Glacier Country News

The University of Montana (UM) has achieved a significant milestone by being ranked as the top university in the United States for community and national service for the third consecutive year. This recognition highlights UM's commitment to encouraging students and alumni to engage in community, national, and military service.

UM President Seth Bodnar expressed pride in this achievement, stating, "This ranking confirms what we know to be true: UM students and alumni continuously outperform their peers in the fields of community, national and military service." He emphasized that Grizzlies are united by a passion for giving back and addressing societal challenges.

The rankings are conducted annually by Washington Monthly, which evaluates colleges based on their contributions to public good across social mobility, research, and public service promotion. The criteria include student voter registration rates, degrees awarded in service areas, and leadership production in socially valuable fields.

UM maintains its top position due to active student involvement with the Military and Veteran Service Office, Peace Corps participation, and volunteer activities. Additionally, students pursue academic programs leading to careers in high-demand public service sectors such as education, healthcare, counseling, social work, and law.

This year also saw UM securing a major grant from the Mellon Foundation to establish a Democracy Studies Program. This initiative aims to instill civic values among students across various academic disciplines. Kyle Volk, a history professor at UM who co-leads the grant project stated his hope that it will demonstrate "essential themes of democracy – from leadership, citizenship and ethics to governance, public policy and dissent – matter to so many pursuits."

President Bodnar is optimistic about maintaining this ranking next year due to UM's emphasis on service-oriented education. He noted that from orientation through graduation day students have access to unparalleled opportunities for community engagement.