University Design Team Open Forum

June 15, 2020

Dear UM family,

As I shared in a previous campus message regarding the creation and mission of the University Design Team, our community -- on and off campus -- plays an important role as we think boldly about the University of Montana's future. On behalf of the UDT, I invite the campus community to the first of several open forums focused on UM's strategic direction and the progress of the UDT.

The open forum, hosted by UDT co-chairs Adrea Lawrence, dean of the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education, and Paul Glade, director of Accelerate Montana and the Blackstone LaunchPad, will take place from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday, June 25.

I encourage your participation in the forum and shared questions and ideas about UM's trajectory as a flagship of the future.

As we navigate the near-term challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and focus on welcoming our students in a healthy return, we also must work collectively and thoughtfully to prepare UM for long-term success and impact. Your engagement will play a critical role in this. Please join the UDT and wider campus community as we explore how UM can best:

  • provide an education that prepares our students as both career-ready and tomorrow-proof.
  • expand our conception of education to include learners at all stages of life and careers.
  • expand the reaches of knowledge through research and graduate programs of national excellence and impact.

We are the fortunate beneficiaries of the efforts of earlier generations who guided our flagship University through challenges across its 127-year history. It is now our turn to thoughtfully, strategically and courageously design the new and continued characteristics that will define UM's bright future.

I hope you will contribute to our collective thinking as the UDT provides opportunities to engage and as you follow the progress of the UDT.

Stay well,

Seth