The University of Montana

University (Main) Hall c. 1900 University of Montana c. 1900 An act of Congress of February 18, 1881, dedicated 72 sections ( 46,000 acres (72 mi 2 ; 190 km 2 ) ) in Montana Territory for the creation of the university. Montana was admitted to the Union on November 8, 1889, and the state legislature soon began to consider where the state's permanent capital and state university would be located. To be sure that the new state university would be located in Missoula, the city's leaders made an agreement with the standing capital of Helena that Missoula would stay out of the bidding for the new capital and would support Helena over its leading competitor, Anaconda . The cities' bids were supported by the rival " Copper Kings ", William A. Clark and Marcus Daly , respectively. Missoula won the legislative vote for the new university at the Third Montana Legislative Assembly in February 1893, and it was formally opened in 1895. While plans for a university campus were progressing, classes were temporarily held at nearby Willard School. The South Missoula Land Company, owned by A.B. Hammond , Richard Eddy and Marcus Daly, joined with the Higgins family in donating land for the new campus. In June 1898 the cornerstone for A.J. Gibson designed University Hall was laid and Missoula became "the University City". From 1945 until 1965, the name was changed by the legislature to "Montana State University", while the school in Bozeman was known as "Montana State College". [ 3 ] Presidents Main article: Presidents of the University of Montana Source: [ 13 ]

Quick facts Academic rankings, National ... Academic rankings National Forbes [ 14 ] 610 U.S. News & World Report [ 15 ] 377 (tie) Washington Monthly [ 16 ] 154 (general) and 1 in Public Service WSJ /College Pulse [ 17 ] > 600 Global ARWU [ 18 ] 601-700 QS [ 19 ] 801-1000 U.S. News & World Report [ 20 ] 913 (tie) Close The University of Montana comprises eleven full colleges and schools: College of Humanities & Sciences; Phyllis J. Washington College of Education and Human Sciences ; W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation; College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences; College of Visual and Performing Arts; Alexander Blewett III School of Law ; UM College of Business; UM School of Journalism ; UM School of Extended and Lifelong Learning; Missoula College and Bitterroot College. The Phyllis J. Washington College of Education and Human Sciences is divided into five academic departments and the Institute of Educational Research and Service. In 1914, the University of Montana School of Law became a member of The Association of American Law Schools and in 1923, the school received accreditation from the American Bar Association. The W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation offers five undergraduate majors (Ecosystem Science & Restoration; Forestry; Parks, Tourism & Recreation Management; Resource Conservation; and Wildlife Biology) and five Master's of Science and three PhDs. Admissions For the fall 2017 term, 6,182 students applied to the University of Montana. Ninety-three percent were accepted. The entering freshman class had an average high school GPA of 3.55, and the middle 50% range of SAT scores were 540-650 for reading and writing, 520-620 for math, while the ACT composite range was 21–26. [ 21 ]

Main article: Buildings at the University of Montana Symbols of the university The UM campus The original plan of the campus was designed by one of its first professors, Frederich Scheuch, who called for the central oval to be surrounded by university buildings. Although Scheuch's plan called for all building entrances to face the center of the Oval, forming a radiating building pattern, buildings were later constructed with three-story in the Renaissance Revival style, with hipped roofs and Spanish green roof tiles. The first set of buildings were set up around the oval in 1895. Since that time, various campus plans and architectural styles have been used. Today the campus consists of 220 acres (89 ha) and is bordered to the east by Mount Sentinel and the north by the Clark Fork River . The main campus comprises 64 buildings, including nine residence halls and various athletic venues, including Washington–Grizzly Stadium , a 26,500-seat football stadium and the Adams Center (formerly, Dahlberg Arena ), a 7,500-seat multi-purpose arena where the university's basketball teams play. Landmarks include: The Oval A three-acre (1.2 ha) swath of grass running east to west, marking the traditional center of the university. Today it is divided into quadrants by two intersecting brick-laid paths. A double row of trees was planted around the oval on Arbor Day 1896, but many of the trees have since died and are in the process of being replanted. The original gravel driveway that once surrounded the Oval has also been replaced by sidewalk. The original master plan of the university called for all buildings to face the center of the oval, but this plan proved difficult and a new plan was created in 1935. On the western extreme of the Oval is a life-sized grizzly bear statue created by ceramic artist and sculptor Rudy Autio in 1969. [ 22 ] The bronze statue is 7 feet (2.1 m) in height, weighs 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg) , and took a year to create.

[ 23 ] Many photographs of the university picture the bear with the Oval, university (Main) Hall, and Mount Sentinel's 'M' in the background. The "M" trail A 3 ⁄ 4 -mile (1.2 km) trail with 13 switchbacks , it ascends 620 vertical feet (190 m) , from 3,200 to 3,820 feet (975 to 1,165 m) above sea level , from the university at the base of Mount Sentinel. The trail offers sweeping views of the city below. "The 'M'" first placed on Mount Sentinel was originally made of whitewashed rocks and only measuring 25 feet (7.6 m) by 25 feet; it was replaced by a wooden "M" in 1912, which cost $18. That "M," unlike today's "M," stood upright on the face of Mount Sentinel. A larger wooden version of the "M" was built in 1913 and upkeep of the structure was formally charged to each year's freshman class. [ citation needed ] When the large wooden "M" was destroyed by a blizzard in 1915, an even larger version was constructed of whitewashed granite . Once again the freshman class was tasked with annual renovation of the symbol, beginning a new tradition. Each year from then on, University of Montana freshmen made the hike up to the "M" to apply a fresh coat of whitewash and remove any weeds and grass that had grown in and around the structure. The annual tradition ended in 1968 when a 125-by-100-foot (38 by 30 m) concrete "M" was built at a cost of $4,328. Although the annual whitewashing went by the wayside, one tradition that lives on today is the lighting of the "M" during the university's annual Homecoming celebration each fall. Originally lit by a group of students on October 9, 1919, following the fall whitewashing, the event was so popular that students have continued to light the "M" each year during Homecoming week; special beacons light up the giant letter, welcoming former students back to the university. [ 24 ] Memorial Row On the north side of campus, 29 evergreen trees stand in two columns forming Memorial Row along what used to be the path of Van Buren Avenue.