Montana State University has hired Kevin Gillilan as its new director/chief of university police. He will start on April 20 and will replace Frank Parrish, who will retire in May.

Gillilan will work to direct and administer the overall policing and public safety initiatives, as well as promote a safe and secure environment across the university. He will also provide leadership to MSU’s police department and oversee management of the institution’s police, parking and emergency management operations. 

“We look forward to Kevin serving us in this important role,” said Terry Leist, MSU vice president for administration and finance. “His knowledge and experience from 24 years in law enforcement in the municipal and higher education environments will be of great benefit to Montana State University. I look forward to welcoming him and his family to the MSU community.”

Gillilan has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in justice administration, both from Faulkner University. He also has a Doctor of Business Administration from Northcentral University, which is now headquartered in San Diego.

He most recently served as the chief of police at the University of North Alabama. Prior to that, he served as the chief of police at both the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg and Talladega College. 

"My family and I are excited to join the Montana State University family,” Gillilan said. “I look forward to working with each member of MSU Police in continuing to build collaborative relationships within the communities we serve as well as with other law enforcement agencies. I consider it the highest honor to serve MSU’s students, faculty and staff."

Auto industry manufacturers are facing an immense amount of pressure from consumers with the supply and demand of cars. In the minds of the consumer, they don’t think about the time and energy assembly line workers put into building the cars that they want so badly… all they know is that they want the new model Lexus that just came out!

Because of the pressure and high demand of the industry, manufacturers have taken some new approaches to meet those demands and increase productivity. One of the approaches they’re taking is by way of machine vision-based quality assurance.

This approach to productivity not only prevents classification errors but it also prevents low-quality products from being sent to the next level in the supply chain. When mistakes like this happen, it can lead to reputational damage to the company and it can also cause issues in company to client relationships as well.

Machine vision-based quality assurance is only one of the ways productivity is increased in production lines. In addition to that, we’ll take a look at other ways the auto industry is taking productivity to the next level. First, take a look at machine vision-based quality assurance.

How Machine Vision-Based Quality Assurance is Improving Production Line Productivity
According to photonics.com, machine vision in the automotive industry is a technology used to optimize processes in the value chain. It optimizes things like logistics, quality assurance, and, of course, productivity. This particular technology is used in many different applications. It performs inspections of component surfaces, detection for completeness, and it identifies and sorts out defective products.

One of the best features of machine vision is its speed and agility. For its detection processes, the algorithms only require a few milliseconds, allowing a mass amount of products to undergo automatic inspection in a very short amount of time.

If you thought that machine vision is an impressive way to improve productivity on production lines, then wait until you read about vacuum impregnation.

How Vacuum Impregnation is Improving Production Line Productivity
There has been a major surge in aluminum use in recent years… decades rather. Everything from sustainable practices like recycling aluminum shavings to its heavy use in the auto industry, aluminum is a metal that’s in high demand for many industries. In fact, Spark R&D is a company based out of Bozeman, MT that uses recycled aluminum shavings in conjunction with solar power to manufacture their products in-house!

But the demand for aluminum use in car manufacturing is where it’s heavily used. Why has the demand for aluminum increased? Well, it’s increased because it improves braking and handling, it reduces the overall weight of a car, and it extends gas mileage… Those reasons alone are major selling points to customers and play a significant role as to why aluminum is such a hot commodity in the auto industry.

Did you know that there is about 400 pounds of aluminum used in most cars now? That’s a lot. But because of its high demand, those 400 pounds are projected to increase to 550 pounds by the year 2025! That’s an increase of 150 pounds!

So what does that mean for the auto industry? That means that they’re making some major changes in their productivity practices. More and more companies are bringing in impregnation machines to eradicate the porosity that comes with aluminum castings. Because the demand is so high for aluminum components, companies are bringing these impregnation machines in-house to eliminate the costs of outsourcing for impregnation services. That’s productivity and efficiency at its finest!

How Manufacturing Robots are Improving Production Line Productivity
There was a point in time where people feared robots in the instance of them taking their jobs. That’s when the “Rise of the Robots” scare came to be. When robots were brought onto the production line, people were afraid that they were going to lose their jobs because the robots could do their jobs better and faster.

Well, the truth is that the robots indeed could do the job of a human much better and with more accuracy and speed. The thing that people failed to realize is that the robots weren’t brought in to put people out of jobs… the robots were brought in to increase productivity and ultimately improve the safety of production line workers.

