The University of Montana (UM) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...

Missoula, Montana Missoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluence with the Bitterroot and Blackfoot rivers in western Montana and at the convergence of five ...

, United States. UM is a

flagship institution A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of the

Montana University System The Montana University System (MUS) was created on July 1, 1994, when the Montana Board of Regents of Higher Education restructured the state's public colleges and universities, with the goal of streamlining the state's higher education in the wak ...

and its second largest campus. Fall 2024 saw total enrollment hit 10,811, marking the highest total enrollment for UM since 2018. It is

classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper * The Classified, a 1980s American ro ...

among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" as of 2022. Alumni include 11

Truman Scholar The Harry S. Truman Scholarship is a graduate fellowship in the United States for public service leadership. It is a federally funded scholarship granted to U.S. undergraduate students for demonstrated leadership potential, academic excellence ...

s, 14 Goldwater Scholars, and 40 Udall Scholars. One alumnus,

Harold Urey Harold Clayton Urey ( ; April 29, 1893 – January 5, 1981) was an American physical chemist whose pioneering work on isotopes earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1934 for the discovery of deuterium. He played a significant role in the ...

, has won the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

History

act of Congress An act of Congress is a statute enacted by the United States Congress. Acts may apply only to individual entities (called Public and private bills, private laws), or to the general public (Public and private bills, public laws). For a Bill (law) ...

of February 18, 1881, dedicated 72 sections () in

Montana Territory The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana. Original boundaries ...

for the creation of the university. Montana was

admitted to the Union Admission to the Union is provided by the Admissions Clause of the United States Constitution in Article IV, Section 3, Clause 1, which authorizes the United States Congress to admit new states into the Union beyond the thirteen states that a ...

on November 8, 1889, and the

state legislature A state legislature is a Legislature, legislative branch or body of a State (country subdivision), political subdivision in a Federalism, federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of ...

soon began to consider where the state's permanent

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

and state university would be located. To be sure that the new state university would be located in Missoula, the city's leaders made an agreement with the standing capital of

Helena Helena may refer to: People *Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer * Saint Helena (disambiguation), this includes places Places Greece * Helena ...

that Missoula would stay out of the bidding for the new capital and would support Helena over its leading competitor,

Anaconda Anacondas or water boas are a group of large boas of the genus ''Eunectes''. They are a semiaquatic group of snakes found in tropical South America. Three to five extant and one extinct species are currently recognized, including one of the l ...

. The cities' bids were supported by the rival " Copper Kings",

William A. Clark William Andrews Clark Sr. (January 8, 1839March 2, 1925) was an American entrepreneur, involved with mining, banking, and railroads, as well as a politician. Biography Clark was born in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. He moved with his family to ...

and

Marcus Daly Marcus Daly (December 5, – November 12, 1900) was an Irish-born American businessman known as one of the four Copper Kings of Butte, Montana, United States. Early life Daly emigrated from County Cavan, Ireland, to the United States as a youn ...

, respectively. Missoula won the legislative vote for the new university at the Third Montana Legislative Assembly in February 1893, and it was formally opened in 1895. While plans for a university campus were progressing, classes were temporarily held at nearby Willard School. The South Missoula Land Company, owned by A.B. Hammond, Richard Eddy and Marcus Daly, joined with the Higgins family in donating land for the new campus. In June 1898 the cornerstone for A.J. Gibson designed University Hall was laid and Missoula became "the University City". From 1945 until 1965, the name was changed by the legislature to "Montana State University", while the school in Bozeman was known as "Montana State College".

Presidents

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1895 till:2024 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:10 left:20 bottom:50 top:0 Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:m bar:1 color:powderblue from:1895 shift:(87,-5) till:1908 text:Oscar J. Craig (1895–1908) bar:2 color:powderblue from:1908 shift:(30,-5) till:1912 text:Clyde V. Duniway (1908–1912) bar:3 color:powderblue from:1912 shift:(24,-5) till:1915 text:Edwin B. Craighead (1912–1915) bar:4 color:powderblue from:1915 shift:(20,-5) till:1917 text:Randall M. M. Savage (1915–1917) bar:5 color:powderblue from:1917 shift:(30,-5) till:1921 text:Edward O. Sisson (1917–1921) bar:6 color:powderblue from:1921 shift:(95,-5) till:1935 text:Charles H. Clapp (1921–1935) bar:7 color:powderblue from:1936 shift:(-200,-5) till:1941 text:George F. Simmons (1936–1941) bar:8 color:powderblue from:1941 shift:(-175,-5) till:1945 text: Ernest O. Melby (1941–1945) bar:9 color:powderblue from:1945 shift:(-185,-5) till:1950 text:James A. McCain (1945–1950) bar:10 color:powderblue from:1951 shift:(-170,-5) till:1958 text:Carl McFarland (1951–1958) bar:11 color:powderblue from:1959 shift:(-185,-5) till:1963 text:Harry K. Newburn (1959–1963) bar:12 color:powderblue from:1963 shift:(-162,-5) till:1966 text:Robert Johns (1963–1966) bar:13 color:powderblue from:1966 shift:(-185,-5) till:1974 text:Robert T. Pantzer (1966–1974) bar:14 color:powderblue from:1974 shift:(-190,-5) till:1981 text:Richard C. Bowers (1974–1981) bar:15 color:powderblue from:1981 shift:(-174,-5) till:1986 text:Neil S. Bucklew (1981–1986) bar:16 color:powderblue from:1986 shift:(-172,-5) till:1990 text:James V. Koch (1986–1990) bar:17 color:powderblue from:1990 shift:(-205,-5) till:2010 text: George M. Dennison (1990–2010) bar:18 color:powderblue from:2010 shift:(-178,-5) till:2016 text:Royce Engstrom (2010–2016) bar:19 color:powderblue from:2016 shift:(-220,-5) till:2017 text:Sheila Stearns (Interim) (2016-2017) bar:20 color:powderblue from:2018 shift:(-125,-5) till:end text:Seth Bodnar (2018-) ScaleMajor = gridcolor:tan1 unit:year increment:5 start:1895 TextData = fontsize:L textcolor:black pos:(175,30) # tabs:(0-center) text:"University of Montana Presidents" :

