UM breaks ground for two new centers

(Top) An architect’s rendering of the planned Native American Center. (Below) A view of the Phyllis J. Washington Education Center.

The University of Montana is breaking ground this spring. But instead of planting seeds, campus is holding groundbreaking ceremonies to raise a crop of new buildings.

Indian tribal leaders from across Montana were in Missoula April 19 to help launch construction of UM’s new Native American Center. The first of its kind on a U.S. university campus, the center will house the Department of Native American Studies, American Indian Student Services and related campus programming under one roof.

The 19,900-square-foot facility will rise on the UM Oval south of the Grizzly Bear statue and east of the Lommasson Center. Construction begins this summer and concludes in fall 2009.

The groundbreaking ceremony was set up like the interior of a lodge, with the power of knowledge represented on the west side of the building and speakers facing east. Speakers included Gregory Cajete, a Tewa from the Santa Clara Pueblo Indian Tribe of New Mexico; Dustin Whitford, president of UM’s Kyi-Yo Native American Association; and UM President George Dennison.

The Native American Center was a top campus priority in UM’s “Invest in Discovery” campaign that ended in December. But because of construction cost increases, $1.85 million is still needed to complete the $9.7 million project.

On Friday, May 2, campus also will break ground on the new 27,000-square-foot Phyllis J. Washington Education Center, an addition to the School of Education Building on Eddy Street.

The groundbreaking ceremony will be held from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Speakers will include the building’s namesake, Phyllis Washington, chair of the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation and a 1964 UM School of Education graduate; her husband, Dennis, founder of the Washington Companies; Sheila Stearns, Montana Commissioner of Higher Education; Randy Mostad, who was once taught by Phyllis; Roberta Evans, UM education dean; and President Dennison.

The groundbreaking ceremony and following reception are free and open to the public.

Fundraising continues for the $10 million building, which will be constructed mainly from private sources. The target completion date is fall 2009.

Highlights of the new addition are the Early Childhood Modeling Center, which will offer indoor and outdoor classrooms and learning spaces; high-tech classrooms and distance-learning studios; a state-of-the-art math and science instructional methods classroom; and the Learning and Belonging Preschool space.