from MSU News Service
Montana State University and the City of Bozeman are hosting a “Community Welcome” event this month to celebrate the start of the new school year.
The free event will be held Monday, August 18th, from 3–6pm at the Story Mansion lawn, 811 S. Wilson Ave. MSU classes begin Wednesday, Aug. 20th.
The public is invited to join MSU Bobcats in the festivities, which will feature live music, food trucks, free ice cream provided by Sweet Peaks, a bouncy castle, lawn games and more. The local band playing is Emma and the Ledge, a blues-singing sister duo from the Gallatin Valley.
MSU Vice President of Student Success Steve Swinford and Bozeman Mayor Terry Cunningham will also deliver welcoming remarks.
The new event is part of the MSU Debut programming and was organized jointly by MSU’s Off-Campus Student Life office and the City of Bozeman, with support from the MSU Dean of Students’ office and Associated Students of MSU.
“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,” said Rebecca Eberlin, program manager for Off-Campus Student Life. “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.”
“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,” added Emily Kiely, the city of Bozeman’s community engagement coordinator. “We’re excited to host this event to promotes connection and being a good neighbor.”
MSU Debut is a series of events to welcome new and returning students to campus, with this year’s events scheduled for Aug. 17-24. For more information about MSU Debut, visit www.montana.edu/msudebut. •