Academics

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 and Conservation; College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences; College of Visual and Performing Arts;

Alexander Blewett III School of Law The Alexander Blewett III School of Law is a law school at the University of Montana in Missoula. It was established in 1911 and remains Montana's only law school. Its name was changed from the University of Montana Law School to its current name ...

; UM College of Business; UM School of Journalism; UM School of Extended and Lifelong Learning;

Missoula College Missoula College is the junior college of the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana. The college was founded in 1956 and became part of the University of Montana in 1994. It offers 35 programs including career, transfer, and technical progra ...

and Bitterroot 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. 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. The W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation offers five undergraduate majors (Ecosystem Science & Restoration; Forestry; Parks, Tourism & Recreation Management; Resource Conservation; and Wildlife Biology) and five Master's of Science and three PhDs.

Admissions

For the fall 2017 term, 6,182 students applied to the University of Montana. Ninety-three percent were accepted. The entering freshman class had an average high school

GPA Grading in education is the application of standardized measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), percentages, or as num ...

of 3.55, and the middle 50% range of

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and Test score, scoring have changed several times. For much of its history, it was called the Scholastic Aptitude Test ...

scores were 540-650 for reading and writing, 520-620 for math, while the ACT composite range was 21–26.

Campus

The original plan of the campus was designed by one of its first professors, Frederich Scheuch, who called for the central oval to be surrounded by university buildings. Although Scheuch's plan called for all building entrances to face the center of the Oval, forming a radiating building pattern, buildings were later constructed with three-story in the

Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of ...

style, with hipped roofs and Spanish green roof tiles. The first set of buildings were set up around the oval in 1895. Since that time, various campus plans and architectural styles have been used. Today the campus consists of and is bordered to the east by

Mount Sentinel Mount Sentinel, originally known as "Mount Woody,"Cohen is a small mountain located immediately east of the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana. At a height of 1,958 feet and an elevation of , Mount Sentinel also features the hillside le ...

and the north by the

Clark Fork River The Clark Fork, or the Clark Fork of the Columbia River, is a river in the U.S. states of Montana and Idaho, approximately long. It is named after William Clark of the 1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition. The largest river by volume in Montana, it ...

. The main campus comprises 64 buildings, including nine

residence hall A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

s and various athletic venues, including

Washington–Grizzly Stadium Washington–Grizzly Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in the western United States, located on the campus of the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana. Opened in 1986, it is home to the Montana Grizzlies, a member of the Big ...

, a 26,500-seat football stadium and the Adams Center (formerly,

Dahlberg Arena Dahlberg Arena is a 7,321-seat multi-purpose arena in the western United States, located on the campus of the University of Montana in Missoula. The arena opened in 1953 and is home to the Montana Grizzlies and Lady Griz basketball teams. It has ...

), a 7,500-seat multi-purpose arena where the university's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

teams play. Landmarks include: ;The Oval A swath of grass running east to west, marking the traditional center of the university. Today it is divided into quadrants by two intersecting brick-laid paths. A double row of trees was planted around the oval on

Arbor Day Arbor Day (or Arbour Day in some countries) is a Secularity, secular day of observance in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. Today, many countries observe such a holiday. Though usually observed in the spring, the date v ...

1896, but many of the trees have since died and are in the process of being replanted. The original gravel driveway that once surrounded the Oval has also been replaced by sidewalk. The original master plan of the university called for all buildings to face the center of the oval, but this plan proved difficult and a new plan was created in 1935. On the western extreme of the Oval is a life-sized

grizzly bear The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horr ...

statue created by ceramic artist and sculptor Rudy Autio in 1969. The bronze statue is in height, weighs , and took a year to create. Many photographs of the university picture the bear with the Oval, university (Main) Hall, and Mount Sentinel's 'M' in the background. ;The "M" trail A trail with 13 switchbacks, it ascends , from above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

, from the university at the base of Mount Sentinel. The trail offers sweeping views of the city below. "The 'M'" first placed on Mount Sentinel was originally made of

whitewash Whitewash, calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, asbestis or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime ( calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk (calcium carbonate, CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes ...

ed rocks and only measuring by 25 feet; it was replaced by a wooden "M" in 1912, which cost $18. That "M," unlike today's "M," stood upright on the face of Mount Sentinel. A larger wooden version of the "M" was built in 1913 and upkeep of the structure was formally charged to each year's freshman class. When the large wooden "M" was destroyed by a

blizzard A blizzard is a severe Winter storm, snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow th ...

