Though the skies are wet and gray, UM’s 116th Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 18, are still on schedule.

MISSOULA – University Dining Services at the University of Montana recently received a gold medal in the 2013 Sustainability Awards from the National Association of College and University Food Services.

MISSOULA – University of Montana Presidential Leadership Scholarships have been awarded to 24 exceptional incoming UM freshmen. The scholarships recognize outstanding talent, academic performance, leadership and contribution to the community.

The English Language Institute at the University of Montana recently celebrated of 20 years on campus.

UM administrators are considering two sites for the new Missoula College building, President Royce C. Engstrom announced Thursday, May 16.

MISSOULA – University of Montana student Charlotte Leung recently was selected for the Hong Kong International Saxophone Symposium.

Immediate past president of the American Bar Association Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III will deliver the Commencement speech during the University of Montana School of Law graduation ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 25, in the George and Jane Dennison Theatre.

MISSOULA – Hawthorne Elementary, a Missoula County Public School, will hold its annual Kindergarten Roundup from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 15.

MISSOULA – An all-new edition of the popular MontanaPBS travelogue program “Backroads of Montana” will premiere at 8 p.m. Monday, May 20.

University of Montana students Erin Hastey and Hudson Spivey recently won the 2013 undergraduate and graduate Richard Drake Writing Awards.

Students from across the state will showcase their entrepreneurial aspirations during the 24th annual John Ruffatto Business Plan Competition on Thursday, May 16, at the University of Montana.

MISSOULA – University of Montana assistant professors Daisy Rooks and Tobin Shearer will receive the 2013 Helen and Winston Cox Educational Excellence Award at UM’s 116th Commencement on Saturday, May 18.

MISSOULA – Nearly 3,000 graduates and degree candidates are invited to participate in the University of Montana’s 116th Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 18, in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

MISSOULA – University of Montana freshman Peregrine Frissell has received a four-week Fulbright UK Summer Institutes Scholarship to study journalism and broadcasting at Nottingham Trent University.

MISSOULA –The University of Montana will host the ninth annual “Air Toxics Under the Big Sky” science symposium from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, in the North Underground Lecture Hall. Co-hosted by UM’s Center for Environmental Health Sciences and Department of Chemistry, this annual event showcases high school student research on indoor air quality.

MISSOULA – A University of Montana communication studies class recently awarded Learning by Giving grants to three local nonprofits. The Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship class granted a total of $10,000 to Mountain Home Montana, the Missoula Food Bank and Garden City Harvest.

MISSOULA – UM’s School of Business Administration students continue to knock the Business Major Field Test out of the park. Thirty-one students graduating with the spring 2013 class scored at or higher than the 90th percentile, with the entire class scoring in the 94th percentile overall.

The University of Montana ranks No. 7 on the Peace Corps’ 2013 list of top Master’s International programs.

MISSOULA –Three University of Montana graduate students will depart for India on May 14 to work with Indian students and faculty on a research exchange.

The University of Montana’s chapter of the Golden Key International Honor Society will host a book drive May 13-17.

MISSOULA – The University of Montana Russian Program continues to shine this year, with two students recently capturing top prizes in a national Russian-language essay contest. Dakota Whisler received a second-place silver medal and Justin Davis received honorable mention in the second-year nonheritage learners category of the annual American Council of Teachers of Russian National Post-Secondary Russian Essay Contest.

MISSOULA – The University of Montana and Salish Kootenai College will co-host the College Board’s Native American Student Advocacy Institute’s national conference May 30-31.

MISSOULA – In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, the public is asked to participate in a nationwide photography competition that illustrates the sheer majesty, diversity and value of America’s wilderness areas. Submissions are open through Sept. 3, 2013, and winning images will be shown in a 2014 exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

MISSOULA, Mont. – Eight undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Montana have received Fulbright Scholarship award notifications for the coming year.

MISSOULA – Each year Sustainable Campus Committee recognizes a student, an administrator, a faculty member and a staff member for outstanding participation in creating a sustainable campus with the Greening UM Award.

