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Welcome to Alumni Insider, the monthly e-newsletter for dues-paying members of the University of Alumni Association. Through this publication, you’ll be the first to know about alumni news and upcoming events that keep you connected to campus and your classmates. Thank you for your continued support, and go Griz!

In honor of the University’s 125th anniversary, this month we’re bringing the Insider to all UM alumni. We hope you enjoy it!

PREVIOUS ISSUE February 2018 Welcome, new members!

We’d like to give a warm welcome to our newest UMAA members, who joined in January. Special thanks to our new lifetime members, indicated by an asterisk. We appreciate your support in continuing the UM tradition!

Cameron Best '16, Charlotte Larson '17 Missoula Missoula Laura '95 and Kerry Cassidy '86 Katrina Lucier '14 Clinton Missoula Christine Eardley '86 and Martin *Philip Navin '73 Gehrke '91, Bellingham, WA Woodland, WA Carol Gordon and Alan Johnson Andrew Neumann '17 '91, J.D. '94, Missoula Missoula Hannah Gulbrandson '17 Markell Sanders '17 Missoula Missoula Charles Hatch '64 *Joe Sobansky '79 Sandpoint, ID Tucson, AZ Meg '69, M.A. '75, and Jim Kelly Perry Tallman '84 '69, Missoula York, PA Antonio Torres '17 Missoula

Campus Snapshots Though UM turns 125 this month, the University is looking as beautiful as ever. Enjoy these images the UM community shared from campus and beyond in January.

cantrellKayak cfcmontana eli.missoula Gotta get old school once in a It's time for our 101 year-old Have you ever hiked to the M in the snow? At while. tradition-Foresters Ball! night?

trendsettersattheu umtpharmacyschool curryhealthcenter

Enjoying every moment of this Happy spring semester! It's a Welcome back, UM! We are so excited to winter wonderland, we hope beautiful day for the first day of have you all back & are looking forward to the you are too. classes! spring semester.

Upcoming events

Thursday, Feb. 15 Celebrate 125: Charter Day Awards Ceremony Thursday, Feb. 15 Great Falls: Harry Fritz Tuesday, Feb. 20 Community Lecture Series Tuesday, Feb. 27 Community Lecture Series Wednesday, Feb. 21 Griz on Tap, Missoula Thursday, Feb. 22 Griz on Tap, Havre View our complete calendar online

A Note from the Director Welcome to a special edition of Alumni Insider. This is a monthly e-newsletter typically sent only to dues-paying members of the UM Alumni Association. This month, in honor of the University's 125th anniversary, all UM alumni will receive the February issue, regardless of membership status. We hope you'll find it engaging and useful in keeping you up to date on what's happening at your alma mater.

Alumni Insider is just one way we keep our members connected to UM, and this issue features details on several events and programs that also elevate alumni engagement, including Griz on Tap happy hours and the Bringing the U to You Lecture Series. UMAA is dedicated to increasing this connection and engagement for all our alumni through initiatives such as hosting UM networking events and cultivating local alumni chapters throughout the country and developing online courses exclusively for alumni.

Of course, all of this requires funding. As a nonprofit, our programs and services are paid for through membership dues and donations. In the past, alumni associations across the country were viewed as "exclusive clubs" offering certain benefits, but that model has evolved. Now, we'd like you to think of a membership as an investment in your alumni experience -- an investment UMAA returns by developing unique and lasting ways for you to continue benefiting from your UM education.

If you are a current member of UMAA: Thank you for your continued support. If you are not a member, we hope you'll take a moment to reflect on what your UM experience has meant to you, and consider further investing in that experience through a UMAA membership.

Thank you, and go Griz!

Jed Liston Director, Alumni Relations President and CEO, UMAA

Powered by UMAA

Celebrate 125 years of UM at Charter Day 2018

The is celebrating a milestone birthday this year, and you’re invited to the party! The 2018 Charter Day Awards Ceremony coincides with the 125th anniversary of the University’s chartering by the Montana Legislature in 1893, and a special Celebrate 125 reception will follow this year’s event.

