Bozeman, Montana – Thanks to a fundamental $11.25 million donation from the Arthur M. Blank Foundation, Gallatin College MSU is on the brink of receiving a new, permanent home in a major boost to its infrastructure and educational capabilities. This significant financial infusion gets the college tantalizingly near to realizing its long-held dream of building a dedicated facility expected to open within the next five years.
Currently serving 703 students, Gallatin College is a two-year institution connected with Montana State University mostly running out of Hamilton Hall. With a strong emphasis on workforce development serving 25 various career routes, the college provides an array of programs including associate degrees and professional certificates.
The dean of Gallatin College Stephanie Gray explained that the demand for a dedicated building has been evident for some time. She related how MSU President Waded Cruzado and former Dean Hietala first spearheaded the idea almost ten years ago. Part of the state’s Long Range Building Plan, the new facility started the planning process and later got a green light from the Montana Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education and a pledge of $23.5 million from state legislators.
The college’s job was to raise the remaining money required to fulfill the budget of the project. Half of this remaining amount is covered by the recent donation from the Arthur M. Blank Foundation; the college is left to find the remaining quarter of the money. Once the full funding is secured, officials anticipate the planning to take a year and construction to span three years.
The 55,000-square-foot building is planned to be located on the southern end of the MSU campus, close to Norm Asbjornson Hall and opposite the upcoming computer science building. It is scheduled to have eight to ten lab areas, which will significantly increase the college’s ability to provide practical technical instruction.
“Gallatin College spends over $700,000 a year on the lease cost. And so, if you can imagine being able to invest that back into the students and what they need and faculty too, that would be really great,” Gray said, highlighting the economic efficiencies and expanded opportunities the new building will facilitate.
Moreover, the new facility will support the value of trade competencies in the larger economy and higher education. Having this building on campus will validate the need of career-focused education in trades, which are vital to our economy but are often overshadowed by more academic-focused disciplines at MSU.
Gallatin College wants the new construction to not only increase its capacity for instruction but also improve the integration of its students with the larger MSU community. Gray further explained that the newly planned building will hopefully minimize any perceived divisions between career-technical and academic paths for Gallatin College students.
For more information on Gallatin College and its programs, interested individuals can visit their website. Once completed, this project looks to be a turning point for Gallatin College as well as the surrounding neighborhood.