in 1915, an even larger version was constructed of whitewashed

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

. Once again the freshman class was tasked with annual renovation of the symbol, beginning a new tradition. Each year from then on, University of Montana freshmen made the hike up to the "M" to apply a fresh coat of whitewash and remove any weeds and grass that had grown in and around the structure. The annual tradition ended in 1968 when a concrete "M" was built at a cost of $4,328. Although the annual whitewashing went by the wayside, one tradition that lives on today is the lighting of the "M" during the university's annual

Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States and Canada. United St ...

celebration each fall. Originally lit by a group of students on October 9, 1919, following the fall whitewashing, the event was so popular that students have continued to light the "M" each year during Homecoming week; special beacons light up the giant letter, welcoming former students back to the university. ;Memorial Row On the north side of campus, 29

evergreen trees In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many different s ...

stand in two columns forming Memorial Row along what used to be the path of Van Buren Avenue. The trees, running from the corner of the Oval to Eddy Avenue, were planted in 1919 following the end of the

Great War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

to honor UM students, alumni, and faculty who died in the war, some to combat and many more to the

influenza epidemic Flu season is an annually recurring time period characterized by the prevalence of an outbreak of influenza (flu). The season occurs during the cold half of the year in each hemisphere. It takes approximately two days to show symptoms. Influen ...

. The trees are ''

Pinus ponderosa ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine, is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is th ...

'' (Western Yellow Pines or Ponderosa Pine), the state tree of Montana. Originally, a white T-board stood in front of each tree, with the name of the person whom it honors; in 1925, these were replaced with 35

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

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. By 1925, the university had increased the number of names on the official list to 35, and sometime later, it grew to 37.

Organization and administration

Administration

The University of Montana is the main campus for the university, which includes four other campuses. The

public university system In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

is one of two in Montana; the other is

Montana State University Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana, United States. It enrolls more students than any other college or university in the state. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's d ...

. Both systems are governed as the

by the Montana

Board of Regents In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual co ...

, which consists of seven members appointed by the

state governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

, and confirmed by the

state senate In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...

to serve overlapping terms of seven years, except for one student member who is appointed for one year at a time.. The governor and

Superintendent of Public Instruction A state education agency or state department of education is the state-level government organization within each U.S. state or U.S. territory, territory responsible for education, including providing information, resources, and technical assistan ...

, both statewide elected officials, are ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, or council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by r ...

'' members of the board, as is the Commissioner of Higher Education, who is appointed by the Board of Regents. The Board of Regents appoints the

university president A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth na ...

, who is directly responsible and accountable to the Commissioner of Higher Education.

Funding

The total operating budget for the University of Montana for

fiscal year A fiscal year (also known as a financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. La ...

2017 was approximately $423 million. About $149 million comes from the General Funds budget, $108 million from restricted funds, auxiliary funds ($51 million), designated funds ($44 million), and plant funds ($61 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. This decrease in funding has, in part, been made up by the university competing for sponsored research money with a growth from $12 million in 1994 to $88 million in 2017 and salaries as low as 3/5 the national average.

Colleges, schools, and centers

The University of Montana comprises seven colleges and two professional schools: * College of Humanities and Sciences (1893) * Phyllis J. Washington College of Education and Human Sciences (2009) * W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation (1913) *College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences **Skaggs School of Pharmacy (1907) **School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science **School of Social Work **School of Public and Community Health Sciences *

(1956) **College of Technology **Bitterroot College (Hamilton, MT) *College of the Arts and Media **School of Art **School of Theatre and Dance **School of Media Arts **School of Music (1893) **School of Journalism (1914) * Davidson Honors College (1991) * College of Business (1918) *

School of Law A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for bec ...

(1911) The University of Montana is also home to a variety of projects, research centers, and institutes.

Campus media

The ''

Montana Kaimin The ''Montana Kaimin'' is the University of Montana's student-run independent newspaper located in Missoula, Montana. The paper is printed once a week, Thursday, with special editions printed occasionally and is online aMontanaKaimin.com ''The ...

'', founded in 1898, is the student-run

college newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also repo ...

. It is independent of the university. It attracted national attention in 2009, when football coach

Bobby Hauck Robert Lawrence Hauck (born June 14, 1964) is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach at the University of Montana, a position he held from 2003 to 2009 and resumed before the 2018 season. Hauck was also the head footbal ...

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. '' Camas: The Nature of the West'', is a literary journal run by

graduate student Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by higher education, post-secondary students who have ...

s of the Environmental Studies Program.

KBGA KBGA (89.9 FM), licensed to Missoula, Montana, is a college radio station on the campus of the University of Montana. It was formerly known as Revolution Radio. Josh Moyar is the current general manager of the station. KBGA was established by ...

(89.9 FM) is the

college radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...

station. KUFM-FM is the flagship and founding station of

Montana Public Radio Montana Public Radio is a network of public radio stations serving the U.S. state of Montana, primarily the western part of the state. The network is currently owned by the University of Montana, and its studios are located on the university ca ...

. Founded in 1965, its studios are located in the Broadcast Media Center, of the Performing Arts/Radio Television Center. KUFM-TV (Channel 11) is the local

Montana PBS Montana PBS is the PBS member public television network for the U.S. state of Montana. It is a joint venture between Montana State University (MSU) and the University of Montana (UM). The network is headquartered in the Visual Communications Bu ...

station.

