2014-15
September 2014
Ryan Milling
Ryan has been an employee with the Outdoor Program since October 2012 and consistently goes above and beyond the call of duty. He is safe, responsible, takes initiative, and is a natural leader. He plays many roles within the department as a key rental desk employee, a lead climbing instructor and climbing wall employee,  ;a whitewater kayak instructor, a backpack and hiking instructor, and a cross country ski instructor.
Ryan has put a lot of energy into acquiring specific certifications such as Wilderness EMT and Swiftwater Rescue to help deepen his understanding and commitment to the field. He now volunteers with Aerie Backcountry Medicine, and is a teaching assistant for the Emergency Medical Responder class on campus.
In addition, Ryan is committed to the UM Wilderness Association. As co-director of the group he fosters a community of people who love the outdoors and who are advocates of wild places. He is always encouraging people to join this group and providing education on how to recreate responsibly, safely, and with a wilderness ethic in the forefront of their minds.
October 2014
Nolan Baldwin
Nolan is a Fitness & Recreation Center facilities employee and student supervisor, or "Soup." He is an extremely reliable, consistent and dedicated leader at the front desk. He has been a facility opener since starting with Campus Recreation in 2012, commuting from Florence and arriving to work at 5:15am weekdays. Nolan also supervises on Griz game days, effectively handling the tailgate scene and providing excellent customer service.
Nolan has always been innovative and proactive when it comes to special projects within facilities. He led the Soups in developing our employee evaluations and is currently revising our facility operations manual for internship credit.
In addition to always giving 110%, Nolan is a very likable guy. He has that great balance of personality and knowledge that makes him an effective leader that is fun to work with.
November 2014
Halley Morrison
It is no surprise that Halley rose to the top as November's employee of the month. She has been a solid, reliable Fitness Instructor since August 2012 and consistently goes above and beyond her job expectations. Not only has she taken the initiative to complete three certifications in Zumba dance, but she also volunteered to represent Campus Recreation at The Color Run and Sunday Streets Missoula. Halley is also key to making our annual Dance-A-Thon Food Drive a success. She helped promote the event then acted as the MC, leading participants for two hours of dancing and fun to benefit the Missoula Food Bank.
Halley recently instigated a Glow Light ZUMBA class in the Fitness & Recreation Center that packed room #3 with participants wearing neon clothes and glow  ;sticks reflecting in black lights. She always teaches a fun, upbeat class that easily draws over forty participants on a regular basis.
Halley loves sharing dance with others and her energy is contagious. She presents herself as motivated, well-organized and punctual, with a fun and approachable personality .
December 2014
Michael Connell
Michael was hired at the University Golf Course for the 2014 season and quickly became a leader within the grounds crew. He brought with him skills, experience, and professionalism that have made a positive impact on the operation. Tom Burt, course superintendent and supervisor, has come to rely on him for maintaining equipment and taking initiative all around the grounds. In addition, Michael was instrumental in a major project to redesign the tee boxes this winter in prep for the 2015 season. Thanks, Michael, for all you do for Campus Recreation!
January 2015
Tyler Bowen
Tyler is Campus Recreation's jack-of-all-trades. He is an Assistant Director of Youth Camps, Office Accounting and Marketing Assistant, and Golf Course pro shop employee. He steps up to any task with a great attitude, exceptional quality, and strong leadership. In short, he makes Campus Recreation look good. Here are two quotes about Tyler's contribution to the department:
"As Youth Camp Assistant Director he is a pillar on our administrative team in the development of our newest program at Campus Recreation. He is responsible for the development of 75% of the camp curriculum, assists with securing community guest appearances, and helps hire, train, supervise & mentor our camp counselors. The quality of work he continues to produce strengthens our programs and has direct influence on the success of our camps. I am continually impressed by the time, care and thoroughness of the work he produces for the Youth Camps."
"The deposit process is detail-oriented and often requires investigation into unbalanced daily sales and suspicious transactions. Tyler handles this with a detailed eye and typically finds the root cause of a discrepancy before needing a manager’s help. He will also point out if something looks suspicious, or there has been a trend in the deposits. Tyler can be trusted to be timely and accurate."
Tyler is also Campus Recreation's nominee for Student Employee of the Year. We look forward to honoring him in April at the campus-wide awards ceremony.
February 2015
Zach Friez
Zach's career with Campus Recreation has included being a facilities attendant, climbing wall monitor, student supervisor, and business technology intern. He is a senior Management Information Systems student, and has worked with Campus Recreation for over three years. Zach was instrumental in the roll out of Fusion (Recreation Management System) in the Fitness & Recreation Center in 2014. He quickly adapted to the operational changes and took the lead on training much of the student staff. Zach then went on to lead the implementation of Fusion at the Golf Course in time for their 2015 season.
