Listening sessions scheduled across Montana to craft MSU’s strategic plan, with more dates coming soon

BOZEMAN - Members of the public are invited to share their thoughts about the future of Montana State University at listening sessions to be held across the state this spring and summer. The feedback, gathered by meetings to be held in Glasgow, Ryegate, Ronan, Choteau, Dillon, Missoula, Livingston, Billings and Bozeman, will help MSU craft its new strategic plan.

Plans for additional listening sessions are being finalized, and details will be added to MSU's Strategic Plan website as they are available.

The strategic plan will guide MSU's focuses, operations and impacts for years to come, and the input of Montanans and the greater MSU community is paramount to guiding the university's future, according to James Tobin, executive assistant to the MSU president. The current strategic plan, "Choosing Promise," was adopted in 2019 and amended in 2023.

Over the spring semester, a planning team gathered feedback from MSU campus stakeholders, including students, faculty and staff. Now, the team is gathering public feedback in preparation for drafting the final strategic plan in October. On Nov. 19, they will present the strategic plan to the Montana Board of Regents.

Key questions that MSU is looking to answer are:

• What can MSU do better?

• How can MSU more firmly root itself and serve Montana?

• What is your one big idea (and/or small idea) for MSU's future? This could be a project, program or any other new initiative.

• What is your most brilliant Bobcat moment or impression?

• Is there anything else that you would like to share to be considered in the development of MSU's next strategic plan?

If community members are unable to attend a listening session but still want to share their thoughts, they are invited to take an online survey available here.

Below are the dates, times and locations of the community listening sessions. Two virtual sessions for faculty and graduate students are also planned.

Thursday, May 7: Valley County community listening session

• 6:30 p.m. at Valley County Courthouse Community Room: 501 Court Square, Glasgow.

Tuesday, May 12: Virtual faculty listening session

• 10 a.m. Zoom meeting.

Tuesday, May 12: Virtual graduate student listening session

• 11 a.m. Zoom meeting.

Thursday, May 14: Musselshell - Golden Valley community listening session

• 6 p.m. at Ryegate Firehall: 111 First Ave. W., Ryegate.

Thursday, May 28: Ronan community listening session

• Noon at Lake County Extension Office: 300 Third Ave. NW., Ronan.

Friday, May 29: Teton County community listening session

• Noon at Choteau Senior Center: 29 Main Ave. N., Choteau.

Wednesday, June 3: Beaverhead County community listening session

• 7 p.m. at Beaverhead County 4-H building, 205 E. Center St., Dillon.

Tuesday, June 9: Missoula community listening session

• 6 p.m. at G.W. Marks Exploration Center at Missoula Fairgrounds: 1075 South Ave. W., Missoula.

Friday, June 12: Park County community listening session

• TBA p.m. at Park County Extension Office, 119 S 3rd St., Livingston.

Tuesday, June 16: Fort Belknap Reservation community listening session

• 1:00 p.m. at TBA location

Thursday, June 18: Yellowstone County community listening session

• 5:30 p.m. at MetraPark 4-H building: 2320 Third Ave. N, Billings.

June sessions in Bozeman at TBA dates and times.

Information will be updated at MSU's strategic plan landing page: https://www.montana.edu/strategicplan/.