Student life

A variety of student organizations exist on campus. Seven

fraternities A fraternity (; whence, " brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in the Western conce ...

and four

sororities In North America, fraternities and sororities ( and ) are social clubs at colleges and universities. They are sometimes collectively referred to as Greek life or Greek-letter organizations, as well as collegiate fraternities or collegiate sorori ...

have chapters on campus. 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. The largest number of partnership are with universities in Japan (eight), China (seven), and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

(seven). 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. In September 2010, the Montana Board of Regents unanimously approved the creation of the Center for the Study of Central and Southwest Asia at the University of Montana.

Athletics

The athletic teams are nicknamed the

Montana Grizzlies The Montana Grizzlies and Lady Griz are the nicknames given to the athletic teams of the University of Montana, located in Missoula, Montana, Missoula. The university is a member of the Big Sky Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fieldin ...

("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 The Big Sky Conference is a List of NCAA conferences, collegiate athletic conference, affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I with college football, football competing in the Football Cha ...

since the conference was formed in 1963. From 1924 to 1950, the University of Montana was a member of the

Pacific Coast Conference The Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) was a collegiate athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pac-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, with eight of the ten PCC members (includin ...

(precursor to today's

Pac-12 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...

). The University of Montana has an ongoing

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

with Montana State University, most notably the cross-state football matchups, known as the " Brawl of the Wild", but also includes the cross-state club lacrosse matchup, known as the " Copper Cup". Programs include: *

Montana Grizzlies football The Montana Grizzlies football (commonly referred to as the "Griz") program represents the University of Montana in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of college football. The Grizzlies have competed in the Big Sky Conferen ...

– 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 NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

(known as Division I-AA football before 2006). They won the I-AA national title in 1995 and 2001. *

Montana Grizzlies men's basketball The Montana Grizzlies basketball team represents the University of Montana in men's college basketball. They compete at the NCAA Division I level and are members of the Big Sky Conference. Home games are played at Dahlberg Arena located inside ...

– 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 The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness, or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the NCAA Division I, Di ...

in 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2018, and 2019. At the 2006 tournament, the 12th-seeded Griz upset fifth-seeded

University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada, United States. It is the state's flagship public university and prim ...

, 87–79, the school's first win in the tournament in 31 years. The Cinderella run ended against the fourth-seeded

Boston College Eagles The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level ( Football Bowl Subdivis ...

. *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 Robin Selvig (born August 21, 1952) is an American former women's college basketball coach. Selvig completed his 38th and final season as head coach of the Lady Griz women's basketball team at the University of Montana, in 2015–16. Selvig fini ...

(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. Since 2016, the team is coached by former Lady Griz star Shannon Schweyen. 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 Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

, men's and women's tennis, women's volleyball and women's soccer. In 2015 UM added women's softball.

Intramural sports Intramural sports are recreational sports organized within a particular institution, usually an educational institution, for the purpose of fun and exercise. The term, which is chiefly North American, derives from the Latin words ''intra muros'' m ...

include men's

lacrosse Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...

(won 2007 national championship in their division, MCLA-B) and women's

, the Alpine Ski Team (went to the national championships in winter 2006),

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...

, dance and cheer, men's and women's

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

, men's soccer, the Woodsman Team,

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

, the Missoula Footbag Alliance.

triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the ...

, cycling,

fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...

, Jesters

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

, and Betterside Women's Rugby. The

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

of the university is

Monte Monte may refer to: Places Argentina * Argentine Monte, an ecoregion * Monte Desert * Monte Partido, a ''partido'' in Buenos Aires Province Italy * Monte Bregagno * Monte Cassino * Montecorvino (disambiguation) * Montefalcione Portugal * M ...

, 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 who 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. The 2002–03 and 2004–05 National Champion Mascot of the Year (Capital One/ESPN) has evolved into a "motorcycle-riding,

break-dancing Breakdancing or breaking, also called b-boying (when performed by men) or b-girling (women), is a style of street dance originated by African Americans and Nuyorican, Puerto Ricans in The Bronx borough of New York City. Breakdancing consist ...

, back flipping, slam-dunking, movie-making,

crowd-surfing Crowd surfing is the process in which a person is passed overhead from person to person (often during a concert). The "crowd surfer" is passed above everyone's heads, with everyone's hands supporting the person's weight. Origins Iggy Pop leapt ...

goal post In sport, a goal may refer to either an instance of scoring, or to the physical structure or area where an attacking team must send the ball or puck in order to score points. The structure of a goal varies from sport to sport, and one is plac ...

smashing, prank-pulling superstar."

Notable people

File:Colinmeloy1.jpg,

Colin Meloy Colin Patrick Henry Meloy (born October 5, 1974) is an American musician, singer-songwriter and author best known as the frontman of the Portland, Oregon, indie folk rock band the Decemberists. In addition to vocals, he performs with an acousti ...

Musician and

frontman The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

The Decemberists The Decemberists are an American indie rock band from Portland, Oregon, formed in 2000. The band consists of Colin Meloy (lead vocals, guitar), Chris Funk (guitar, multi-instrumentalist), Jenny Conlee (piano, keyboards, accordion, backing vocals ...

File:Carrol_O%27Connor_as_Archie_Bunker.JPG,

Carroll O'Connor John Carroll O'Connor (August2, 1924– June21, 2001) was an American actor whose television career spanned over four decades. He found widespread fame as Archie Bunker (for which he won four Emmy Awards), the main character in the CBS televis ...

