Christmas Stroll

I have just returned from a trip to eastern Montana. This was a great trip and I enjoyed meeting with many great students. This was my last trip for the fall and I am looking forward to a couple of weeks in Bozeman.

This weekend Bozeman is kicking off the holiday season with the annual Christmas Stroll. This is a popular event each year during which main street is closed to cars from 5:00pm-7:30pm Saturday night. Local community organizations set up stands to sell all sorts of food and goodies, the stores are open, there are sleigh rides, a visit from Santa and lots of holiday cheer. There are also many other activities going on this weekend including several home basketball games. Cheering on the Bobcats is a lot fun and the games are free for students to attend. Since, we have already recieved some snow there are also many outdoor activites to participate in this weekend including a cross-country ski tour in Yellowstone with the MSU's Outdoor Recreation Program.

Skiing...it's on.

Powder hounds rejoice!

Opening day for the 2009-2010 ski season is this Thursday up at Big Sky Resort. I have a date with a turkey on Thursday so I'll have to wait until Friday to head up there but I know that Lone Peak will have its fair share of visitors regardless of the Thanksgiving holiday. Bridger Bowl (the local ski resort in Bozeman) is opening its chairs on December 11th. Like many local students and residents, I am full of excitement for the season that lies ahead of us. With a dump of 27 inches just a couple weeks ago and more snow on the way, this year may just be deepest, fastest and most glorious season we've had in awhile!

Big Sky Resort is located a mere 45 miles from Bozeman and offers skiers and boarders 3,800 acres of terrain with runs totaling over 85 miles! I have a hard time conceptualizing it myself even after skiing there many times. Bridger Bowl is only 16 miles away from campus making it a student favorite...but not just because of location. This ski area has 8 lifts and ENDLESS backcountry terrain. The top elevation reaches up to 8,700 feet and gets about 400 inches of fresh snow per year. Getting to these magical places is easy with our free bus systems. Buses head up to Big Sky Resort on a daily basis right from campus. Buses also run several times per day on the weekends to Bridger Bowl. So, the time has come to dig deep in those closets, pull out your gear and get your game face on because it's ski season! It's on.

My trip to Minnesota

The last two weeks has been my first trip to the twin cities and surrounding area. Of course, I have been to the MSP airport before, but never much further than that. I was pleasantly surprised that the weather was phenomenal while I have been here. Most days it has been 60 degrees! This trip was quite busy, I visited mostly in the twin cities area and suburbs. However, I did venture out of the cities and up north to Duluth. I was amazed by the size of Lake Superior.

I hosted a pizza party in Duluth and it was one of the best ones this year! The parents and students who attended stayed for almost 2 hours asking great questions and really wanted to know more about Montana State! The next day I visited all four high schools in Duluth and met even more students and also saw some familiar faces from the night before.

Minnesota is one of the top 5 states that students come from to attend MSU! Each year there are somewhere between 60-80 students attending from MSU. It makes it really easy to find a ride with someone or at least share the cost of gas for the trip. There were several other pizza parties in Arden Hills, Eden Prairie and Rochester, MN and many of those students had already applied for admission! I am wrapping up my visits tomorrow and headed back home.


I have heard that Bozeman is getting tons of snow right now!!! Ski season is right around the corner. Check out how much snow is at Bridger Bowl right now at www.bridgerbowl.com.

Application Time!

For the past two weeks, I have been driving all over Montana visiting our possible future Bobcats. Some seniors are really excited, some are nervous, some have turned in applications already and some are unsure of where to even start. I remember feeling overwhelmed and torn on where to go! But the time is coming my high school senior friends!

Even though we are always processing applications, now is the ideal time to apply for next fall. Our application requires no letters of recommendation or essays which makes it an easy going process. You can find our application online or request that we send you one by emailing us at admissions@montana.edu. The most important reason to get your application in soon is for scholarship consideration. Our Montana Premier Scholarship is limited as well as the Western Undergraduate Exchange Scholarship.

It is an exciting time for you seniors! Get the process going and if you are still unsure of where you want to go, keep your options open by applying anyway!