Car manufacturing robots have made a huge contribution to productivity in the automotive industry. These manufacturing robots have protected workers from dangerous responsibilities, improved the quality of products, and relieved bottleneck, to name a few perks...

The robots have heavily been used in spot welding and painting of cars but are utilized in other areas as well. But the biggest reason why manufacturers utilize robots is that robots are the driving force behind manufacturing capacity, worker safety, and quality of products.

Public art and social creativity often define the cultural landscape of a town. It is uncomplicated if you think about it; the art in public places gets seen by everyone, from simple passersby to devoted park attendees.

And here in Bozeman, the public art scene is flourishing. Murals have been popping up left and right down our city streets, and dozens of statues dot our skylines.

Griffin Foster, a North Carolina migrant, makes a name for himself regularly as one of the pivotal players in this growing public art scene.

Foster got into murals as a way to pay for college. He said, “I realized that it was easier for me to get a mural than it was for me to sell a painting to a gallery if you have somewhat of a social vibe to you … That’s the thing about coming from a city, is that I’m not really shy”.

He grew up in Raleigh, which he says is worlds away from Bozeman. “Raleigh’s motto is ‘keep Raleigh boring,’” he shared.

But still, he learned art while growing up there. “I started drawing when I could hold a pencil. And then it was Legos, if I’m being honest. Legos were the quintessential kid item that facilitated my path” said Foster, adding that his first hustle involved selling blown-up drawing of Pokemon cards when he didn’t have the money for cookies at school lunch.

Growing up, Foster had plenty of role models to look towards. “I had a really hardcore AP Art History teacher in high school … and she was the one who definitely pushed anyone. If she saw that a kid had something, she would incentivize them to push on that. She was the one who ended up getting me to apply to the College of Design in Raleigh.”

He received a BLA in Landscape Architecture in 2016, and quickly found work that brought him to Bozeman, where most of his success has been in public art. He says his proudest work is a mural on Neptune’s Brewery in Livingston, though he also helped to paint the Bozeman letters that can be seen on the east end of Main Street.

“I helped Angela Yonke do the letters down there, the Bozeman letters,” he said. “That wasn’t really my project but she was like ‘Yo, we need somebody to paint letters’ and I was like ‘I got you.’”

He also, along with a friend, painted “most” of the walls by the Gallatin Valley BMX track on 7th Avenue, and just finished up a project on a hair salon in Hamilton.

He took a leap in coming here, saying, “I had no idea what the Hell I was doing, I didn’t know anything about this place, I had never even heard of Bozeman. I just kinda wanted to change it up. I’m used to a way more urban environment,” but still he must insist, “I’m a mountain guy.”

And of course, he allows the Bozeman landscapes and culture to influence his art. He said, “I’m always thinking about how your environment shapes your thoughts and your thoughts shape what you’re going to create.” Since coming to Bozeman, Foster has found his place in depicting the world around him.

In fact, the outdoor scenes he explores in Montana often serve as inspiration for his work. “I always bring my sketchbook and watercolor set backpacking. Most people go because they love being outside, but I go because I’m trying to capture and remember. When I do a sketch and look back at it, I can remember what I was wearing and where I’ve been.”

And here in Montana, he’s found plenty of spots to stop and sketch.“That’s why I love Montana ... I’m curious about the spots. Montana reminds me of a big treasure map. I feel like I know more rivers and mountains in Montana than I do in my home state,” said Foster.

While the outdoors makes a happy home for Foster, the social landscape requires, in his eyes, a bit more tedious navigation. Foster noted the duality of our local art scene saying, “One, [there’s] really talented and mature fine art, which I’m kind of into with like plein air painting,” which is a form of painting that involves creating your work where it will be shown. “But, there’s also a community of younger people, like people my age … but I don’t really put myself in that category either.”

So where does he fit in, stylistically? “I put my work in the lens of art movements, not in locations. Like Italian Futurism and Spanish Cubism. But mostly Italian Futurism. That’s why I’m broke right now. I’ve been to Italy like seven times,” he said. He also cites a style known as Graf-Futurism as one of his regular mechanisms, which is essentially a combination of Graffiti and Italian Futurism.

This kind of work comes with a certain sort of rhythm, a city-type beat that is prevalent in Bozeman despite our distance from any urban areas. “There’s a lot of back and forth between internal navigation and external stimulation; there’s that feedback loop,” he added.

