January 17, 2022

Dear UM Family,

It is with great excitement that we welcome students to campus tomorrow. 

The start of the spring semester this year coincides with the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As Montana’s flagship university, we are called to follow the example of Dr. King by fighting for justice, equity and the empowerment of all. His tireless, inspired efforts remind us that the responsibility for creating a more inclusive, just and equitable world is a shared one. 

At UM, that work does not belong to a select few individuals or to a single office. It belongs to all of us. To hold ourselves to account, UM recently released our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan, which will evolve as we learn from and partner with our community, and as we humbly recognize systems that we must change.

This plan, which will be updated annually, reflects our commitment to taking ongoing action to eliminate the equity gaps that prevent us from fulfilling our promise to students and Montana.

Dr. King’s compassion and fierce advocacy for the value of all human life is as necessary today as it was during his lifetime. We center the value of all human life when we are honest about our failures and deliberate in our actions. I’m proud that UM’s student body, in particular, regularly calls for all of us to do better. The spirit of Dr. King lives on in them, and we are better for it. 

The inequities and injustices that persist today are evidence that there is much left to accomplish. On this day, I hope you will join me in recommitting yourself to this work. Please familiarize yourself with UM’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan and identify how you can contribute. And in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, please consider participating in upcoming and ongoing events:

• MLK Jr. Day Community Celebration, hosted by EmpowerMT and the MLK Day Planning Committee. This virtual event begins Monday, Jan. 17 at 6 p.m. on the EmpowerMT YouTube page.

Thank you for your partnership as we continually shape UM to serve in ways that would make Dr. King proud.

Have a wonderful semester.

Seth