University of Montana students and faculty collaborated across disciplines to create a multimedia piece featuring narration, computer music, dance and animation that artistically translates how the sounds of the rivers influence waterway ecosystems.

MISSOULA – The Off-Campus Renter Center at the University of Montana has developed a new landlord review website to assist UM students with the rental process. The site is online at http://umt.edu/ratemylandlord.

MISSOULA – Newly released county population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show significant growth in Montana’s northeastern oil patch, according to a University of Montana researcher.

MISSOULA – More than 1,600 students from all over the world recently competed in the semiannual Capsim Challenge to see who has the corporate intellect to be a winning CEO. University of Montana School of Business Administration graduate student Curtis Wallette rose to the top of the competition, taking first place in the challenge.

Two University of Montana students won awards at the 2013 Montana Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) Student Research Symposium April 19, in Bozeman.

Blackfoot Redemption: A Blood Indian’s Story of Murder, Confinement and Imperfect Justice” by William E. Farr is this year’s winner of the Great Plains Distinguished Book Prize from the Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska.

Eliza Allison, a University of Montana senior from Helena, will travel to Washington, D.C., this summer as the recipient of the 2013 J. Stanley Kimmitt Public Service Internship.

Legendary comedian, writer and actor Bill Cosby is coming to Missoula for a one-performance engagement.

Nate McCrady, known by many as the UM assistant professor of astronomy who shares his love of the stars with visitors during the Blue Mountain Observatory public viewing nights, recently won the first University of Montana College of Arts and Sciences Award for Teaching Across the Curriculum.

The Missoula College University of Montana Energy Technology Program will present “Vegetable Oil Truck Demonstration” as part of its 2013 spring seminar series.

The University of Montana unveiled its new logo and brand identity to employees Tuesday, April 30, in the University Center Theater during an internal event hosted by UM’s Office of Integrated Communications.

University of Montana students can learn more about sexual assault, response services available on campus and in Missoula, and partake in self-defense lessons during free Sexual Assault Awareness Seminars held the final week of classes.

A summer course through Missoula College of The University of Montana will help child care providers, pediatricians, teachers and anyone who works with children better understand how they communicate.

Students in the Culinary Arts Program at Missoula College University of Montana will host the annual Capstone Dinner at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 16, at the Missoula Winery and Event Center, located at 5646 W. Harrier.

Students have a unique opportunity to earn academic credit through The University of Montana this summer with the Wild Rockies Field Institute. WRFI will offer four courses taught entirely in the field worth three to 15 UM credits.

Jim Messina, the architect of President Barack Obama’s successful campaign for re-election, will be the featured speaker during The University of Montana’s 116th Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 18.

University of Montana students and community volunteers will begin active restoration at the confluence of Rock Creek and the Clark Fork River on Saturday, April 27.

Two recent case studies conducted by The University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research show that third quarter 2012 expenditures by both Montana residents and nonresidents staying at least one night in the small communities of Three Forks and Choteau totaled about $500,000 in spending in each town.

The University Center’s Student Involvement Network will host a Life in the Line of Duty Appreciation Day celebration at 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 1.

The College of Forestry and Conservation at The University of Montana awarded its first Zuuring/MAGIP Graduate GIS Scholarship in April.

To honor their contributions to the legacy of former U.S. Senator Mike Mansfield and his wife, Maureen, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center at The University of Montana has named former center directors Paul Lauren and Terry Weidner the first Distinguished Mansfield Fellows.

The University of Montana School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences’ New Direction Wellness Center will partner with the Missoula Senior Center and the Arthritis Foundation to offer Walk With Ease, an education and fitness class geared toward seniors, especially those with arthritis.

It’s time to get ready for great summer parties with an Easy, Elegant Hors d’Oeuvres class at Missoula College of the University of Montana.

Students will have a chance to study natural resources in Montana’s two iconic national parks this summer through field courses offered by The University of Montana College of Forestry and Conservation.

The University Center at The University of Montana recently added an environmentally friendly One Bike/One Speaker, Pedal Power PA System to their event production equipment.

