Students play outdoor activites at the First Annual Lū‘au.

Students celebrate MSU's First Annual Lū‘au.

Montana State fosters a campus culture that celebrates a wide range of identities and perspectives. This year, student organizations continued to develop community and hosted opportunities for cultural exchange. Our first Juneteenth celebration, with a family-friendly festival on the Romney Oval, was attended by hundreds of MSU and community members. Events in recognition of National First-Generation College Celebration Day included a student panel and a speed networking event. New initiatives, including the Morrill Scholars Program and the Society for Neurodivergent Graduate Students, complement our ongoing efforts to help people feel more connected, understood, and engaged at MSU.

First Annual Lū'au

The newly founded Pacific Islander Student Association held its first-ever lū‘au in April. The lū‘au featured traditional activities such as Huki Huki (tug of war) and Uma (laying down arm wrestling). They served Kalua pork, Pani Popo, and other foods from a range of Pacific Island cultures.

Neurodivergent Graduate Students

SNGS connects students, assists with accommodations, and promotes selfadvocacy to help students succeed both personally and professionally.

Language and Story Exchange

The Center for Bilingual and Multicultural Education hosted two listening sessions where a total of 50 participants shared their multicultural and multilingual heritage identities. Campus partners facilitated discussions focused on building community around experiences of belonging at MSU and in Montana.

Military Friendly

Montana State University has been named the No. 2 military friendly school in the nation by the website MilitaryFriendly.com.

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first year students participated in the inaugural cohort of the Morrill Scholars Program, which helps students create a sense of purpose and belonging through faculty and peer mentor support. 

 

$3.37 million

NIH grant was awarded to psychology professor Neha John-Henderson to continue research into the links between trauma, social connectedness, and health in the Blackfeet community.

 

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students found support through Building MSU Families, a program that connects Indigenous students with faculty/staff “relatives” to build community throughout the students’ educational journey.

 

Pablo Santibanez is pictured, sitting on a stool and smiling.

Pablo Santibanez (He/Him)

As a Graduate Assistant in the Diversity & Inclusion Student Commons, Pablo hosted biweekly group discussions on diversity topics, coordinated materials for Safe Zone trainings, and supported a student Multicultural BBQ. In MSU’s Mental Health Counseling program, Pablo is learning ways to increase mental health access for historically underserved populations.