Ahead of the Data

UM’s College of Business pivots in programs and curriculum to maintain its standing as the top business college in the Big Sky Conference, relying on innovation to prepare students for the rapidly changing world of business.

From Kafka to Climate Change

From Kafka to Climate Change

Celebrating the impact of 50 years of environmental studies at UM.

Facetime: Ryan Hansen

Facetime: Ryan Hansen

Ryan Hansen, UM alumnus and entrepreneur, operates LumenAd, one of the country’s top software companies. He says the journey from UM to recognition in Inc. magazine takes some Montana scrappiness and Grizzly grit.

Rhys McKinstry

On the Cover

Rhys McKinstry, UM alumnus, shares his reflections on graduating from UM in the time of COVID-19.
President's Perspective

President's Perspective

UM President Seth Bodnar and Dr. Chelsea Bodnar share their vision for S.E.A. Change
The Long Haul

The Long Haul

For one UM alumna, a career in the male-dominated trucking industry took some Montana grit and a liberal arts degree.
UM Special Victims Unit Detective Shelagh More

SAFE

S.E.A. begins with 'S' because safety rests at the heart of the University of Montana's mission to provide access to a quality education.
S.E.A. Change Spotlight: Libby Metcalf

S.E.A. Change Spotlight: Libby Metcalf

Through teaching, mentoring and leading, Metcalf advances S.E.A. Change at UM
student leaders visiting the capitol

UM Trailblazers

Front-runners, trailblazers and fearless champions for others. At a sweeping time for women, here are seven UM student leaders making their mark.
WLI participants gathered in a classroom

Programs that Empower and Accelerate Women

Learn about campus programs that support all women while advancing gender equity

The dawn sky behind Main Hall lightens as the sun rises.

A Campaign for UM

Historic effort invites supporters to Think Big. Be Bold.
Scholarships Launching Lives

Scholarships Launching Lives

Donors have gifted and pledged more than $100 million for student support during Campaign Montana.
Programs for Programs

Programs for Progress

New UM programs have far-reaching impacts.
Placing students at the center of UM.

Student Success: The Heart of Everything

Our mission is to ensure a high-quality education is accessible to all walks of life.
Dynamic spaces for an innovative education.

Thinking Big With Buildings

Building dynamic spaces that are conducive to innovative learning.
Funding Elite Educators

Funding Elite Educators

Supporting UM's legacy of research and public education.
UM student Ellie Hanousek spent her summer interning at Nike Inc.

The Business Builder

In the past 100 years, the College of Business has helped 20,000 graduates launch careers
Dave Dickenson throws a pass in Griz uniform

15 Looks Back

Griz Great Dave Dickenson reflects on his career as he enters the national College Football Hall of Fame
UM Associate Professor Rosalyn LaPier

Native Knowledge

Blackfeet Scholar at UM a Rising Star in Ethnobotany
A Century of Soldiers

A Century of Soldiers

For 100 years, ROTC cadets have attended regular classes at UM while also training to become U.S. Army officers
Fireworks over Main Hall

125 Years and Counting

UM celebrates milestones of academics, achievement and growth
An art mosaic decorates an outside space.

A River Runs By It

New Missoula College Building opens doors to students

Today, more than 23 gardeners ensure over 300 species of native flora blossom and thrive in the areas designated as their habitat.

50 Years and Growing

UM's Botanic Garden manages to flower 50 years after its initial planting in 1966
A Bugs Bunny mural is painted on a wall inside a bunker below a U.S. Air Force base. “The painting is an homage to a World War II bomber crew,” says Jeff MacDonald, a CIRE investigator pursuing his doctorate at UM.

Preserve and Protect

Boosted by a $45 million research award, UM’s Center for Integrated Research on the Environment works with Army Corps of Engineers to solve problems across the country
UM Regents Professor of Marketing Jakki Mohr sits in her office on the third floor of the Gallagher Business Building. Mohr has taught at UM since 1997.

What Makes a Great Teacher?

We sought out some of UM’s best and brightest to shed light on the topic

UM’s 1929 Yell King Nelson Fritz, center, and his Yell Dukes and Duchess, from left: Billie Burke, Alexis Anderson, Edith Conklin and George Husser.

Artifacts: Traditions Unlike Any Others

Traditions are part of what makes UM unique and help build lifelong memories and connections 

Selvig coaches his squad – which ended up being his last group – this past winter.