The University of Montana American Indian Student Services will host a screening of the award-winning documentary “Dakota 38” and a post-film discussion from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, April 26, in The Payne Family Native American Center.

The University of Montana will award the top oral and poster presenters from the UM Conference on Undergraduate Research and the Graduate Student and Faculty Research Conference during a ceremony from 2 to 3 p.m. Friday, April 26, in the Mansfield Library Theta Rho Room.

Believe it or not, it’s already time to start planning for the 2013 Day of Dialogue. The eighth annual event will be held at The University of Montana on Nov. 6, but the Day of Dialogue Committee is accepting presentation proposals for the free, daylong symposium now.

After an extensive national search, The University of Montana will interview three finalists for the position of provost and vice president for academic affairs.

The College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Montana will host the first “Dialogue on Intellectual Diversity” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 25, in Interdisciplinary Sciences Building Room 110.

The University of Montana Arabic Studies Program will offer two intensive Arabic language courses for high school students during the Montana Arabic Summer Institute June 17-July 12.

Students, faculty and campus visitors will have a chance to thank University of Montana donors for their support on Thursday, May 2, during PHILanthropy Day.

Riding the wave of pledges for cats, dogs, chickens, horses, sheep and other animals in the “Pet Wars” finale held April 21, Montana Public Radio raised $594,353 during its spring on-air fund drive – 99 percent of the $600,000 goal. Since the close of the on-air fundraising drive, mail-in contributions have been tallied and contributions have exceeded the goal by $592.

The Montana Museum of Art & Culture at The University of Montana will display two new exhibits: “A Hundred Years Later: Julius Seyler Among the Blackfeet” and “Richard Buswell: Close to Home” in the Meloy and Paxson galleries in the Performing Arts and Radio/Television Center from May 2 to Aug. 3.

The University of Montana School of Business Administration will honor three alumni for outstanding career achievements during the 66th annual Donor Recognition and Scholarship Awards Banquet on May 10.

Seth Lerer, distinguished professor of literature and dean of arts and humanities at the University of California, San Diego, will deliver the final installment of the 2012-13 President’s Lecture Series at 8 p.m. Monday, April 29, in the George and Jane Dennison Theatre at The University of Montana.

Ada Yonath, an Israeli crystallographer best known for her pioneering work on the structure of the ribosome and a 2009 Nobel Prize winner for Chemistry, will deliver a seminar titled “The Fruits of Curiosity: The Ribosome and Its Tiny Enemies” at 4:10 p.m. Thursday, May 2, in the Interdisciplinary Science Building Room 110 at The University of Montana.

In the competitive world of medical school admissions, only about 50 percent of students from U.S. universities are accepted into a school of their choice. At The University of Montana, that acceptance rate is 80 percent because the College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences has instituted a 10-person premedical sciences advising team that works to highlight the strengths of any and all interested students.

The University of Montana Chapter of the Golden Key Honor Society will hold its annual Poverello Toiletry Drive April 22-26 on campus.

The University of Montana’s University Players created a unique project that addresses anti-bullying and anti-violence toward students and LBGTQ youth.

Just in time for Earth Day, the Princeton Review again named The University of Montana one of the nation’s most environmentally responsible “green colleges.”

Montana economic leaders recently welcomed 10 economic empowerment professionals from Southeast Asia who are participating in the U.S. Department of State’s Professional Fellows Program.

The College of Forestry and Conservation at The University of Montana will distribute nearly $160,000 in scholarships to more than 80 students on Friday, April 19.

Missoula College University of Montana Culinary Arts students recently earned a bronze medal in a culinary competition that took place April 12-15 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Stephen Jackson, director for the U.S. Department of Interior Southwest Climate Science Center and professor of geosciences at the University of Arizona, will deliver a lecture titled “Looking Forward: Climate, Ecology and Culture in a World of Change” as part of the Montana Institute on Ecosystems Distinguished Lecturer Series on Monday, April 22, at The University of Montana.