Actor File:Marc_Racicot_2008.JPG,

Marc Racicot Marc Racicot (; born July 24, 1948) is an American attorney, lobbyist, and former Republican politician who served as the 21st governor of Montana from 1993 until 2001. After leaving office, Racicot worked as a lobbyist for the law firm Bracewe ...

21st governor of Montana File:Jeannette_Rankin_cph.3b13863.jpg,

Jeannette Rankin Jeannette Pickering Rankin (June 11, 1880 – May 18, 1973) was an American politician and women's rights advocate who became the first woman to hold federal office in the United States. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as ...

First woman elected to

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

File:JK_Simmons_2009.jpg,

J. K. Simmons Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor. Considered one of the most prolific and well-established character actors of his generation, he has amassed over 200 screen and stage credits since his 1986 debut. He won th ...

Actor

Athletes

Raul Allegre Raul, Raúl, Raül, and Raüll are forms of a common first name in Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan. The name is cognate of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph and the French ...

, football player;

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

placekicker In gridiron football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring Field goal (football), field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist ...

Colt Anderson Colt Anderson (born October 25, 1985) is an American professional football coach and former player who currently serves as the assistant special teams coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played in the NFL ...

, football player;

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

Josh Barnett Joshua Lawrence Barnett (born November 10, 1977) is an American mixed martial artist, submission wrestler, professional wrestler, and color commentator. Barnett previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was the y ...

, former

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

Heavyweight Champion,

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

Doug Betters Douglas Lloyd Betters (born June 11, 1956) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1978 to 1987. After graduating from Arlington High School ...

, football player;

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

Kroy Biermann Kroy Evan Biermann (born September 12, 1985) is an American former professional football linebacker. He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL draft. He played college football at Montana. Early life Biermann was ...

, football player;

Guy Bingham Guy Richard Bingham (born February 25, 1958) is a Japanese-born former professional American football center and long snapper who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins. He pla ...

, football player;

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

Dan Carpenter Daniel Roy Carpenter (born November 25, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008 after playing c ...

, football player;

* Scott Curry, football player;

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

* Barry Darrow, football player;

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

Keron DeShields Keron Melique DeShields (born December 4, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Al-Ittihad Jeddah of the Saudi Basketball League (SBL). He played college basketball for the University of Montana and Tennessee State University be ...

(born 1992), basketball player in the Israeli National League *

Dave Dickenson David Dickenson (born January 11, 1973) is a Canadian-American professional football head coach and general manager for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played as a quarterback with the Stampeders and the BC Lio ...

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

player;

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

and

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

, CFL MVP (2000) and

Grey Cup MVP The Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is awarded annually since 1959 to the player of the winning team who deemed to have had the best performance in the Grey Cup Game, the Canadian Football League's championship game. This award is prese ...

(2006) *

Terry Dillon Terrance Gilbert Dillon (August 18, 1941 – May 28, 1964) was a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL). Dillon played with the Minnesota Vikings during the 1963 NFL season. He had also been drafted in the 19th round of the 1963 Am ...

, football player;

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

* Aldo Forte, football player;

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

Scott Gragg Christopher Scott Gragg (born February 28, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Montana Grizzlies, where he majored in ma ...

, football player;

Tim Hauck Timothy Christian Hauck (born December 20, 1966) is an American former professional football safety in the National Football League (NFL). He is a co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach for the University of Montana. Playing career Hauck ...

, football player;

* Lex Hilliard, football player;

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

* Trumaine Johnson, football player;

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

cornerback *

Larry Krystkowiak Larry Brett Krystkowiak ( ; born September 23, 1964) is a retired American professional basketball player, and former head coach of the Utah Utes men's basketball team. Early life Krystkowiak was born in Missoula, Montana, to Bernard and Helen K ...

, former NBA player and coach, currently head coach

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

* Mike Lazetich, football player;

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative (Netherlands), Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tende ...

* Dustin Lind, director of hitting and assistant hitting coach for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

* Marc Mariani, football player;

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

, 2011

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

selection as return specialist *

Marty Mornhinweg Marty Mornhinweg (born March 29, 1962) is an American football coach and former player who was most recently a senior offensive consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was the offensive coordinator for th ...

, played football at Montana before becoming coach in NFL; formerly

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator (OC) is a Coach (sport), coach responsible for a gridiron football team's offense (American football), offense. Generally, the offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second ...

* Dallas Neil, football player;

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

special teams *

Milt Popovich Milton John Popovich (December 25, 1915 – June 23, 2005) was a professional American football halfback in the National Football League (NFL). He played with the Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the A ...

, football player;

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

halfback * Cory Procter, football player;

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

/center * Chase Reynolds, football player;

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...

Micheal Ray Richardson Michael Ray Richardson (born April 11, 1955), known as Micheal Ray Richardson, is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. He played college basketball for the Montana Grizzlies. The No. 4 overall pick in the 1978 NBA dr ...

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

player; played for

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

and

New Jersey Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

* Brian Salonen, football player;

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

Shann Schillinger Shann Schillinger (born May 22, 1986) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for the University of Mary, a position he has held since 2023. He previously coached for Dickinson State, Nebraska, Mon ...

, football player;

* Kirk Scrafford, football player;

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

, basketball player and head coach of Montana Lady Griz * Mickey Sutton, football player;

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

* Mike Tilleman, football player;

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

Wayne Tinkle Wayne Francis Tinkle II (born January 26, 1966) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach of the Oregon State Beavers men's basketball, Oregon State Beavers men's team of the West Coast Conference. Prior to his arrival in Corv ...

