August 20, 2025
Dear Colleagues,
I’m honored to welcome you to the 91次元’s new academic year!
We enter fall semester on the heels of a remarkably busy summer: a robust number of students taking UM summer courses, thousands of students and families engaged in summer camps, and a campus buzzing with activity.
As we begin the academic year, let’s build on this momentum together. The arrival of our newest Grizzlies ushers in numerous campus events. In addition to checking and reading , I hope you mark your calendars for the following important gatherings:
- – Friday, Aug. 22, 8:30-10 a.m., The Oval. Join Provost Lawrence and me in front of Main Hall for breakfast treats, coffee, brief remarks and time to reconnect with colleagues.
- – Monday, Aug. 25, 7 p.m., Dennison Theatre. Following a brief program to commemorate the start of our new students’ academic journeys, we’ll proceed to Brantly Beach – the lawn to the south of Brantly Hall – for games, treats and conversation with UM faculty and staff.
- – Thursday, Oct. 9, 9-10 a.m., UC Ballroom and Livestream. Learn more about UM’s priorities for the coming year.
Inclusive Prosperity Through Access
We enter this year with achievements that reflect the heart of UM’s mission. We are showing what a public university can be: a driver of inclusive prosperity, a gateway to education for learners at all stages, a catalyst for civic renewal and a force for Montana’s economic vitality.
Our enrollment continues to grow as we serve an ever-wider range of learners –traditional students, working professionals and those seeking new skills. We have seen growing interest, for example, in programs such as our newly launched Doctor of Occupational Therapy program, our cybersecurity degree and our workforce-aligned noncredit programs that served several thousand learners last year alone. These expanding opportunities for all types of learners illustrate just some of the ways UM has become Montana’s hub for innovative education.
Inclusive Prosperity Through Student Success
Most importantly, our students are succeeding at higher rates. The percentage of UM students who graduate within four years has grown by more than a third over the past decade, an improvement worth celebrating. Contributing to this positive trajectory, our retention rate is on track to be UM’s highest on record.
These aren’t just statistics. These gains mean more students achieving their goals, more families celebrating milestones, and more graduates contributing their talents to communities across Montana and beyond.
Inclusive Prosperity Through Post-Graduation Success
Griz success continues after graduation: 91.3% of our 2024 graduates who reported their status were employed, pursuing advanced degrees, serving in the military or selected for volunteer service within six months of commencement – a 20-point increase over 2020.
These post-graduation outcomes demonstrate UM’s national competitiveness. Our graduates are gaining admission into law and medical school at record rates, earning prestigious scholarships, and putting UM on the national map for community and national service.
You should be proud. These successes reflect your attentive efforts – from faculty in the classroom, to staff working with students and supporting our various campus processes – to create opportunity for our students and impact for our communities. Thank you for making this possible.
The Montana Way
We enthusiastically welcome our newest Grizzlies with a renewed commitment to our distinct UM undergraduate experience – The Montana Way. Rooted in career readiness, meaning and wellbeing, and leadership and service, this approach prepares students for lives of purpose and impact, and it seeks to make the true holistic value of a UM education clear to all.
In fact, UM now holds three prestigious Carnegie designations that underscore the distinct UM experience, putting us into a rare category among universities nationally:
- Carnegie R1 classification recognizing UM’s doctoral programs and very high research activity,
- Carnegie Community Engagement classification recognizing UM’s community and national service, and
- Carnegie Access and Earnings Index classification recognizing UM’s combination of high access and economic outcomes.
This unique trifecta of designations is The Montana Way at work. We should be proud that we have, for three years in a row, been ranked the and that our research impact continues to both improve individual lives and enhance broad economic and social prosperity.
Looking Ahead
Finally, as we enter the new academic year, I invite you to become familiar with our deliberate planning and implementation efforts as outlined in our , which shares strategic efforts happening across campus, and our , which outlines UM’s recent progress and insights that will inform our future.
That future includes the launch of two new colleges that will elevate our academic impact and sharpen our ability to tell UM’s story. Dr. Christina Yoshimura will lead the college that includes the Humanities and Social Sciences, and Dr. Bruce Bowler will lead the new College of Science, allowing us to tout and build upon UM’s academic strengths in a more focused, deliberate way.
I look forward to sharing more at the State of the University event in October. Until then, please accept my heartfelt appreciation for the work you do at UM. Together, we are shaping futures, strengthening Montana and demonstrating what a great public university can achieve.
Go Griz!
Seth
P.S. Here are just a few stories from this summer that highlight UM’s distinctive strengths: