With all the pressures that confront the President of the University of Montana, every now and then it’s nice to receive a little encouragement.

Seth Bodnar shared a letter recently received from the mother of a student that helped to make all the hard work he and the faculty do on a daily basis worthwhile.

Communications Director Paula Short said the letter touched a lot of hearts in Main Hall.

“The letter is from a woman named Tanya whose daughter attends the University of Montana, and she wanted to share with the president how much her daughter has enjoyed her experience at UM,” said Short. “Specifically, she wrote of her daughter’s access to research and getting the opportunity to speak at a conference along with some of the projects she has worked on at the university. It’s a lovely surprise when we hear from parents or students about their experience and so it was an affirmation of the work that we are trying to do here in transforming students’ lives and creating opportunities for them to go out and address some of the most compelling challenges  in the world today.”

In addition, Short said the UM Alumni Association is reaching out with a new effort to find stories about outstanding alumni from all over the world.

“We are looking for stories about ‘Griz from the last Decade’ and recognizing our alums by the decade in which they graduated,” she said. “We’re looking for those success stories from alumni in all walks of life, and we have a nominating process on our alumni web page, whether you want to be recognized or you just want to share what you’ve been doing since you left UM.”

 

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