, former professional basketball player and head coach for university's men's basketball team; currently head coach for

Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees through all 11 of the universit ...

Entertainment and the arts

Jeff Ament Jeffrey Allen Ament (born March 10, 1963) is an American musician best known as the bassist of rock band Pearl Jam, which he co-founded alongside Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder. Ament wrote or co-wrote many of Pearl Jam's hits, ...

, musician *

Eric Braeden Eric Braeden (born Hans-Jörg Gudegast; April 3, 1941) is a German-American film and television actor, known for his roles as Victor Newman (fictional character), Victor Newman (from 1980) on the CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', as H ...

, film and television actor *

Miguel del Águila Miguel del Águila (born September 15, 1957) is an Uruguayan and American composer of classical music. He has been nominated three times for Grammys and has received numerous other awards. Life American composer Miguel del Águila (also spe ...

, composer pianist *

Ted Geoghegan Ted Geoghegan (born August 10, 1979) is an American filmmaker and publicist. He grew up in Great Falls, Montana, attending private and public schools and studying film extensively. He attended the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana and a ...

, screenwriter and director, best known for the 2015 horror film '' We Are Still Here'' * Susan Gibson, singer and songwriter, wrote

the Chicks The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. The band consists of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar, bass guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and Emily Strayer ...

' "Wide Open Spaces" while at UM *

Lily Gladstone Lily Gladstone (born August 2, 1986) is an American actress. Raised on the Blackfeet Reservation, Gladstone is of Piegan Blackfeet, Nez Perce, and European heritage. She earned critical acclaim for portraying Mollie Kyle, an Osage woman who sur ...

, actress *

Gen Huit Gen Huit is a Salish Kootenai Nation, Salish-Pend Oreille singer-songwriter from Saint Paul, Minnesota, who is known for her presentations on Native American life and culture at Glacier National Park (U.S.), Glacier National Park and for singing ...

, Salish-Pend Oreille singer-songwriter * Mary Kirkwood, artist * Beth Lo, artist *

Sahir Lodhi "Sahir Lodhi" is a Pakistani actor, Tv host and a Radio jockey. He made his first TV appearance in Chai Time on Indus TV, which became a hit morning show. Some of his most popular shows are Shair Online, Kuch Tum Kahao Kuch Hum Kahain, Ranjhey ...

, film and television actor, radio show host in Pakistan *

, singer and songwriter * George Montgomery, film and television actor *

, film and television actor * Lee Powell, actor *

Rob Quist Robert Ernest Quist (born January 5, 1948) is an American musician and politician, known for his work in Bluegrass music, bluegrass and country music. Originally a founding member of the Mission Mountain Wood Band, he plays guitar and banjo in ad ...

, singer and musician *

, actor *

Reagan Wilson Reagan Diana Wilson (born March 6, 1947) is an American model and actress who was ''Playboy'' magazine's Playmate of the Month for its October 1967 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Ron Vogel. Early life Wilson was born in Torrance, Cali ...

, actress and ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

'' model

Law, politics, and government

* Forrest H. Anderson, 17th governor of Montana *

Gordon Belcourt Gordon Belcourt, or Meekskimeeksskumapi, (1945 – July 15, 2013) was an American Blackfeet and Native American tribal executive and social advocate. A member of the Blackfeet Tribe, Belcourt served as the executive director of the Montana-Wyomi ...

, former executive director of Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council * Edward Butcher, state legislator *

Jerry Daniels Jerrold B. Daniels or Jerry Daniels (June 11, 1941 - April 29, 1982) was a CIA Paramilitary Operations Officer (PMOO) in their Special Activities Center who worked in Laos and Thailand from the early 1960s to the early 1980s. He was known by his ...

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

agent in

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

during

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

* Charles E. "Chip" Erdmann, circuit judge of

United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces The United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (in case citations, C.A.A.F. or USCAAF) is an Article I court that exercises worldwide appellate jurisdiction over members of the United States Armed Forces on active duty and other persons ...

, former associate justice of

Montana Supreme Court The Montana Supreme Court is the supreme court, highest court of the state court system in the U.S. state of Montana. It is established and its powers defined by Article VII of the 1972 Montana Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court w ...

Mike Mansfield Michael Joseph Mansfield (March 16, 1903 – October 5, 2001) was an American Democratic Party politician and diplomat who represented Montana in the United States House of Representatives from 1943 to 1953 and United States Senate from 1953 t ...

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

(1943–1953);

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

(1953–1977);

Senate Majority Leader The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and people of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as chief spokespersons for their respective political parties, holding the ...

(1961–1977); U.S. Ambassador to Japan (1977-1978); received both B.A. (1933) and M.A. degrees (1934) from university and taught Latin American and Far Eastern History before beginning political career, remained tenured professor until his death; UM library named in his honor * Jim Messina, political staffer,

White House Deputy Chief of Staff The White House Deputy Chief of Staff is officially the top aide to the White House Chief of Staff, White House chief of staff, who is the senior aide to the president of the United States. The deputy chief of staff usually has an office in the Wh ...

for President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

from 2009 to 2011 * John Milkovich, member of

Louisiana State Senate The Louisiana State Senate (; ) is the upper house of Louisiana’s legislature. Senators serve four-year terms and participate in various committees. Composition The Louisiana State Senate has 39 members elected from single-member districts ...