Broadway in Bozeman

It is another beautiful day in Bozeman! Which is great since there is a lot going on around town and on campus this weekend. Tonight the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on campus will be hosting the first show in their Broadway in Bozeman series. This year the series will include Cirque Dreams which is the performance tonight, Avenue Q, Cabaret, Bill Cosby and several other shows. There will also be a perfromance of Romeo and Juliet going on at MSU's Black Box theatre tonight. Off campus there is plenty going on as well, a great resource to find events in Bozeman is the weekly entertainment newpaper The Bozone. One popular spot to hang out on the weekends are the local hot springs. There are several hot springs around Bozeman and each has a different feel. My personal favorite is Norris Hot Springs which features bands on the weekends so while your soaking in the outdoor hot spring pool you can listen to some great music.

10,000 Hours Show: You Volunteer, You Rock!

MSU started a new program this year for our students to encourage more of them to volunteer within our community. It is called the 10,000 Hours Project. Each student is encouraged to volunteer 10 hours and if they complete 10 hours by April, they have free admission to a concert held on campus in the Student Union Building.

There are several options for MSU students looking to volunteer in the Bozeman area. The Office of Community Involvement actually helps students find out about local volunteer opportunities and they are one of the sponsors for this project.


Recently, a group of 25 students helped the Gallatin Valley Land Trust to clear noxious weeds from the Main Street to the Mountains trail system. Many of our students currently volunteer either individually or through involvement with campus clubs and organizations. The concert will be a great way for students to be recognized for their efforts.

Check out their facebook page for the most current information!

Western Washington

After a quick stop in Salt Lake City, my latest trip took me to Western Washington. I am originally from Tacoma, WA so it was great for me to spend some of my down time with family and friends. It was a busy trip and rainy too, but what else would you expect in Seattle?

Washington is actually the #1 state that non-resident students at MSU come from! In fact, from the class of 2009 more than 160 entering freshman were from Washington State. The college fairs in this area were really busy and I met tons of excellent potential students for MSU. It was quite an ambitious schedule, and I traveled from Bellingham, WA all the way to Olympia, WA. Since there is so much interest in this area, I tried to host as many pizza parties as possible to accommodate all the students at high schools I couldn't fit into my busy schedule. I hosted pizza parties in Bellingham, Burien, Bellevue, Tacoma, Silverdale and Olympia. The largest pizza party was a toss up between Silverdale and Bellevue. Overall, this was an excellent trip. Many of the seniors had already applied for admission, and had great questions to ask!


One of my favorite parts of this trip is getting to ride on the Seattle ferry. I was fortunate enough to ride from Bainbridge Island to Seattle at night. The view of the city is amazing and I should have taken some photos, but I did not :( Oh well, there is always next year!

GO CATS!

It has been an exciting week at MSU! The Admissions Office has been busy welcoming visitors from New Hampshire to Alaska. This weekend is parents weekend along with a home football game, volleyball game and Halloween! It is gearing up to be an eventful weekend in Bozeman!

The Bobcat Football team will host Idaho State University! The snow is starting to fly, but the weather should hold out for the game. I know I am planning to have a hot chocolate to keep warm. I am very excited to cheer on the CATS to another victory! The Volleyball team will host Portland State following shortly after the football game!

Life in the Pacific Northwest

In the last week, I have been in two of my favorite cities ever: Seattle and Portland. Ren Stoltz and I were in Seattle last weekend speaking with families at the Seattle NACAC National College Fair. It was an amazing turnout with both of us going through almost ALL of our materials in one day! Then it was off to Portland where I have seen a ton of students and the interest in Montana State University seems to be at an all time high! Today was the first day of the Portland NACAC National College Fair at the Oregon Convention Center. College fairs like the NACAC Fairs or local fairs are a great opportunity for students to get exposure to hundreds of colleges from across the United States. Students and families have a chance to ask questions, pick up information about the colleges and interact with representatives and other students. I strongly encourage high school students of all ages to try and attend a college fair, even before your senior year. It can take a lot of stress off your senior year as you can start to get an idea of the type of school or program you are looking for. Make sure to keep track of all the Admissions Representatives Travel Schedules throughout this year and see when we'll be at a college fair near you!

Autumn in New England

I had a great couple of weeks in Alaska and now I am looking forward to the next two weeks in New England. I grew up in New Hampshire so it always fun to come back and visit. Fall in New England is beautiful and I am looking forward to pumpkin carving and apple cider. However, the morning's are beginning to get a little chilly and winter is just around the corner. This also means the first powder days at Bridger Bowl are getting closer! Before they get here though there are lot's of ways to stay active on campus and around Bozeman. The fitness center is even offering a special ski and snowboard conditioning course so you can be sure your ready for the upcoming season.