The Grizzly Statue and Main Hall in winter (Photo by Todd Goodrich)

Students on winter break until Jan. 28 

Winter break will commence after finals on Friday, Dec. 14. Students will return for the start of spring semester classes on Monday, Jan. 28.

Upcoming dates regarding winter break and spring semester:

• Wednesday, Jan. 2: Wintersession classes begin.
• Saturday, Jan. 5: Student account billing statements for spring semester are generated. Payment is due by Feb. 1 to avoid interest charges.
• Monday, Jan. 14: The "Save My Classes" link will be available in Cyberbear for students who can't pay or finalize their courses by Wednesday, Jan. 30. A $40 late registration fee will be assessed on all saved classes not paid for or finalized by Jan. 30.
• Tuesday, Jan. 22: Early arrival for residence halls. Students will be charged $17 per night through Saturday, Jan. 26.
• Saturday, Jan. 26: Residence halls officially open for spring semester.

For more information visit the UM Official Dates and Deadlines Calendar.

The 2013-14 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be available Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. The FAFSA is the first step for students interested in receiving financial aid such as Federal Pell Grants, Perkins Loans, Federal Stafford Loans and Federal College Work Study.

The application can be completed online. The UM, Missoula College and Bitterroot College priority deadline for FAFSA completion is Friday, Feb. 15. The UM Title IV School Code is 002536.

Students and parents must have a FAFSA PIN to complete the form. If you do not have a PIN, you can get one here. Taxes for 2012 must be filed before the FAFSA can be completed, though a close estimate of a previous year may be used.

The UM Financial Aid Office will host Financial Aid Nights at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12, and Tuesday, Jan. 15, in the University Center Theater. These sessions will provide general information regarding financial aid and helpful information for completing the FAFSA.  Students, parents and families are encouraged to attend.

Financial Aid counselors will be available to assist with specific questions. Many financial aid nights are held locally at various high schools, and you can contact your high school counselor for a Financial Aid night in your area.

The 2013-14 General Scholarship Application for current UM students is now available. The UM General Scholarship Program is available to continuing undergraduate UM students and draws together many endowed scholarships and donations into a single scholarship application form. A committee matches qualified applicants with the scholarship that best fits them.

Applications, including an essay and letter of recommendations, are due Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, at the Financial Aid counter in Griz Central. Instructions for submitting by mail are available in the application.

Eligible students must be enrolled in an undergraduate program or have plans to do so, must have completed 12 or more graded college credits and must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.4. Students attending UM through Western University Exchange, Presidential Leadership Scholars, LAS, Cal Murphy and Renewable General Scholarship holders are not eligible for an additional General Scholarship.

The General Scholarship Application and other financial aid forms can be accessed online.

ASUM President Zach Brown, left, UM President Royce Engstrom, center, and Missoula Mayor John Engen, right, sign the Community Quality of Life Initiative at the UM president's residence on Dec. 10. (Photo by Todd Goodrich.)

University, city sign Quality of Life Initiative 

City of Missoula and University leaders launched a new Community Quality of Life Initiative on Dec. 10, pledging to work together on a variety of methods to enhance student housing options and improve neighborhood relations.

Mayor John Engen, UM President Royce Engstrom and Associated Students of UM President Zach Brown signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the initiative at the UM president's residence in the University District.

The parties agreed to work together to create up to 1,000 units of safe, affordable student housing close to campus within two years. They also will cooperate on expanding the city's quality of life program, ASUM's Neighborhood Ambassador Program and UM-community outreach efforts.

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When Mary Drenning begins her coursework at UM in January, she hopes to bring $100,000 with her. Drenning, an incoming student in UM's Pre-Medical Sciences Program, is a top-10 finalist for the 2012 Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway.

The Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway accepted one-minute video pitches from students across the country to explain why they deserve to win a $100,000 scholarship. Of the top-10 finalists, the top five whom receive votes from the public will get the chance to throw for the scholarship at the Discover BCS National Championship Game on Monday, Jan. 7.

Voting is open until Dec. 17, and Drenning's video can be viewed online. She currently is in eighth place.

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Entertainment Management students at UM are teaming up with Eric Clapton's 2013 Crossroads Guitar Festival once again to promote the two-night festival slated for April 12-13 in Madison Square Garden in New York City.

UM students have been charged with spearheading the online communications for the festival. Together with Gate6, a Web-marketing company that provides technical support, UMEM students designed and built the website from the ground up. The students also manage the festival's social networks and will assist with major event-sponsor promotions.

"The students are responsible for communicating this event to the world," said Maria Brunner, UMEM instructor and one of the founders of the program. "It's a great learning opportunity for the students because they are working with international leaders on a high-profile project."

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Joint venture wins Innovating Justice Award 

Leaders of the Legal Atlas initiative, a partnership between the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center at UM and a Missoula private startup venture, traveled to The Hague, Netherlands, in November to accept the 2012 Innovating Justice Award and 50,000 euros to further develop the initiative.

Legal Director Jim Wingard and Science Director Maria Pascual founded Legal Atlas and approached the Mansfield Center in 2010 to propose a partnership to do research with their company. UM students in disciplines such as natural sciences, political science and law are working to research laws in countries around the world that relate to agriculture, land reform, oil and gas, natural resources mining, water rights and other environmental topics.

Legal Atlas builds a virtual knowledge platform with this information, which can assist governments, international agencies, businesses, practitioners, academics and nonprofits on work or research they are doing that requires a broad understanding or comparison of laws.

Wingard and Pascual came up with the idea after working 20 years in international development. They both encountered difficulties in identifying regulations and laws relevant to the implementation of projects in different countries, which can vary greatly. The platform helps businesses and organizations, and the partnership, they say, helps students.

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Students to intern with Scottish Parliament 

Two UM students recently were selected to intern with a member of the Scottish Parliament.

Larissa Monckton, a UM senior from Rocheport, Mo., studying political science and communications, and Haley Rondeau, a senior from Black Diamond, Wash., majoring in political science and minoring in international development studies and anthropology, will begin their four-month internships in Scotland on Jan. 7.

Each student will be assigned to a different Parliament member. They will research topics of interest to the member such as economics, environment, drugs, crime, education, rural issues, affordable housing and trade with Europe and the European Union.

The internship was arranged through IE3 Global Internships, which provides opportunities for students to grow personally, professionally and cross-culturally.

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• Wednesday, Jan. 2: Wintersession classes begin.
• Monday, Jan. 21: Martin Luther King Jr. Day -- No classes, offices closed.
• Wednesday, Jan. 23: Last day of Wintersession classes and final exams.
• Thursday-Friday, Jan. 24-25: New student orientation.
• Monday, Jan. 28: Spring semester classes begin.
• Monday, Feb. 18: Presidents Day -- No classes, offices closed.
• Monday-Friday, April 1-5: Spring break.
• Friday, May 10: Last day of regular classes.
• Monday-Friday, May 13-17: Final exams.
• Saturday, May 18: Commencement.