AlumniACTIVITIESA QUARTERLY UPDATE FOR DUES-PAYING

MEMBERS OF THE UM ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

SUMMER 2016

The Big Sky is calling: HOMECOMING 2016

SUNDAY, SEPT. 25Homecoming Kickoff Celebration, Southgate Mall – Clock Court

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 28UM Residence Life and Front Desk decorating contest judgingGreek House decorating contest

THURSDAY, SEPT. 29House of Delegates annual meetingUM Residence Life decorating contest judgingHouse of Delegates Social, Canyon Club

FRIDAY, SEPT. 30House of Delegates annual meetingUM Alumni Band Reunion RegistrationHello Walk painting, sidewalk in front of Turner HallDepartment open houses and receptionsDistinguished Alumni Awards ceremony and reception, University Center BallroomYell Night Pep Rally on the Oval and Lighting of the MAll-Alumni Social and Dance with UM Marching Band and the Alumni Jazz Band, Holiday Inn Downtown at the Park

SATURDAY, OCT. 19th annual Homecoming Hustle 5K Race, start at Higgins and BroadwayUM Homecoming Parade, along Higgins and University avenuesAll-Alumni Homecoming Tailgate, River BowlHomecoming Football Game: Montana Grizzlies vs. Southern Utah Thunderbirds

PARADE APPLICATIONSUMAA will soon begin accepting applications for entry into the University of Montana Homecoming Parade. Start designing your floats around the theme “Under the Big Sky” and check back at www.grizalum.com for a link to the parade application and additional information.

Recommend a student for Homecoming AmbassadorDo you know a student who would be a great representative of the University of Montana? Encourage him or her to apply to be a 2016 Homecoming Ambassador! As reincarnations of traditional Homecoming royalty, Ambassadors represent UM students at Homecoming events, participate in other alumni events throughout the year, and serve as honorary liaisons to visiting alumni and friends. The application will be available soon on grizalum.com, and the deadline to apply is Wednesday, Sept. 14, at 5 p.m.

2015 Homecoming Ambassadors Tina Keller and Henry Giem wave as they’re introduced at the Homecoming football game.

The University of Montana Alumni Association invites you to join us “Under the Big Sky” for Homecoming 2016. We hope to see you Sept. 25-Oct. 1 for some – or all – of this year’s activities, including the annual Kickoff Celebration, Hello Walk painting, Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony, Yell Night Pep Rally, All-Alumni Social, Homecoming Parade and Alumni Tailgate before the Grizzlies face off against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds.

A preliminary schedule of events follows. Check the UMAA website for updates as they become available!

UM OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS

Bill Johnston, DirectorSusan Cuff, Associate DirectorJodi Johnson Moreau, Outreach Coordinator/Board Liaison Angela Weisenburger, On-Campus Events Coordinator Molly Fishburn-Matthew, Database Manager Carrie Enyeart, Database Support SpecialistTyson Parman, Interactive Media Coordinator Nikita Redfox, Administrative Assistant Allison Franz, Writer/Editor

Neal Wiegert, Newsletter DesignPrinted by UM Printing and Graphic Services

Receive your newsletter electronically. In accordance with the campuswide sustainability efforts, the Alumni Activities newsletter is available in an electronic format. Email subscribers will receive a message when each quarterly issue is published. Along with summaries of the articles, the email will provide a link to a PDF version of the complete newsletter.To sign up for the online-only option, visit www.grizalum.com and click on “Receive the Alumni Activities e-newsletter” in the right-hand column.

Alumni mark milestones during reunion

Dean Hellinger ‘56, Alene Hollingsworth Tunny ‘66, Elizabeth Loeffler Rhoads ‘66, Carl Rimby ’56, Thomas Tunny, David Rhoads, L. Clifford Knapp ‘66, Phyllis Knapp, Berma Saxton ‘66, Pat Crocker and Joe Crocker ’66 tour the Hall of Champions in the UM Adams Center.

From left to right, Stuart (Scott) MacKenzie ’66, Shirley Williams MacKenzie ’66, Kathleen Jestrab Hess ’66 and Patrick Todd ’66 watch the 2016 Commencement ceremony from the Canyon Club in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

From left to right, Alice Fussell Lium ’66, Eilene Willett, Donna Hamor, David Rhoads, Clark Hamor ’58 and Elizabeth Loeffler Rhoads ’66 enjoy the meal and conversation during the Montana Treasures Dinner.

UMAA celebrated alumni new and old during this year’s Commencement festivities in May. Nearly 100 alumni, family and members of the campus community participated in three days of events honoring UM graduates, including those celebrating the 50th anniversary of their graduation from UM. These attendees were inducted into the Montana Treasures at a special dinner held in their honor.

Commencement attendees enjoyed prime seats in the Canyon Club overlooking Washington-Grizzly Stadium and visited with Academy Award-winning actor J.K. Simmons ’78 after he delivered the Commencement address and received an honorary doctorate.

Griz Gradfest celebrates UM’s newest alumni Hundreds of soon-to-be Grizzly alumni joined us on the Mansfield Mall on May 4 for Griz Gradfest, UMAA’s annual celebration of the University’s graduating seniors. The festivities featured live music from The Ghost Peppers, food and beverages, a selfie station, raffle prizes and, of course, a visit from everyone’s favorite bear, Monte. We’re excited to see what our new graduates accomplish as UM alumni!

UM Alumni Director Bill Johnston poses with Monte during Griz Gradfest.