The traditional Charter Day ceremony is slated for 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, in the George and Jane Dennison Theatre. The ceremony, which will honor nine exemplary campus and community members who help further UM in its dedication to excellence, will conclude with UM President Seth Bodnar’s introductory address to the UM and Missoula communities. The Celebrate 125 reception will follow in UM’s Gilkey Center for Executive Education.

You can RSVP for Charter Day festivities on our website. More information on Celebrate 125, including a complete schedule is available online.

Griz on Tap returns to Missoula, heads to Havre Griz on Tap, UMAA’s monthly networking happy hour, will start back up in Missoula on Wednesday, Feb. 21. Join us anytime from 5 to 7 p.m. at Big Sky Brewing Co. to enjoy lively conversation and networking with fellow Griz grads in the area. This month, we’ll also raise a pint of Big Sky’s exclusive Griz Montana Lager in celebration of the University’s 125th anniversary.

Griz on Tap will also head to Havre this month. The event, which will include a meet-and-greet with new UM President Seth Bodnar, is slated for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, at Triple Dog Brewing Co. Please join us for an evening of Griz camaraderie while enjoying a pint or two. See you there!

Want to attend a Griz on Tap in your city? UMAA is looking for volunteers to help bring the happy hours to new locales across Montana and the country. If you’re interested in getting involved, email [email protected].

Bringing the U to You Lecture Series continues with Harry Fritz The Myth. The Man. The Legend. The Fritz.

Great Falls alumni, don’t miss the upcoming talk with the one and only Harry Fritz as part of the Bringing the U to You Lecture Series on Thursday, Feb. 15. Fritz, history professor emeritus who taught generations of students at UM for 50 years, will present “Montana and the Great War, 1914-1919” from 7 to 9 p.m. in Great Falls College MSU’s Heritage Hall.

Tickets cost $10 for general admission and $5 for students and are available by calling 406- 899-0277, at Kaufman’s downtown or at Leslie’s Hallmark in the Holiday Village Mall. The full schedule for the lecture series is online.

Community Lecture Series starts off with talk on forest and fire ecology When it comes to hot topics like forest fires and social justice, the barrage of information from competing interests can bewilder the average news consumer. UMAA’s 2018 Community Lecture Series, “Beyond the Headlines: Clearing the Air with Real Evidence,” will explore how we can rely on evidence to navigate what’s real versus fake when it comes to issues affecting everyday Montanans.

The series kicks off at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, in the University Center Theater with Professor Andrew Larson presenting “The Inevitability of Wildfires: Fire Ecology and Forest Management.” Tickets are available online or by calling 406-243-5211. UMAA members can purchase tickets for the entire series for just $20, while tickets for the general public cost $25. Students may purchase series tickets for $10, and tickets for individual lectures cost $5 at the door.

Deadline for Distinguished Alumni Award nominations, Legacy Scholarship is Feb. 23 UMAA is looking for exceptional alumni to honor – both current and future! The deadline for Distinguished Alumni Award nominations and Legacy Scholarship applications is coming up at 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23.

Since 1960, the Distinguished Alumni Award has honored UM graduates or former students who have distinguished themselves in a particular field and who have brought honor to the University, the state or the nation. More information on criteria and the nomination procedure is available online.

The UMAA Legacy Scholarship is awarded annually to deserving students who exhibit academic and co-curricular excellence. To be eligible, students must have a parent, grandparent or legal guardian who attended, but need not have graduated from, UM; attained junior status (at least 60 earned credits) prior to the start of the fall 2018 semester; and be a full-time undergraduate student for the 2018-19 academic year.

To learn more and download an application, visit the UMAA website, call 406-243-5211 or email [email protected].