And, the strive to exist in a movement that goes with little recognition keeps Foster hungry. “I’m never satisfied, and I think that that’s one of the first things you have to have. That looming desire to make the next thing,” he said.

Truly, Foster values the ability to do hard work, which is reflected in his expansive repertoire. “I don’t go home and watch Netflix. I go home and I work on my personal projects for as many hours as I can get before I go to sleep, and then I hate sleeping,” he said, with a bright smile and tired eyes that say it all.

But, he does not look down on those who live without the same passions that he has. He said, “It’s not my job to come into here and tell people how to live their life. One Montanan that I met that I really appreciated, he said ‘I don’t mind outsiders moving here, but I do mind outsiders moving here trying to change how Montanans are living.’ And that I completely respect.”

Looking ahead to the dawning decade, Foster still feels that he has a lot of work to do for our community. “I’m planning the BYEP wall. It’s gonna be fire, dude. It’s gonna be legit,” he said, in reference to a mural he has been contracted to paint on the side of the new building used by the Big Sky Youth Empowerment Program on Mendenhall.  “I consider myself a Graffutruist, someone who’s interested in letters but also Futurism and like, planar geometry, and abstraction. But I wanna start a new art movement called Forest Futurism. It’s a spin off a Graffuturism. I’m gonna do the first piece on BYEP, but what I’ve realized is that the amount of urban infill and Bozeman right now, and the verticality, I think it’s the right move, but I feel like we’re falling short with maintaining a good green footprint,”

“None of the buildings have green roofs, they’re taking trees up and putting in street trees in grates that are four feet by four feet, these trees are going to die within the year.So, what I want to do is basically an insane forest, like an abstract forest on the side of BYEP that’s basically a statement about healthy growth, like green growth,” he said.

With all these big ideas, Foster hopes that his work will keep moving our community forward. He’s also doing work with the Ravalli County fairgrounds this year, though his success has meant he gets to be more choosy. “I’m very particular, at this point, with what I pursue. In college, I didn’t have a job so I was more down to do whatever, but now I’m kind of locked down by time and I can only take so much other work,” he said.

As public art continues to grow in Bozeman, Foster has one message for us all. “Simplify your life. The less bills you have, the easier it all is.” This message is apparent in his art, which lucky for us, is widely publicly available, and will continue to become more accessible as the public art scene flourishes.

Game wardens with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks are seeking information on several trumpeter swans that were shot on Central Park Pond on Heeb Road, east of Manhattan.  

Wardens and biologists were able to safely collect some of the dead swans off the ice. Initial analysis of the collected birds showed evidence that several of them had been shot illegally. The investigation is ongoing, and further testing on the dead birds is still pending.  Investigators believe the birds were likely shot sometime around Feb. 19. 

Trumpeter swans are protected by state and federal laws for migratory birds. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call Montana’s poaching hotline, 1-800-TIP-MONT (847-6668). Informants can remain anonymous, and persons who provide information that leads to a successful prosecution in this case may be eligible for a monetary reward. 

Big Sky Resort announced today that its ski lift operations are now in alignment with The Big Picture, the ski area’s initiative to reduce operating impact and become carbon neutral by 2030. 


The resort recently purchased Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) equivalent to the annual electrical consumption of its 38 lifts. 


“Lifts are obviously essential to our business – and they are responsible for nearly a third of our total electrical consumption,” explained Kryn Dykema, the resort’s sustainability specialist. 


“Our 2025 Vision has us replacing more consumptive lifts with the most efficient available—like Ramcharger 8—but that takes time.  As we navigate both on-site reductions in energy use and cleaner sources, buying RECs is the best practice strategy in the near term.”


Buying RECs also has a broad impact, says Dykema, by creating a market demand for clean energy. “The money used to purchase these RECs is used to support renewable energy creation.” 


The resort has completed its carbon audit, and is coming close to publishing its roadmap to carbon neutrality in 2030.  “Our priority is to work quickly to meet our sustainability goals,” said Dykema.

Early bird wristbands are now available for the Sweet Pea Festival, A Festival of the Arts.

For the first time in the history of the festival, the Sweet Pea Festival is pleased to announce that early bird wristbands will be available for $20, until March 31st, 2020.

The early bird tickets will give you full access to the three-day festival of the arts happening this August 7th, 8th, and 9th.

Additionally, the Sweet Pea Festival welcomes kids 12 and under for free.

Please visit the Sweet Pea Festival’s website, sweetpeafestival.org, to purchase early bird wristbands and to secure your free kid’s wristbands.

