Dear colleagues,

The ice-skating rink will soon be a fond memory of the Oval and spring is in the air. We are just nine weeks away from the start of UM Summer! As you know, summer presents great opportunities for students to get ahead, stay on track, catch up, and participate in internships, research, and other experiential learning opportunities. Last summer, over 400 degrees, minors and certificates were awarded in summer, and over 3,000 students took summer courses. This year, we will offer seven different summer sessions with a mix of face-to-face, online, remote, blended and hybrid course offerings.

Summer course modalities

Summer registration has been open since October and we have over 1,400 students currently registered. Modalities and densities for summer courses will be similar to this semester; in addition, three tents, located above the North Underground Lecture Hall (with access to power), to the east of Corbin Hall, and to the east of the Music Building, will be available. The Registrar’s Office will schedule classes in the tents; they will not “belong” to any college. For all questions related to using the tents, including for non-instructional purposes, please email registrar_rooms@mso.umt.edu.

Chairs and faculty, please contact the Registrar’s Office if you make changes to your summer course modalities so that they are accurately reflected in the dynamic course schedule.This is the schedule advisors use to make appropriate and accurate recommendations to students on course registration.

Please refer students to the UM Summer website for more information, and refer instructors and staff to the UMOnline Faculty/Staff Services and Support page for more information.

Guidelines for summer fieldwork forthcoming

Guidelines for faculty conducting fieldwork with students in the summer is in the works. When finalized, it will be posted on the UM Summer website and shared with deans and chairs to distribute to faculty members. If you have specific questions related to fieldwork this summer, please send them to officeoftheprovost@umontana.edu by March 26 so we make sure they are addressed.

Summer opportunities for all ages

Summer at UM features learning opportunities for K-12 and high school students. Given the challenges that the past year presented, I think we are all looking forward to seeing our kids back in summer camps! For more information on UM Summer camps visit the Summer Camps and Programs page.

If you know a high school student who might be interested in summer courses, please encourage them to think about dual enrollment courses this summer or participate in the other programs such as Summer Exploration, Upward Bound, or the SEA Change summer camp. If you know of other summer camp opportunities that are available for K-12 and other populations but are not listed on the Summer Camps and Programs page or the Summer Opportunities page, please contact Shannon Brilz and Becka Simons, respectively.

Professional development

Summer is also a time to invest in your own professional development. Find opportunities from the Office of Organizational Learning and Development (OOLD) or personalize your own development through LinkedIn Learning’s library of online courses. Additionally, some employees take advantage of the UM faculty and staff tuition waiver to take UM Summer courses. UMOnline offers non-credit programs and certificates, and the MOLLI program offers summer courses to eligible participants too.

New Student Orientation

We will welcome all incoming first-year students, and help them move into residence halls, at New Student Orientation from August 23-27, 2021. Students will participate in a Big Sky Experience, meet their peers, become familiar with campus, and feel prepared for the social and academic transition to college at UM.  You can find more information at the orientation website.

In closing, an invitation to UM Summer Kick Off Tuesday, March 23 on the Oval

The closer we get to fall, the more we are hoping for a more traditional environment of campus programming across all sectors. Until then, please continue your efforts to stop the spread and transmission of COVID-19.

Although this summer still will not be fully back to a sense of “normalcy,” we look forward to robust summer programming and welcome you to join us at the UM Summer kick-off event from 12–1 p.m., Tuesday, March 23 on the Oval, promoting Wilderness Policy and Packing and featuring a mule train. Led by Pack Train manager Casey Burns, ten head of stock will circle the Oval and will stop for a brief packing demonstration in front of Main Hall.

See you there!

Reed Humphrey, Acting Provost & VP for Academic Affairs