Thats All, Folks

Legendary coach Robin Selvig calls it quits after nearly four decades with Lady Griz

The Grizzly Battalion ROTC cannon sits in front of Schreiber Gymnasium.

Artifacts: Behind the Boom

Learn the history behind one of the loudest sounds you'll hear at a Grizzly football game
A sign welcomes visitors to Libby on a bridge crossing the Kootenai River. Residents of Libby are ready to move on from its tarnished past and focus on the future.

The Rebirth of Libby

With help from UM, a small town in Nothwestern Montana takes on a rebranding effort to heal from its rocky past

Dr. Jack Burgess, who played basketball at UM in the early 1940s, went on to play in The Secret Game in Durham, N.C., in 1944. (Photo courtesy of Burgess family)

Planes, Brains, and Civil Resistance

To measure how tall  Dr. Jack Burgess ’43 stood, look no further than  The Secret Game  he played in an  empty gym in 1944

The First Folio (Photo courtesy of The Folger Shakespeare Library)

Artifacts: Friends, Grizzlies, Countrymen, Lend Me Your Ears

Shakespeare's First Folio set to visit UM
UM history Professor Anya Jabour poses with Hannah James, who plays Emma Green in the new PBS Civil War drama Mercy Street. Jabour served as a historical consultant for the series, which premieres in January. (Photo courtesy of Anya Jabour)

A Proper Fit

UM History Professor Anya Jabour’s expertise plays a critical role in the new PBS Civil War drama Mercy Street

Whitney Williams ’94, founder and CEO of williamsworks, walks along a street in Goma, a city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Williams and actor Ben Affleck started the Eastern Congo Initiative in 2009. (Photo by Fredrick Coubert)

Just Ask Whitney

When some of the world’s most powerful people want help changing it, they call Whitney Williams ’94

UM alumni Charlie and  Barbie Beaton own the Big Dipper, the popular ice cream spot on Missoula’s Hip Strip.

What's the Scoop?

From humble beginnings to its iconic status today,  Big Dipper Ice Cream has grown into one sweet success story for UM grads Charlie and Barbie Beaton

Artifacts: Rocky Mountain Roots

Artifacts: Rocky Mountain Roots

UM Herbarium grows with addition from the Craighead family
Staff Sergeant Adam McCaw, now a student at UM, poses at the Fallen Soldier Memorial on campus.

A Multilingual Military

Right here at UM, one of the nation’s best intensive language programs teaches our military the languages of war—and of peace

Pearl Jam poster from 1998

Music to Our Ears

Readers respond with memories of their concert experiences at UM
J.K. Simmons in a scene from Whiplash (2014)

Family Ties

On the biggest stage in Hollywood, Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons ’78 delivers a simple yet potent message: Call your mom and dad, because he can’t call his

Artifacts: For Those About To Rock

Artifacts: For Those About To Rock

Hopefully the posters pictured here will conjure nostalgia and spark memories. Please share your stories by sending an e-mail to themontanan@umontana.edu.
César Pattein (French, 1850-1931), Doing the Wash, 1905, oil on canvas, donated by Dr. Caroline McGill.

A Work of Art

MMAC celebrates 120th anniversary with 120 pieces from the Permanent Collection

UM Press Club, 1918-19

The More Things Change

100 years later, UM School of Journalism imparts new skills, timeless values

Steven Hesla with student

Making a Difference

UM Doles Out Awards for Promoting Campus Diversity
Student with crosscut saw

A Tradition Unlike Any Other

Boondockers Day Generates Excitement for Foresters’ Ball
soldiers at Fort Missoula

Riding Through History

Mansfield Library Exhibit Delves into African-American History

Letters

Letters: Readers Write

Letters: Readers Write

Montanan readers weigh in.
Bugs Bunny mural on bunker wall

A Missileer’s Master’s Degree

I found the mention of Whiteman Air Force Base (“Preserve and Protect,” Spring 2017 Montanan) and Minuteman missiles interesting.

The Right Choice?

Maybe. Maybe not. I’ll probably never really know.

This self-portrait of Curiosity shows the rover at the Big Sky site on Mars.

Letter: Written in the Stars

In the Montanan article, Brian Nixon said, “Most of Western Montana is now represented on Mars.” He can add Polson, because that’s where I’m from.

Letter: Montana Love

Take a look at what readers have to say about the Montanan.