, reared in

Roundup A roundup is a systematic gathering together of people or things. Roundup, Round Up or Round-up may also refer to: Agriculture * A muster (livestock) (AU/NZ) or a roundup (US/CA) is the process of gathering livestock. * Roundup (herbicide), a M ...

, Montana *

Lee Minto Lee Minto (born 1927) is an American women's health activist and sex education advocate. She served as Executive Director of the Seattle, Seattle-King County chapter of Planned Parenthood for 27 years, and was instrumental in Referendum 20, Washi ...

, healthcare and women's rights activist and former executive director of Seattle-King County

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

, first woman elected to US Congress, elected from Montana *

Ted Schwinden Theodore Schwinden (August 31, 1925 – October 7, 2023) was an American politician from Montana. He was the 19th governor of Montana from 1981 to 1989. He had previously served as the 26th lieutenant governor of Montana and as a member of the M ...

, 23rd

lieutenant governor of Montana The lieutenant governor of Montana is an elected official in the State of Montana that ranks just below the governor of Montana. List of lieutenant governors ;Parties References {{DEFAULTSORT:Lieutenant governors of Montana * Monta ...

and 19th governor of Montana * Garry South, strategist and commentator, ASUM president (1973–74), national Campaign Manager of the Year (1998), UM Distinguished Alumni Award (2008) *

Sidney Runyan Thomas Sidney Runyan Thomas (born August 14, 1953) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a senior U.S. circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit since 1996. He served as the Ninth Circuit's chief judge from 2014 to ...

, graduate of School of Law, federal judge on

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts for the following federal judicial districts: * Distric ...

* Gail D. Zimmerman, Wyoming state legislator

Journalism

Hank Green William Henry Green II (born May 5, 1980) is an American YouTuber, science communicator, novelist, Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian, and entrepreneur. He produces the YouTube channel Vlogbrothers with his older brother, author John Green, a ...

, half of YouTube channel

VlogBrothers Vlogbrothers (sometimes stylized as VlogBrothers or vlogbrothers) is a video blog channel on YouTube. The Internet-based show is created and hosted by the Green brothers: John and Hank. The first incarnation of the brothers' online broadcasting ...

; creator of educational YouTube channels Crash Course and

SciShow ''SciShow'' is a collection of YouTube channels that focuses on science news. The program is hosted by Hank Green along with a rotating cast of co-hosts. ''SciShow'' was launched as an YouTube Original Channel Initiative, original channel. The ...

; co-founder of

DFTBA Records DFTBA Records, commonly known as DFTBA.com, is an e-commerce merchandise company that was co-founded by Hank Green and Alan Lastufka in 2008. Originally a record label, the company focuses on selling merchandise for prominent YouTube content cre ...

Vernon Arnold Haugland Vernon Arnold Haugland (May 27, 1908 – September 15, 1984) was an American reporter and writer for the Associated Press. As a war correspondent, he experienced and documented World War II events in person. During an assignment to New Guinea, ...

, author, AP WWII and NASA reporter, first civilian recipient of the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

* Meg Oliver, anchor of the CBS overnight news program ''Up to the Minute'' *

Jennifer Servo Jennifer Lynn Servo (born Jennifer Lynn Olson, (September 23, 1979 – September 16, 2002) was an American news reporter whose murder is unsolved. In the early 2000s, she worked for KPAX-TV and KECI-TV in Montana, and KRBC-TV in Texas. Servo wa ...

, broadcast journalist *

Molly Wood Molly Wood is an American podcast host and journalist. Early life and education Molly Wood studied journalism at the University of Montana. During her senior year she was the editor of the weekly student newspaper, the ''Montana Kaimin.'' Care ...

, executive editor for CNET, host of podcast ''

Buzz Out Loud ''Buzz Out Loud'', "CNET's podcast of indeterminate length," or ''BOL'', was a podcast about technology produced by CNET. The podcast was released daily on weekdays for the majority of its run, and weekly on Thursdays near its end. At its ince ...

Science and academia

* David Alt, geology professor and writer *

Mark Angelo Mark Angelo, (born 14 March 1951) is a Canadian river conservationist, writer, speaker, teacher and paddler. He founded and is the chair of BC Rivers Day and World Rivers Day. In 2009, Angelo was appointed as the inaugural chair of the Rivers In ...

, founder of World Rivers Day * Jessie M. Bierman, public health physician and academic * Stewart M. Brandborg, conservationist * Ragan Callaway, Regent's Professor of Ecology, expert in

ecological facilitation Ecological facilitation or probiosis describes species interactions that benefit at least one of the participants and cause harm to neither.Stachowicz, J. J. 2001. Mutualism, facilitation, and the structure of ecological communities. BioScience 51 ...

and

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

research * Carla Dove, ornithologist and leading expert of bird-aircraft strikes * Helen M. Duncan, geologist and paleontologist * R. Thomas Flynn, college administrator who has worked at

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

, Ocean Community College and

Monroe Community College Monroe Community College (MCC) is a public community college in Monroe County, New York. It is part of the State University of New York. The college has two campuses; the main campus in the town of Brighton, and the Downtown Campus in the City ...

* Reynold C. Fuson, chemist *

Emily Graslie Emily Graslie (born 1989) is an American Science communication, science communicator and YouTube educator. She started volunteering at the Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum at the University of Montana in 2011. After appearing in a VlogBrothers ...