For more information, please contact the Sweet Pea office at 406-586-4003 or visit their website at sweetpeafestival.org.

ABOUT SWEET PEA FESTIVAL:
The Sweet Pea Festival is a three-day festival of the arts held in Bozeman, Montana, since 1978. This year’s festival dates are August 7,8,9, with other events, such as Chalk on the Walk, starting off the festivities of Sweet Pea Week on August 4th.

The festival includes everything from music, theatre and dance, to children’s activities to adult painting workshops. Sweet Pea is committed to its mission statement of “promoting and cultivating the arts.”
Hundreds of volunteers run and organize this annual event, a testament to the community’s desire for its ongoing success. All the money raised above what is needed to operate the Festival is given back to the community in the form of grants for the arts, art education, and special projects in the Bozeman area. Where art and community meet.

Music on Main needs your help to sustain this free community event. Investing in owning our own stage will offset rising costs.

The Lowdown:
Help sustain Music on Main by donating toward a new stage

The Quick Facts:
Music on Main is Bozeman’s free community music series since 2001. This series is 100% funded by generous community sponsors. NO tax dollars are used for this event.

Music on Main has grown from 500 to 3,000+ attendees per night. Expenses have outpaced the sponsorship dollars by approximately 40%.

Owning a stage will reduce the weekly expense by a similar amount to the current fund shortage, thereby provide long-term sustainability. MOM needs your help to keep this family-friendly community event in Bozeman.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

A Bit More Detail:
We are (hopefully) headed into our 20th Season of Music on Main in Downtown Bozeman! This incredibly successful, free community event has grown contagiously for all 19 years, going from 500 people in a small downtown side-street to a full-blown concert series with over 20,000 people in attendance for the 8-week summer series.

Along with the event growth has come increased expenses: from no security to over a dozen donated and paid on-site security staff.  What started with low-level sound systems has evolved into a high-level sound and production system.  Along with better sound have come bigger and better musical acts. Bozeman’s favorite summer event has truly developed with our community and continues to create a safe and fun environment for attendees.

Those increased expenses have outpaced sponsorship dollars, so this event is at the point of no longer being sustainable. As we look into the future, we see that our greatest hope for sustaining Music on Main is the purchase of our own stage.

History of Music on Main:
Music on Main began in the summer of 2001 and featured only one concert by local bluegrass favorite Kane’s River, on the side-street of South Bozeman Avenue. In the early years, the event evolved into a series of concerts, and benefited from additions such as an array of children’s activities, various food vendors with top-notch cuisine, sponsored activities, and non-profit information booths.

In 2007, Music on Main moved onto Main Street proper, and continued to feature eight concerts per season with local and touring bands such as Tony
Furtado and Cure for the Common.

Children’s Activities are at every Music on Main, sponsored by Lehrkind’s Coca Cola, Venture Church, and the Bozeman Amateur Hockey Association

Every week, the City of Bozeman sets up an environmentally friendly water- station. Several area non-profits are set-up each week to gain exposure and inform the public. Food vendors and food trucks serve unique and flavorful items from wood-fired pizzas to local handmade ice cream and everything in between.

Music on Main received a 2003 Community Cultural Contribution Award and was named “Best Local Event” by the Best of Bozeman in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

We want to take this opportunity to once again thank the generous community sponsors for all their support of Music on Main over the years. Its growth and improvement is a testament to your community spirit!

If you want to be sustainable, you have to think about the seasons. For Patrick Burr of Roots Kitchen & Cannery, this is a rule to live by. Located in Montana, where the growing season is short and winters can last up to eight months long, the team at Roots has learned how to take advantage of crops while they are available, and preserve them for the entire year.

Burr taught himself how to preserve fruits and vegetables in what he described as a “DIY fashion” — he bought a book. It didn’t take long for him to realize that he had a knack for canning. He started playing with flavors and soon enough, Roots’ first recipe was born: plum-sage jam.

“Before commercial canning came around, every family knew how to do it. That’s no longer the case,” Burr said. “I feel it’s an opportunity to share what I’ve learned. I think it’s just important that we all remember how to do these things that we survived on for generations.”

In the second season of tasteMAKERS, which airs on public television stations nationwide, Emmy-winning producer and host Cat Neville travels to Bozeman, MT, to learn what it takes to preserve the crops of Montana’s short growing season for the entire year. The episode dives into the many varieties of preserves that Roots produces, including their curried carrots, garlic pickles, raspberry-vanilla jam, apple butter and more.

