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Week of Excellence

Week of Excellence

UM Week of Excellence is a weeklong celebration of UM’s extraordinary Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ and employees. Listed below are the current 2025 Week of Excellence Events. Please check back for updates as Week of Excellence approaches.

Some events have limited seating for invited guests, so we have marked events that are open to all Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ and/or employees below.

We look forward to celebrating with you!

Week of Excellence Ñý¼§Ö±²¥

2025 Week of Excellence Schedule

Monday, April 28

Noon-1 p.m.: Might of Montana Awardee Lunch (Invite only) 

5:00-7 p.m.: Franke Global Leadership Initiative Celebration (Invite only)

  • Honors Franke GLI Beyond the Classroom scholarship recipients, graduating seniors and the Capstone projects that exemplify the ambitions of the program.

Tuesday, April 29

11 a.m.-1 p.m.: Stress Less (Payne Family Native American Center Rotunda – All UM Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ and employees invited)

  • Join us for : enjoy a wellness break with snacks, therapy dogs, crafts and relaxing activities.  

Noon-1 p.m.: UM Sustainability Awards (invite only)

  • Honors student and employee sustainability leaders for individual work, projects and team efforts. While this event is invite only, interested parties are welcome to reach out to sustainability@umontana.edu if they would like to attend.

6-8 p.m.: Scholar-Athlete Banquet (Invite only)

  • Celebrates student-athletes attaining a GPA of 3.0 or higher, this event also honors scholarship winners and individual award winners

Wednesday, April 30

All day: (Campus-wide – All UM Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ and employees invited)

  • Join us for the Kindness Fair on the Oval from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. to enjoy numerous activities, including a yoga class, chalk, kindness bingo, a raffle and more.

11 a.m.-2 p.m.: Stress Less (on the Oval – all UM Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ and employees invited)

  • Join us for : enjoy a wellness break with snacks, therapy dogs, crafts and relaxing activities.  

8:30-10:30 a.m.:  (UC Ballroom - All UM employees invited)

  • All current UM employees are invited to attend the Employee Celebration Breakfast. The program, which will start at 9 a.m., will feature a spring update from President Bodnar and honor the 2025 Week of Excellence Employee Award winners, newly retired and upcoming retirees and individuals celebrating longevity milestones.

4-5:30 p.m.: UM Conference on Undergraduate Research Awards and Faculty and Graduate Student Undergraduate Mentorship Celebration (UC Ballroom – all UM Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ and employees invited)

  • This event honors the 2025 UM Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR) award winners, as well as several faculty members and graduate Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ who mentor student projects. The Office of Undergraduate Research also will thank many partners and collaborators who make our work possible!

Thursday, May 1

11 a.m.-1 p.m.: Stress Less (Missoula College – All UM Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ and employees invited)

  • Join us for : enjoy a wellness break with snacks, therapy dogs, crafts and relaxing activities.  

Noon-6 p.m.: Montana Museum of Art and Culture Employee Open House (MMAC - All employees invited)

  • All UM employees are invited to visit the Montana Museum of Art and Culture to explore the museum and the “19 under 39: Celebrating Montana’s Emerging Artists – The Michele and Loren Hansen Biennial Exhibition,” which opens on March 28. There will be a special tour for employees at 2pm, and all visiting employees on May 1st will receive free swag courtesy of MMAC and UM Marketing and Communications.

3-5 p.m.:  (Invite only)

  • An event for graduating seniors and grad Ñý¼§Ö±²¥, as well as departing international Ñý¼§Ö±²¥

4-6 p.m.: Student Achievement Awards  (UC Ballroom – all UM Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ and employees invited)

  • Honors the leadership and service of Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ who have demonstrated a commitment to UM through their engagement with peers, seeking out social change, building better organizations and cultivating community.

7-9 p.m.: UM Greek Awards  (UC Ballroom – all UM Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ and employees invited)

  • Honors individual members of UM’s Greek system, as well as fraternity and sorority award winners

Friday, May 2

9-9:45 a.m.: Roving Grizzly Award Presentation (Invite only)

  • The Roving Grizzly Award rotates annually between departments on campus, with the current recipients selecting the new team to receive the award.

3-4:30 p.m.: Celebration of Scholarships (Invite only)

  • Honors the 2024-2025 prestigious scholarship applicants and the faculty, staff and mentors who supported their efforts.

6-8 p.m.: UM Advocate Awards (Invite only)

  • Celebrates the dedication and service of the 2024-25 UM Advocates and honors outstanding accomplishments, upholds cherished traditions and recognizes graduating seniors.

Sunday, May 4

2-3 p.m.: (Glacier Ice Rink – all UM Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ and employees invited)

  • UM employees and Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ are invited to join Monte at Glacier Ice Rink from 2-3pm. Thanks to UM Marketing and Communications, the first 350 people will receive free admission, with the first 100 also receiving free skate rentals. Family members of UM employees  and Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ are invited to attend as well. Bring your Griz card for admission. Costumes are not required but there will be prizes for those who dress up as their favorite Star Wars character.