Graduating seniors Tori Olson, Veronica Rodondi and Lydia Killea take a photo at the Griz Gradfest Selfie Station.

The Ghost Peppers perform to the crowd at Griz Gradfest.

Meet the 2016 Legacy Scholarship winners

Members, your support of UMAA makes a difference! The UMAA Board of Directors scholarship committee awarded four outstanding UM students with Alumni Association scholarships for the upcoming academic year. Here’s a look at the students your membership is helping.

Megan Giddings, whose parents, Brian and Beth,

both graduated from UM with wildlife biology degrees, is a senior studying anthropology and journalism. Megan is passionate about language and its preservation and hopes to share her passion through teaching after she graduates.

“By studying the relationship between language and culture and learning from it, we can generate solutions to community and global problems, including but not limited

to political conflict, environmental challenges, and social issues,” she wrote in her application essay. “I want to be the person who examines these relationships, analyzes them, and develops suggestions for such solutions.”

Brielle Rolle, whose father, James, is a UM alumnus with a degree in biology, is a senior majoring in exercise science.

Inspired by a mission trip to El Salvador where she volunteered at a healthcare clinic, Brielle plans to pursue a career in dentistry so she can help provide affordable healthcare to underserved and impoverished populations.

“For the last year and a half, I have worked as a dental assistant at Partnership Health Center, which offers

healthcare to uninsured and low-income individuals,” she wrote in her application essay. “My job has allowed me to experience firsthand the need for affordable healthcare in our community, and has inspired me to pursue a career in which I can provide such a thing.”

Kansas Suenram, whose father, Andrew, earned a law degree from UM, is a junior majoring in exercise science/pre-physical therapy.

In January 2015, Kansas traveled to Tanzania with a group of Davidson Honors College students at UM. “During our time in Africa, we planted 671 trees, donated food and supplies to a small school, and helped a small community regain access to fresh water,” she wrote in her application essay. “Although our time there was limited

and we only reforested four small areas, I felt as though I had made an impact on the world. When I returned to Missoula I felt purposeful and was driven to do more.”

Kansas plans to pursue this purpose and continue volunteering globally after graduation.

Talia Zook, whose parents, Tony and Molli, are UM alumni, is a senior majoring in marketing and journalism. She spent the past semester studying abroad in Berlin. She chose the German capital because she wants to understand and experience cultures different from her own. “Berlin houses a diverse array of cultures in addition to those native to Germany, especially after the current Syrian conflict forced droves of refugees to seek asylum in Europe,” she wrote in her application essay, which she

submitted 12 days before embarking on her journey. “Although it seems maybe too simple, I believe a lot of the

worldly conflicts we see in the news can be resolved with some basic understanding of differing cultures and a little perspective.”

Book for less through HotelStormWe are excited to offer UMAA members exclusive hotel discounts, powered by HotelStorm. Book a room with your UM Alumni discount and save up to 55 percent on hotels all over the world. Save on

vacations, business trips and even visits back to campus! Visit www.hotelstorm.com/university-of-montana and use password Monte for access.

Students, alumni connect at SAA Networking Night University of Montana students had the opportunity to connect and learn from accomplished alumni during the Montana Student Alumni Association’s annual Networking Night on April 26. Thanks to Asa Hohman ’15; Tara Jensen ’00, ’12; Chris Newbold ’01, Breanna Roy ’09, Mario Schulzke ’02; and Tom Snyder ’11 for sharing with our students how their UM education has contributed to their successful careers.

UM students Tina Keller and Bryce Rowe take part in SAA’s Networking Night in April.

UM student Ben Dawson

asks a question during the SAA

Networking Night event.

Breanna Roy ‘09 speaks to students as Chris Newbold ’01 looks on.

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For more information, call the Office of Alumni Relations,

1-877-UM-ALUMS (1-877-862-5867), or visit www.grizalum.com.

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12-23 Alumni Travel: Baltic & Scandinavian Treasures, Copenhagen to Stockholm

4 Alumni/donor gathering at the Flathead Lake Lodge

20 Aber Day Reunion Concert, Philipsburg

22-31 Alumni Travel: North America's Five Majestic Great Lakes

25-Oct. 1 Homecoming Week

23-31 Alumni Travel: Music of America, Country & Blues

1-9 Alumni Travel: Adriatic Gems

4-5 Veterans' reunion

19 116th Annual Brawl of the Wild, Grizzlies vs. Bobcats, Missoula Watch parties, nationwide

BRAWL OF THE WILDNovember 19

Missoula will host the 116th meeting of the Griz and the Cats, and alumni around the world will gather in their home cities to cheer on the Griz! Look for information on 2016 watch party locations on www.grizalum.com.

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E UMAA’s annual Gathering on Flathead Lake is slated for 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 4, at Flathead Lake Lodge in Bigfork. This event, brought to you by the UM Alumni Association and the UM Foundation, features hors d'oeuvres, a cash bar and live music. More information is available on the UMAA website.

Following last year’s smashing success, UMAA again will co-sponsor the Aber Day Reunion Concert in Philipsburg on Saturday, Aug. 20! Entertainment this year includes the Mission Mountain Wood Band, The Lil' Smokies and Big Sky Mudflaps. Tickets are still available online and cost $35 for adults and $15 for 7 to 12 year olds; children 6 and under are free. Tickets are going fast, and only 3,500 will be sold, so get yours soon!

ALUMNI