The episode features a number of local food folks, including Natalie Van Dusen of Treeline Coffee, who uses Roots’ lavender syrup in her coffee and various Roots jams to accompany her delicious waffles. Cat also had the opportunity to speak to two of the region’s top organic farmers, Matt Rothschiller of Gallatin Botanical at Rocky Creek Farm and Nate Brown of Amalthea Farms. Mac Burgess of Montana State University’s Towne’s Harvest Garden was also included in the episode, discussing the student-run teaching farm he runs at the university and their partnership with Roots. And at the end of the episode, Cat got in the kitchen at Hail Hary’s to make Southern-style fried pickles — her favorite bar snack — from with chef Justin Banis.

“The culinary community in and around Bozeman is thriving,” Cat says, “and Roots plays an integral role in preserving the Montana harvest so it can be enjoyed year-round. When we can get asparagus in December, it’s easy to forget that produce has a season. As we look to reduce the carbon footprint of our food, eating close to home is an important step to take. Patrick Burr’s pickles and preserves make it easy and delicious for consumers to buy local any time of year.”

tasteMAKERS airs nationally, reaching over 94% of American television households on public television stations as well as the Create channel. Visit https://www.watchtastemakers.com/208- roots-kitchen-cannery to stream the episode. You’ll also find photos, recipes and additional information about Roots Kitchen & Cannery. Search pbs.org/stations for local air dates.

tasteMAKERS is accompanied by a nine-part event series, Meet the Makers. The event begins with a live program featuring interviews and demos with the makers, followed by a pop-up Makers Market with food and drink from a variety of makers. For more information about dates, specific vendors and location details and to learn more about the makers featured in the series, visit watchtastemakers.com.

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About tasteMAKERS: On the heels of a successful debut that saw carriage by stations reaching more than 94 percent of American television households, 13 all-new episodes of tasteMAKERS released to public television stations nationwide in January 2020. tasteMAKERS puts a spotlight on culinary industry professionals whose work is defining the flavor of American food today. tasteMAKERS is brought to you with generous support from Edward Jones and is presented by the Nine Network of Public Media and distributed by American Public Television. Check your local listings for air dates and times. About Meet the Makers: Meet the Makers is a companion to tasteMAKERS, a national public television series that celebrates the makers who are defining the flavor of American food and drink. The 3-hour events include live interviews and demonstrations, a tasting experience and the option to shop in the Makers Market. For information about specific event locations, please visit watchtastemakers.com. Meet the Makers is made possible with the support of our lead sponsor, Edward Jones.

Ben Phinney, Executive and Personal Coach - Since moving to Bozeman from Boston about five years ago, Ben has been an avid supporter of the classical music scene here.  He is currently President of the Board of Baroque Music Montana and, together with his wife, Barbara, has volunteered for the BSO in several capacities.  Ben was educated at Harvard and the University of Chicago.  After twenty years working in Chicago, Asia, and Boston for large banks, Ben transitioned to fundraising for Brown University and several independent schools in New England.  He has also worked as a life and professional coach.  Like many in Bozeman, he is an enthusiastic skier, hiker, biker, and fisherman.  The Phinney’s have a daughter and son-in-law and two grandchildren here in Bozeman in addition to family in Denver and Washington DC.  Ben is very excited about the future prospects for the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra as it embarks on a new chapter with a new music director.  He believes that “Bozeman is an exciting and growing cultural town with a great future!”

Charles Rinker, Surgeon, Retired - Charles arrived in Bozeman in 1976 to join Dr. Richard Sabo in the practice of general surgery. Friends quickly introduced us to the symphony, which at that time was led by Creech Reynolds. For many years I sang in the choir, first under Lowell Hickman and then Marco Ferro. I served on the Board in the early 1980s. My wife Kathy and I have been subscribers and supporters as long as we have lived in Bozeman. Currently, I’ve had the pleasure of serving on the Music Director search committee. The quality of the candidates has been amazing, and it bodes well for the future of the orchestra. The opportunity to re-join the Board at this time is both exciting and daunting, since it appears that big plans are afoot not only to continue the maturation of the orchestra but also to spread the word to all in Southwest Montana of the rare gem we have in our community.

