The University of Montana: A Comprehensive Overview of the Missoula Campus

The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university located in Missoula, Montana, United States. As a flagship institution of the Montana University System, it stands as the system's second-largest campus. This article delves into the history, campus layout, academic structure, and various facets of the University of Montana, with a focus on its main campus in Missoula.

Historical Context

Montana's admission to the Union occurred on November 8, 1889, prompting the state legislature to determine the location of the state's permanent capital and state university. To ensure that Missoula would be chosen as the site for the new state university, city leaders made an agreement with Helena, the standing capital. Missoula pledged to abstain from bidding for the new capital and to support Helena over Anaconda, its main competitor. William A. Clark and Marcus Daly, the rival "Copper Kings," backed the cities' bids. Missoula secured the legislative vote for the new university during the Third Montana Legislative Assembly in February 1893 and was formally opened in 1895.

During the planning stages for the university campus, classes were temporarily conducted at the nearby Willard School. The South Missoula Land Company, owned by A.B. Hammond, Richard Eddy, and Marcus Daly, collaborated with the Higgins family to donate land for the new campus. In June 1898, the cornerstone for A.J. Gibson Building was laid, marking a significant step in the campus's development.

Campus Layout and Design

The original campus plan was conceived by Frederich Scheuch, one of the university's first professors. His design centered around a central oval, which was to be surrounded by university buildings. The initial buildings were constructed around the oval in 1895. Over time, various campus plans and architectural styles have been implemented.

Today, the campus spans 220 acres (89 ha) and is bordered by Mount Sentinel to the east and the Clark Fork River to the north. A three-acre (1.2 ha) stretch of grass runs east to west, marking the traditional center of the university. This area is divided into quadrants by two intersecting brick-laid paths. In 1896, a double row of trees was planted around the oval on Arbor Day. While some of these trees have since died, efforts are underway to replant them. The original gravel driveway that once encircled the Oval has been replaced by a sidewalk.

The "M" on Mount Sentinel

A prominent landmark associated with the University of Montana is the "M" on Mount Sentinel. A 3⁄4-mile (1.2 km) trail with 13 switchbacks leads to the "M," ascending 620 vertical feet (190 m) from 3,200 to 3,820 feet (975 to 1,165 m) above sea level.

The first "M" was made of whitewashed rocks and measured 25 feet (7.6 m) by 25 feet. In 1912, it was replaced by a wooden "M," which cost $18 and stood upright on the mountainside. After a blizzard destroyed the wooden "M" in 1915, a larger version was constructed of whitewashed granite. The freshman class was tasked with the annual renovation of the symbol, establishing a new tradition. This tradition continued until 1968 when a 125-by-100-foot (38 by 30 m) concrete "M" was built at a cost of $4,328. Although the annual whitewashing has ceased, the tradition of lighting the "M" during the university's annual Homecoming celebration each fall remains.

Memorial Row

On the north side of campus, Memorial Row consists of 29 evergreen trees arranged in two columns along what was once the path of Van Buren Avenue. Planted in 1919 after the end of the Great War, the trees honor UM students, alumni, and faculty who died in the war, some in combat and many more in the influenza epidemic. The trees are Pinus ponderosa (Western Yellow Pines or Ponderosa Pine), the state tree of Montana. Originally, a white T-board stood in front of each tree, bearing the name of the person it honored. In 1925, these were replaced with 35 brass nameplates atop concrete markers. At the same time, the university added a memorial tablet on a boulder near the edge of the Oval closest to Memorial Row. It lists 21 of the 31 honorees from 1919.

Academic Structure

The University of Montana comprises eleven full colleges and schools:

College of Humanities & Sciences
Phyllis J. Washington College of Education and Human Sciences
W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation
School of Business Administration
School of Journalism
Alexander Blewett III School of Law
College of Health Professions & Biomedical Sciences
School of Visual and Performing Arts
Skaggs School of Pharmacy
Graduate School
University College

The Phyllis J. Washington College of Education and Human Sciences is divided into five academic departments and the Institute of Educational Research and Service. The W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation is a distinguished institution dedicated to forestry and conservation. In 1914, the University of Montana School of Law became a member of The Association of American Law Schools, and in 1923, the school received accreditation from the American Bar Association.

Admissions

For the fall 2017 term, 6,182 students applied to the University of Montana, with a 93% acceptance rate. This indicates a relatively high level of accessibility for prospective students.

University System and Finances

The University of Montana is the main campus for the university, which includes four other campuses. The public university system is one of two in Montana; the other is Montana State University. Both systems are governed as the Montana University System by the Montana Board of Regents, which consists of seven members appointed by the state governor and confirmed by the state senate to serve overlapping terms of seven years, except for one student member who is appointed for one year at a time.

