Montana State University and the City of Bozeman will hold a free community event on Monday, Aug. 18, to mark the beginning of the new academic year. The “Community Welcome” event is scheduled from 3 to 6 p.m. at Story Mansion lawn, located at 811 S. Wilson Ave., ahead of MSU’s first day of classes on Wednesday, Aug. 20.
The event is open to the public and will include live music by Emma and the Ledge, a blues-singing sister duo from Gallatin Valley. Attendees can also expect food trucks, complimentary ice cream provided by Sweet Peaks, a bouncy castle, lawn games and other activities.
Welcoming remarks are planned from Steve Swinford, Montana State University’s vice president of student success, as well as Bozeman Mayor Terry Cunningham.
The gathering is part of MSU Debut programming and was organized by MSU’s Off-Campus Student Life office in collaboration with the City of Bozeman. The MSU Dean of Students’ office and Associated Students of MSU also supported planning efforts.
Rebecca Eberlin, program manager for Off-Campus Student Life at MSU, said: “The intention of the event is to welcome and celebrate returning students as we start another school year, and to foster student relationships with non-student community members, who are also welcome to attend and enjoy some music and ice cream. We also want to cultivate a sense of community belonging and encourage engagement both on and off campus — a ‘get to know your neighbors’ kind of thing.”
Emily Kiely, community engagement coordinator for the city of Bozeman added: “Student and our neighborhoods are two vital parts of our Bozeman community. Building positive relationships with students and non-student neighbors lays the groundwork for shared success for everyone. We’re excited to host this event to promotes connection and being a good neighbor.”
MSU Debut features events welcoming new and returning students between Aug. 17-24 this year. More details about MSU Debut events can be found at https://www.montana.edu/msudebut/events.html.
