University of Montana

There is spark of heroism in every social worker, and UM wants to empower these heroes with the ability to keep serving their communities while they earn their education.

With this in mind, a national accrediting organization recently honored UM’s School of Social Work with a prestigious innovation award for its Field Education Program. The program has pioneered innovative ways for rural and Indigenous people to keep serving their communities while they complete their own educations.

“What makes this work special is that we are not only preparing students for the profession – we are also helping strengthen the communities where they live, work and serve,” said Katharina Werner, the School of Social Work director of field education.

Read more in our “Hometown Heroes” feature about this award: bit.ly/UMsocAwrd

👏Big news! UM will launch the state’s first public PA program this fall, addressing a major shortage of healthcare workers.

Montana has a critical need for more physician associates, and UM is equipped to meet the demand.

Pursuing a PA degree is compelling for students who are passionate about medicine and want to serve their communities. Already, more than 600 hopefuls have submitted applications to join the first cohort of 24 students.

“There’s real energy in Montana for the program and there's just a ton of interest,” said Dr. Matt Fete, UM College of Health dean.

Read the full story 👉 bit.ly/UMpapr

From Montana to the middle of the ocean 🌊

Two UM students followed their curiosity all the way to the South Atlantic subtropical gyre with SUBSEA.
During the OBVI SUBSEA expedition, supported by Schmidt Sciences, Dr. Matthew Church (University of Montana) and an international team of collaborators explored how nutrients move between the sunlit and twilight zones of the ocean.

This work was truly collaborative. Life aboard the research vessel brought together not just scientists, but marine technicians, engineers, artists, and storytellers, each playing a vital role in understanding these vast, dynamic ocean systems. Check out more of their journey on Schmidt Ocean Institute's social media channels.

FLBS - Flathead Lake Biological Station, The University of Montana
Schmidt Ocean Institute

See more at umt.exposure.co/subsea-expedition

UM’s School of Journalism is a Top 10 program in the United States, according to the national Hearst Journalism Awards Program!👏 And its reputation leveled up this week with two recent Griz grads snagging top awards at the Hearst National Journalism Awards Championship in San Francisco.

Maddie McCuddy won first place in the Hearst National Photojournalism Championship, and Claire Bernard earned second place in the Hearst National Writing Championship.

The Hearst Awards are often called the Pultizers of college journalism. This is big time. These two outstanding young journalists have shown the nation there is a Montana Way to achieving excellence.

👉 bit.ly/UMhrstChamps

Montana School of Journalism

UM’s Davidson Honors College just announced additional outstanding high school students who will join the University this fall as Provost’s Honors Scholars and Dean’s Leadership Scholars. These 27 students hail from eight states and will study subjects that range from forestry and physics to finance, pharmacy, the arts and more.

“We are thrilled to welcome them to the Davidson Honors College, where they will be surrounded by other talented, motivated students for an elevated, enriched and enlivened UM education,” said Tim Nichols, the dean of the honors college.

Do you know you know any of these incredibly UM-bound scholars? bit.ly/UMschol26

The UM Davidson Honors College has selected 28 elite high school students for the Presidential Leadership Scholarship. As UM’s most prestigious academic recognition for incoming students, the scholarship provides four years of funding for students joining campus this fall. The Presidential Leadership Scholars represent eight states, including 15 from Montana. We’re glad they chose to go The Montana Way! Go Griz!

View the PLS winners: bit.ly/UMpls2026

UM’s Big Sky Aphasia Program provides speech and language therapy to people facing language problems caused by brain injuries.

“A big part of our mission is to make aphasia treatment available for people in rural areas where treatment options are scarce with little to no access to specialized post-acute aphasia rehabilitation,” said Dr. Jenna Musick, an assistant professor in UM’s School of Speech, Language, Hearing and Occupational Sciences. “And people need to understand that those with aphasia are still intelligent and still themselves. They just struggle to communicate.”

Long-term, the goal of the program is to change how those dealing with aphasia are treated in Montana and beyond.

Read more: https://bit.ly/UMaphasia

Matthew Swarr, a University of Montana doctoral student, published research that suggests the fractured rock that makes up the Mountain West and stores groundwater may help sustain nature and people during periods of drought!

“Drought and inconsistent snow accumulation in recent winters have resulted in significant depletion of mountain groundwater, composing over 90% of the total water lost in mountainous regions over the past two decades,” said Swarr.

💧Check it out: bit.ly/UMaridWest

A humongous group of Grizzlies – nearly 2,800 – demonstrated their academic excellence by landing on the spring Dean’s List at the University of Montana. (And some of those aced their classes for the even-more-distinguished President’s 4.0 list.)

Did you or your loved ones earn this accolade? Tag them in the comments below!

Full lists here: bit.ly/UMdeansListSpring26




📸Tommy Martino

There’s a place for everyone at UM, find your place at Club Sports Preview Day! See you July 10th 😎🤝⚽️

Who’s Invited? You + any and all prospective or admitted students!

Event highlights:
• Club Sports resource fair
• Admissions and student life presentations
• Guided campus tour
• Lunch at The Lodge Dining Center
• Afternoon sessions with various Club Sports teams

Register at https://umontana.edu/visit.php