, host of YouTube channel The Brain Scoop and first ever Chief Curiosity Correspondent at Chicago's

Field Museum of Natural History The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educationa ...

John P. Grotzinger John P. Grotzinger is the Fletcher Jones Professor of Geology at California Institute of Technology and chair of the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences. His works primarily focus on chemical and physical interactions between life and ...

, geology professor *

Merilyn Manley-Harris Merilyn Manley-Harris (born ) is a New Zealand chemist, and is a professor emeritus at the University of Waikato, specialising in carbohydrate chemistry, particularly relating to mānuka honey. Academic career Manley-Harris taught in England an ...

, carbohydrate chemist * Lisa Parks, media scholar * Raymond R. Rogers, geology professor *

Steve Running Steven W. Running (born 1950) is an American scientist and academic. He is an emeritus regents professor of ecology at W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation at the University of Montana, as well as director of the Numerical Terradynamics ...

, Regent's Professor of Ecology, expert in global ecosystem monitoring, member of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change *

physical chemist Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mecha ...

, won

Nobel Prize in Chemistry The Nobel Prize in Chemistry () is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outst ...

in 1934 for work on

isotope Isotopes are distinct nuclear species (or ''nuclides'') of the same chemical element. They have the same atomic number (number of protons in their Atomic nucleus, nuclei) and position in the periodic table (and hence belong to the same chemica ...

s; Harold C. Urey Lecture Hall at university named in his honor * James B. Yule, pioneer of aerial photography and

photogrammetry Photogrammetry is the science and technology of obtaining reliable information about physical objects and the environment through the process of recording, measuring and interpreting photographic images and patterns of electromagnetic radiant ima ...

for the United States Forest Service

Writers

Judy Blunt Judy Blunt (born 10 October 1954) is an American writer from Montana. Her most notable work to date is '' Breaking Clean'', a collection of linked essays exploring her rural upbringing. Biography Blunt was raised on a cattle ranch in a remote a ...

, writer of '' Breaking Clean'', currently associate professor at UM *

Allie Brosh Allie Brosh (born May 18, 1985) is an American blogger, writer, and comic artist best known for '' Hyperbole and a Half,'' a blog and webcomic she created in 2009. Brosh grew up in small towns across the U.S. and eventually attended the Unive ...

, blogger, webcomic artist, author; author/illustrator of ''Hyperbole and a Half'' *

Eduardo Chirinos Eduardo Alejandro Chirinos Arrieta (4 April 1960 – 17 February 2016) was a Peruvian professor of literature at the University of Montana, and a poet. He received the Premio Casa de América de Poesía Americana in 2001. Career Eduardo Chirino ...

, Peruvian poet, was an associate professor at UM *

Anthony Cronin Anthony Gerard Richard Cronin (28 December 1923 – 27 December 2016) was an Irish poet, arts activist, biographer, commentator, critic, editor and barrister. Early life and family Cronin was born in Enniscorthy, County Wexford on 28 Decembe ...

, Irish writer and poet, visiting lecturer 1966 - 1968 * Rick DeMarinis, novelist and short story writer who taught at UM * William Finnegan, winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Biography/Autobiography for his 2015 memoir ''Barbarian Days, A Surfing Life'' *

Dan Flores Dan Louie Flores (born October 19, 1948) is an American writer and historian who specializes in cultural and environmental studies of the American West. He held the A.B. Hammond Chair in Western History at the University of Montana in Missoula, ...

, historian of the

American West The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is census regions United States Census Bureau As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the mea ...

, professor emeritus of UM *

Andrew Sean Greer Andrew Sean Greer (born November 21, 1970) is an American novelist and short story writer. Greer received the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel ''Less (novel), Less''. He is the author of ''The Story of a Marriage'', which ''The New ...

, winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for his novel ''Less'' *

A.B. Guthrie Jr. Alfred Bertram "Bud" Guthrie Jr. (January 13, 1901 – April 26, 1991) was an American novelist, screenwriter, historian, and literary historian known for writing western stories. His novel '' The Way West'' won the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction ...

, Pulitzer Prize–winning author, screenwriter, historian *

Shannon Hale Shannon Hale (née Bryner; born January 26, 1974) is an American author primarily of young adult fantasy, including the Newbery Honor book '' Princess Academy'' and '' The Goose Girl''. Her first novel for adults, '' Austenland'', was adapted int ...

, young adult fantasy and adult fiction author *

Richard Hugo Richard Hugo (December 21, 1923 – October 22, 1982), born Richard Franklin Hogan, was an American poet. Although some critics regard Hugo as primarily a regionalist, his work resonates broadly across place and time. A portion of Hugo's work ref ...

, poet and professor whose work reflected economic depression in Northwest * Joanna Klink, poet * J. Robert Lennon, writer * Deirdre McNamer, writer * Ed Skoog, writer and poet * James Welch, author

Notes

References

External links

*
Montana athletics website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Montana, University of Education in Missoula, Montana Universities and colleges established in 1893 Universities and colleges accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Tourist attractions in Missoula, Montana Flagship universities in the United States 1893 establishments in Montana

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana, United States. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. Fall 2024 saw total enrollment hit 10,811, marki ...

History

Presidents

Academics

Admissions

Campus

Organization and administration

Administration

Funding

Colleges, schools, and centers

Campus media

Student life

Athletics

Notable people

Athletes

Entertainment and the arts

Law, politics, and government

Journalism

Science and academia

Writers

See also

Notes

References

External links