The total operating budget for the University of Montana for fiscal year 2017 was approximately $423 million. Over the past 30 years, state support for higher education has dropped dramatically. In 1990, the State of Montana provided for 69% of the educational and general funds budget. It now supports 33% of the general fund or 13% of the university's operating budget.

Student Life and Activities

A variety of student organizations exist on campus, contributing to a vibrant campus life. The University of Montana's International Program began as the International Student club in 1924. In 1981, the Mansfield Center was established, and certification in teaching of English as a second language (TESL) began. As of 2010, the university has partnerships established with over 90 universities in over 40 countries. Programs on Central and Southwest Asia were created in 1997. UM is currently the only American university offering a Bachelor of Arts in Central and Southwest Asian Studies.

Student Media

The Montana Kaimin, founded in 1898, is the student-run college newspaper. It is independent of the university. It attracted national attention in 2009 when football coach Bobby Hauck refused to take questions from the paper in retaliation for a story about an alleged assault by two Grizzly football players. The Montanan is the university's alumni magazine, published by the University Relations office. CutBank, founded in 1973 by the Creative Writing Program, is a literary magazine. KBGA (89.9 FM) is the college radio station. KUFM-FM is the flagship and founding station of Montana Public Radio. Founded in 1965, its studios are located in the Broadcast Media Center, of the Performing Arts/Radio Television Center.

Athletics

The athletic teams are nicknamed the Montana Grizzlies ("Lady Griz" is used when referring to the women's basketball team; all other women's teams are known as the "Griz"). The university has competed in the NCAA's Big Sky Conference since the conference was formed in 1963. From 1924 to 1950, the University of Montana was a member of the Pacific Coast Conference (precursor to today's Pac-12).

Montana Grizzlies football: Since the 1990s, the Griz have established themselves as one of the most dominant football teams in both the Big Sky Conference and in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (known as Division I-AA football before 2006).
Montana Grizzlies men's basketball: The men's basketball team has established itself in recent years as a power in the Big Sky, and was the conference representative to the NCAA Division I Men's basketball tournament in 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2018, and 2019. At the 2006 tournament, the 12th-seeded Griz upset fifth-seeded University of Nevada, Reno, 87-79, the school's first win in the tournament in 31 years.
Montana Grizzlies women's basketball: The Lady Griz have won 17 conference titles in 25 years, most recently in 2012, and have competed in the NCAA Women's tournament 17 times. The Lady Griz were coached from 1978 to 2016 by Robin Selvig (Montana, 1974), who had an overall record of 865-286 (.752 winning percentage). Selvig earned his 600th win in just 772 games, the sixth fastest of any NCAA coach (men or women). Selvig finished his career ranked eighth among all women's basketball coaches in victories with 865.

Other intercollegiate sports include men's and women's cross country, women's golf, men's and women's track and field, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's tennis, women's volleyball, and women's soccer. Intramural sports include men's lacrosse (won 2007 national championship in their division, MCLA-B) and women's lacrosse, the Alpine Ski Team (went to the national championships in winter 2006), rowing, dance and cheer, men's and women's ice hockey, men's soccer, the Woodsman Team, rodeo, the Missoula Footbag Alliance.

The mascot of the university is Monte, a Grizzly Bear. In 1897, a live bear cub traveled with UM's football team, then known as the "Bears" (the "Grizzlies" name was adopted in 1923). Numerous live bear cubs served as university mascots, first named Teddy, then Fessy and finally, in the 1960s, Cocoa. UM's costumed mascot during the 1980s, dubbed Otto, donned a variety of fun-loving outfits to entertain crowds at Grizzly football games. Monte (short for Montana) was born in the mountains of Missoula in the fall 1993.

Notable Alumni

The University of Montana has produced a number of notable alumni, including:

Chase Reynolds, football player
St. J. Dixon, Justice of the Montana Supreme Court
Forrest H. Moore, Justice of the Montana Supreme Court
Charles E. Bohlen, U.S. Ambassador to Japan (1977-1978); received both B.A. (1933) and M.A. (1934) degrees from UM
Gail D. Zimmerman, educator
Jessie M. Bierman, pediatrician
Stewart M. Brandborg, conservationist
Helen M. Fickenscher, physician and medical researcher
Reynold C. Young, politician
John P. Mercer, politician
Raymond R. Cross, politician
Harold Urey, physical chemist, won Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1934 for work on isotopes
Harold C. Frick, businessman
James B. O'Hara, politician
A.B. Guthrie Jr., author

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