Clocking In

UM’s Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library zeroed the balance for all UM overdue library fines. The library is no longer charging overdue fines on most books and media, and the library lengthened the checkout time too. UM Undergraduate Services Librarian Megan Stark says the fees created a potential barrier for students and “in the interest of increasing student success, we’re committed to eliminating this barrier.”  

Involving building blocks and a grid system, UM Math Professor Mark Roscoe developed a math lesson for elementary school students called “City of Numbers.” The lesson helps students understand multiplicative structures of whole numbers and their prime factorization in a visual way. The project earned Roscoe a national Rosenthal Prize for Innovation and Inspiration in Math Teaching. “I hope that my contributions to the field will be characterized by moving mathematics instruction toward a future where students experience math as a venue for the expression of creativity, exploration and discovery,” Roscoe says.

UM’s bachelor’s program in astronomy was named one of the Top 25 Most Affordable Bachelor’s in Astronomy for 2020 by Great Value Colleges. The ranking placed UM at No. 18 for its affordability, outstanding reputation, faculty excellence and commitment to providing students with a high-quality education. UM astronomy options include a bachelor’s degree in physics with a concentration in astronomy and a minor in astronomy. 

UM’s School of Social Work launched a 2+2 Bachelor of Social Work Distance Learning program, allowing students from nine community and tribal colleges across Montana to earn their bachelor’s degree in social work from UM. Students also may complete their licensed addiction counselor curriculum and take part in the nationwide Area Health Education Centers Scholars program. “The program provides great opportunities to people in rural areas to complete their education without leaving their own communities,” says Paige Furniss, the program’s UM coordinator.  

UM’s School of Theatre and Dance bolstered its standing as one of the nation’s most decorated institutions with an extortionary showing at the American College Dance Association Northwest Regional Conference in Spokane. A highlight was second-year Master of Fine Arts acting candidate Elijah Fisher’s stunning solo “TIRED | T1RED,” which was selected to represent the entire region at the esteemed National College Dance Festival (which has been canceled due to coronavirus concerns). Fisher’s solo received raves from the adjudicators, who wrote that his piece was “an outstanding, fierce, musical and nuanced performance.”  

In its spring enrollment census, UM reported it maintained the number of enrolled students from the fall to spring semester at the highest rate in a decade, a positive indicator for UM officials. “This encouraging retention data for spring suggests that we are on track to see increased retention of first-year students to their sophomore year and beyond,” UM Provost Jon Harbor says.