UM Breaks Ground on New 600-Bed Residence Hall
MISSOULA – To address the need for more student housing, the Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ today broke ground on its first new on-campus residence hall in over 30 years.
With three consecutive years of enrollment growth and a local housing market that is disproportionately impacting Ñý¼§Ö±²¥, the new 600-bed residence hall will allow UM to keep housing supply in line with demand.
“We know that when Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ live on campus they build community, they succeed in the classroom and they enhance their college experience,” said UM President Seth Bodnar. “This is not just a building. It will be a place that enhances the success of our Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ through advanced community building and affordable, safe living.”
At the groundbreaking ceremony, current Ñý¼§Ö±²¥, residence assistants and UM Housing leadership joined Bodnar to celebrate the historic occasion.
“At UM, our residence halls are critical to the educational and social journey of our college years,” said McKenlie Ballard, the UM student and community development coordinator. “For many Ñý¼§Ö±²¥, there isn’t a place where they will spend more time during their years at UM than their residence hall. Our residence halls are the place where Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ meet their friends, begin to learn the lessons of adulthood and discover who they truly are.”
Construction on the new residence hall will begin this fall and is expected to last about three years, with Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ moving into the new facility in the fall of 2027.
To enhance UM’s housing supply, nearly $100 million already has been invested in recent years to upgrade Pantzer and Knowles Residence Halls, as well as the new Lodge Dining Center that will be available to Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ beginning this fall.
Over 2,000 UM Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ live in on-campus residence halls and an additional 1,000 Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ live in UM-owned off-campus properties.
###
Contact: Dave Kuntz, UM director of strategic communications, 406-243-5659, dave.kuntz@umontana.edu