Megan McFadden, Orchestra Representative- Megan is a violinist in the Bozeman Symphony and is excited to join the Orchestra Committee and represent the Orchestra on the Symphony Board. This is her third year playing violin (again) in the Bozeman Symphony. Megan grew up in Bozeman, played in the Symphony in High School, and studied Violin Performance and English Literature at the University of Montana. She also earned a Masters degree in Historical Musicology from Northwestern University. For the past ten years, Megan has been working in the digital technology industry as a testing manager in Chicago, and now an account manager here in Bozeman. Megan moved home to Bozeman with her husband, JJ, 3 1/2 years ago and is grateful to be raising her children Hanna (8) and Jacob (4) here in the Gallatin Valley.

More than 1,500 donors raised $320,118 for Montana State University programs, causes and groups during MSU Giving Day, a new 29-hour online crowd-fundraising event held Feb. 13-14.

MSU Giving Day, which was designed to raise support and awareness in addition to funds, shined a light on 48 projects at MSU. Organizers of the event said they were deeply grateful to the 1,537 donors who participated.

“We’re very happy considering this is our first Giving Day event,” said Nick Lonardo, vice president of annual giving with the MSU Alumni Foundation. “It’s been gratifying to see so many donors come forward to support the wide variety of causes and projects. For many, it was their first gift to MSU. For some of these project teams, it’s a dream come true to have the resources they need to pursue their goals.”

Lonardo said that highlights of Giving Day included reaching two main goals: to reach $300,000 in gifts and to have 1,000 donors contribute. “We reached the donor goal early Friday, but the dollar goal kept us in suspense until the end,” Lonardo said. “It was a relief to finally see the counter hit $300,000.”

As part of Giving Day, all MSU alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff and friends were invited to participate by making a gift during the event through the event’s website at givingday.montana.edu. There, donors could view the groups and projects seeking funds and choose a group or groups to receive their gift. The website also provided up-to-the-minute progress, descriptions of all the projects in need of support, social media tracking, acknowledgment of donors and announcements of challenges and gift matches. Special challenges and gift matching opportunities were announced throughout the 29-hour event to allow donors to magnify the impact of their gifts. The minimum gift amount was $10.

Scott Smith, president of the Bridger Solar Club and a student in electrical engineering, said Giving Day was valuable to the club for several reasons.
“Giving Day is a great opportunity for us to not only receive support, but also to make connections within the community, as well as with members of MSU’s extensive alumni network,” Smith said. “Building and racing a solar car is a very large-scale project and could never be possible without opportunities like this. We are very thankful to the Alumni Foundation for putting this event together to allow MSU to grow in new and exciting ways.”

Jody Bartz, the Don and Sue Fisher Endowed Professor in the College of Education, Health and Human Development who sought funds through MSU Giving Day for a new Inclusive Community Camp, said the support generated through the event would ultimately make a difference to children in the community. The weeklong summer camp will serve 36 children, approximately half of whom will be children with disabilities.

“We appreciate Giving Day because it is providing the opportunity to raise funds to launch and sustain our Inclusive Community Camp,” she said. “Funds will help us provide activities and equipment needed to ensure that all campers have the best experience possible. We will be able to keep the cost of attending the camp down so that it can be a reality for more children in the future.”

The top two teams raising the most for their cause were:
    •    MSU Leadership Institute, which sought funds to bring world-class speakers to MSU and provide opportunities for students and the community to learn from these individuals. The MSU Leadership Institute met its goal of $10,000 within the first two hours of the event and went on to raise $13,455. For being the project to bring in the most dollars, the team received an additional $2,000 prize for their cause.

    •    Jabs Hands-On, which sought funds to support MSU business students through real-world, out-of-the-classroom educational opportunities. Jabs Hands-On raised $12,036. They were awarded $1,500 for their efforts.
In addition, the following two projects received support from the most donors:
    •    ASMSU Student Memorial Renovation, which sought support for redesigning and renovating a student memorial. The project raised funds from 157 donors.
    •    MSU Treasure State Poll, a project of the Department of Political Science in the College of Letters and Science to field a pre- and post-election poll in 2020, raised funds from 144 donors.

For having the most individual donors, the ASMSU Student Memorial Renovation project received a prize of $2,000, and, as runner-up, the MSU Treasure State Poll earned an additional $1,500.

Full results are available at the Giving Day website at givingday.montana.edu.
“We built this first MSU Giving Day on a theme of ‘Show Some Love’ for MSU because the event took place on Valentine’s Day,” Lonardo said. “The outpouring of love we have seen is truly humbling and inspiring. To all who gave and for all who participated, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”