April 24, 2018
University of Montana Western Chancellor Beth Weatherby announced that the University’s 121st Annual Commencement will take place Saturday, May 5, 2018. The ceremony will begin at 11:00 a.m. in the Straugh Gymnasium on the Montana Western campus.
368 Montana Western graduates will be awarded at least 443 degrees by the end of the 2017-18 academic year. Of the 368 students, 60 have completed two or more degrees, and over 50% of the graduates are receiving honors by achieving a GPA of 3.33 or higher.
Weatherby said this year’s program will include commencement speaker Steve Davis and will honor Norman Jacobson with the University’s Alumni Distinguished Service Award.
“This is a real milestone in the lives of our graduates and their families. It is gratifying to see the culmination of the hard work on the part of our students, faculty and staff,” Weatherby said.
Steve Davis is currently President and CEO of PATH, an international nonprofit organization that focuses on saving lives and improving health, especially among women and children. A worldwide expert on the subject of innovation, he combines extensive experience as a technology business leader, global health advocate, and social innovator. Davis is a native of Dillon, Mont.
Norman Jacobson obtained his Elementary Education degree from Montana Western in 1952. He went on to receive two Master’s degrees; the first from the University of Montana, and the second from Washington State University. Jacobson taught in Three Forks, Havre, Deer Lodge, and Missoula, Mont., during the course of his 32 year career. In 2016, he established the Norman and Maurine Jacobson Education Scholarship to impact student lives as his was by a scholarship at Montana Western that allowed him to receive his first degree.
Students at Montana Western benefit from an innovative scheduling program, called Experience One, where students take a single course at a time, three hours each day for 18 days, then move on to the next. The University emphasizes immersive learning to prepare students to be successful as they pursue their career choice or move on to acquire advanced degrees.
Graduates should arrive with regalia by 9:15 a.m. for rehearsal and line up.
For those who are unable to attend in person, a live stream of the event will be available starting at 10:00 am on the day of Commencement by visiting https://portal.stretchinternet.com/montanawestern/ (click on the TV icon).
For more information about Commencement, please contact the Montana Western Registrar’s Office by calling 406-683-7371.
