Dear Friends,

I am honored to be writing to you as Montana State University’s 13th president, and my family and I are thrilled to join the MSU and Montana communities. My wife, Kristin, our daughters, Frances and Leona, and I have been enjoying a beautiful fall and getting to meet so many people at MSU and across the state. Our family has deep roots in Montana, and we are overjoyed to be here and to set down new roots in the Gallatin Valley. It’s a real privilege to join the team at MSU and lead Montana’s premier university.

Many of you may know that MSU is our state’s largest university and that we serve more Montana students than any other campus. You may also know we are the state’s largest research entity and that we reach every corner of Montana with our various programs, projects and, vitally, through MSU Extension, which works tirelessly to meet local needs.

In fact, MSU Extension plays an important role in fulfilling our university’s land-grant mission: providing high-quality, accessible education to students no matter where they come from or what path they take to college; conducting research and creative scholarship that makes a positive impact on our state and country; and helping Montana communities thrive.

We are so proud of MSU Extension’s efforts to improve lives and communities across Montana, and I am so grateful to all of our partners in Extension for their important work. I’m also grateful to you for your support of these efforts and for being part of our Montana State University community. I look forward to getting to know you in the years to come.

In Blue and Gold,

Brock Tessman
President, Montana State University