University of Montana

The University of Montana is a public research university in Missourian, Montana, in the United States. Founded in 1893, the university is the flagship campus of the four-campus University of Montana System and its largest institution. The main campus is located at the foot of Mount Sentinel, the mountain bearing Missouri's most recognizable landmark, a large hillside letter.The University of Montana ranks 17th in the nation and fifth among public universities in producing Rhodes Scholars, with a total of 28 such scholars.The University of Montana has 11 Truman Scholars, 14 Goldwater Scholars and 40 Udall Scholars to its name.The University of Montana's Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library houses the earliest authorized edition of the Lewis and Clark journals. Rolling Stone labelled the university the "most scenic campus in America and Outside magazine called it among the top 10 colleges nationally for combining academic quality and outdoor recreation.An act of Congress of February 18, 1881 dedicated 72 sections  in Montana Territory for the creation of the University.Montana was admitted to the Union on November 8, 1889, and the Montana 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 Missourian, the city's leaders made an agreement with the standing capital of Helena that Missourian 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 Dal, respectively.Missourian won the legislative vote for the new university at the Third Montana Legislative Assembly in February 1893. The University was formally opened in 1895. While plans for a university campus were progressing, classes were temporarily held at nearby Willard School. The South Missourian Land Company, owned by A.B. Hammond, Richard Eddy and Marcus Dal, 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 Missourian became "the University City.The University of Montana comprises eleven full colleges and schools: College of Humanities & Sciences; Phyllis J. Washington College of Education and Human Sciences; College of Forestry and Conservation; College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences; College of Visual and Performing Arts; UM School of Law; UM School of Business; UM School of Journalism; UM School of Extended and Lifelong Learning; Missourian College and the Bitter root 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 original plan of the University campus was designed by one of its first professors, Frederich Schedule, who called for the central oval to be surrounded by immediate and future University buildings. Although Schedule'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 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, Heidelberg Arena  a 7,500-seat multi-purpose arena where the university's basketball teams play.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. The trees, running from the corner of the Oval to Eddy Avenue, were planted in 1919 following the end of the Great War to honor UM students, alumni, and faculty who died in the war, some to combat and many more to the influenza epidemic. The trees are Pius ponderous  Western Yellow Pines or Ponderous Pine, the state tree of Montana. Originally, a white T-board stood in front of each tree, with the name of the person whom it honors; in 1925, these were replaced with 35 brass nameplates atop concrete markers. At the same time, the university added a memorial tablet on a boulder near the edge of the Oval closest to Memorial Row. It lists 21 of the 31 honorees from 1919. By 1925, the university had increased the number of names on the official list to 35, and sometime later, it grew to 37.The University of Montana is the main campus for the University, which includes four other campuses. The public university system is one of two in Montana; the other is Montana State University. Both systems are governed as the Montana University System by the Montana Board of Regents, which consists of seven members appointed by the state governor, and confirmed by the state Senate to serve seven-year staggered terms. The Governor and Superintendent of Public Instruction, both statewide elected officials, are ex officious members of the Board, as is the Commissioner of Higher Education, who is appointed by the Board of Regents.The Board of Regents appoints the university president, who is directly responsible and accountable to the Commissioner of Higher Education.