Alumni Activities Alumni connect at Montana Rep socials

Thanks to all our alumni in Billings and Butte who joined us for pre-play socials ahead of the Montana Repertory Theatre’s production of “On Golden Pond.” Montana Rep Director Gregory Johnson and play cast members had a great time mingling with attendees in Butte, and UM President Seth Bodnar and Dr. Chelsea Bodnar enjoyed connecting with alumni at the Billings event.

The Montana Rep is now touring "On Golden Pond" nationally. See a full schedule online.

Griz Giveaway Congrats to the winner of this month's prize! Congratulations Fred Seidensticker, M.Ed. '99. You are the lucky recipient of the February Griz Giveaway! You’ve won this cozy Grizzlies beanie to keep you warm as winter winds down. Please email [email protected] to claim your prize.

Alumni Spotlight Alumni sworn in as Justice The newest member of the Montana Supreme Court took the oath of office last month in her hometown of Billings in a room packed with family, friends, attorneys and judges.

Ingrid Gustafson J.D. ’88, a district court judge for 14 years in Yellowstone County, was appointed by Gov. Steve Bullock in December to succeed retiring Justice .

It was a celebratory day in the courtroom, with no shortage of lighthearted moments. Gustafson joked about the "Hogwarts robes" judges must wear, and said it was a "truly rare occasion" that her husband donned a suit, as he did for the ceremony.

Continue reading in the Billings Gazette

Campus Spotlight UM researchers named among ‘world’s most influential scientific minds’ Mike Schwartz's work in science is where the rubber meets the road – in this case, where the DNA meets the iPad.

Schwartz, a federal researcher for the U.S. Forest Service's National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish Conservation, works with a team that harnesses the power of shared data to provide valuable information about, say, trends related to invasive species.

He’s also one of three Montanans recently named among the world's most influential scientific minds, all of whom are affiliated with UM.

Continue reading in the Missoulian

UM lacrosse team teaches the game to children in Mexico City The look of children’s faces lighting up when the Montana’s men’s club lacrosse team handed them sticks provided some validation. Natives of Mexico City, these children had never seen lacrosse, let alone been able to play the game.

Grizzlies coach Tucker Sargent was accustomed to growing the game with his program in Missoula, but this experience was like nothing he’d encountered. It made the trip worth every penny.

“There’s no way to get lacrosse equipment down in Mexico other than ordering it online,” Sargent said. “When the kids found out they got to keep these sticks, it looked like it was Christmas morning for about 40 kids getting lacrosse sticks they truly cherished.”

News About the U Redesigned UM program lets students earn MBA anytime, anywhere Montana’s only master of business administration program is now more convenient for anyone in the state – or the world – to access. The UM College of Business has redesigned its MBA so students can earn the degree regardless of their schedule or where they live

The program lets students choose between attending traditional face-to-face classes, teleconferencing into live classroom discussions or viewing recorded lectures online. Students can even blend all three content delivery options depending on their individual needs throughout the semester.

“This program is ideal for anyone who needs flexibility because it meets you wherever you are,” said College of Business Dean Chris Shook. “Members of the military, someone who might have a move on the horizon or anyone who plans to continue to work through the program would benefit from this redesigned curriculum.”

More Campus Headlines

Griz great Dickenson to be inducted into College Football Hall of Fame

UM earns high rankings for service to veterans

African-American Studies celebrates 50 years at UM

Kerr wins anthropology center’s Eleanor Roosevelt Citizenship Award

Pearl Jam to play UM’s Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Aug. 13

UM selected to host Humphrey Fellowship Program

Know a future Griz? Do you know a high school student who would make a great Griz in the future? Help jump start their UM experience by sending them an official Griz Guide. Click on the button below to request one today! Keep your UMAA membership up to date Is your UMAA membership set to expire this month? You can renew it quickly and securely on the UMAA website today. Don’t forget to sign up for auto-renewal to ensure your membership, and the benefits that come with it, never lapses. We are grateful for your support!

University of Montana Alumni 107 Brantly Hall Missoula, MT 59812 406.243.5211 Toll-free 1.877.862.5867 [email protected] www.grizalum.com