Not only is he technically savvy, but Zach understands the business side of our operation and was chosen to be the lead presenter of Campus Recreation's capitol budget to the Student Affairs officers this February. Zach continues to step up to any task and always takes initiative in his student supervisor role. He has led hiring efforts for new student staff, and handled the evaluation process for current staff with professionalism. Thanks Zach for all your efforts with Campus Recreation. You will be a success in the business-technology-outdoor recreation industries!
March 2015
Ehrin Fox
Ehrin is the master behind this year's "Glow Zones," in the Griz Glow 5k Fun Run held on March 21. He secured six University of Montana and Missoula community organizations to design and produce Glow Zones on the course for the participants. His contributions not only helped make this the most successful Griz Glow 5k yet, but also made a lasting impact for our future events. He created relationships with the groups who have already expressed interest in being involved next year. In addition, on the day of the event he helped setup from the beginning through take down, working for twelve hours. Overall, Ehrin is the type of student employee we want on our Youth Camps staff. He always puts forth his best effort and is willing to take on extra duties. He recently wrote a grant application in one of his academic classes and used Youth Camps as the charity organization. This template will be used to develop proposals in the future.
Ehrin is a senior PTRM major with a minor in nonprofit administration. He has worked with Campus Recreation for one year as a Youth Camps counselor, and as a lifeguard and swim instructor at the Grizzly Pool.
April 2015
Tom McKean
Tom has been an Outdoor Program employee for two years, specializing in bike mechanics and equipment rentals. He also teaches the bike maintenance class for the Outdoor Program. Tom is great at chatting with our customers, is an avid actor for (the other) Tom's videos, and makes sure everyone swipes their Griz Card for access. Thanks for being a team player!
In addition to his job responsibilities, Tom is a certified Wilderness First Responder, has an Avy Level 1 certification, is President of the UM Wilderness Association, and is an Education Intern at Montana National History Center. He will graduate with a degree in Wildlife Biology in May 2015.
June 2015
Carly Wilczynski
Carly has been an employee of our Youth Camps program for three summers. She began as a Camp Counselor her first year, then stepped up to be a Lead Counselor for the cubs the past two years. Carly graduated in May 2015 with a degree in Elementary Education, and was a 4 year varsity cross country and track athlete for the Griz.
In her position as a Lead Counselor, Carly developed all camp curriculum specific to the young kids that she oversaw. This entailed structuring everything for each week of camp from basketball, football and soccer to track & field, global sports and outdoor adventures so that activities were relevant to younger kids their skill level and abilities. Carly has taken on a tremendous leadership role with Youth Camps over the years . She has helped out with marketing endeavors, led staff meetings and training and has been the first to offer feedback and make changes where necessary. Along with this Carly was instrumental in building the foundation of Campus Recreation Youth Camps and serving as a mentor to other camp staff. Without Carly and her education, knowledge, patience and leadership skills Youth Camps would not be where they are currently.
We are sad to say goodbye to Carly this summer but happy for her as she pursues her first teaching position in the Seattle area. Without a doubt her first grade classroom kids will have the most dedicated, fun loving, passionate teacher in the school. We wish Carly the best of luck and thank her for her time with Campus Recreation Youth Camps!
July 2015
Alan Bowman
Alan has been an employee with the Outdoor Program rental desk and workshop for three years, and the student manager for one year. He is our go-to bike mechanic and a whiz at fixing all types of bikes and problems. He also teaches the bike maintenance class we hold each semester. Alan is an expert with our point of sale and registration system (Fusion), and trains the rest of our staff on the complex processes around equipment rental.
In addition, Alan's customer service and attention to detail are top notch. This was especially evident in July during our busiest month in the shop. He handled equipment reservations and rentals with ease, and provided great customer service to keep our business strong.
Alan is a junior Exercise Science major, an avid sports fan, and also mentors kids and teens in the art of Tae Kwon Do during his free time.
August 2015
Tom Attwater
Tom is an Outdoor Program employee that consistently goes above and beyond the call of duty. He is currently a kayak instructor, raft guide, backpack trip leader, cross -country ski instructor, and rental desk employee. When Tom initially interviewed with the Outdoor Program he did not have any specific technical skills, but had general outdoor experience. He worked hard over the past year acquiring the skills and experience needed and is now a lead instructor of many of our classes.  ;He completed the swift water rescue technician class, is a certified Wilderness First Responder, and trained to be a lead raft guide for us and Montana River Guides.
Tom has also woven his passion and talent in filmmaking into his work with the Outdoor Program. He stands out with his work ethic and skill set by providing a safe and fun atmosphere for his students and coworkers while taking photos and making videos. He has made several professional-quality promotional videos on the trips we offer (check out his YouTube channel!). Not only does Tom excel in his work, he is also really fun to be around – everyone always loves to work with him.