Bozeman, Montana, United States
After nearly four months of living in Bozeman, I finally got
around to taking a walk around campus at Montana State. It wasn’t my first time, though. I checked it
out once before on my 2010 visit to Bozeman. Quite a lot can change in nine
years, though.
Bozeman has become what it is today largely because of MSU,
now the largest university by enrollment in the state. Otherwise, Bozeman would probably just be
another Montana cowtown with a scenic backdrop.
MSU is the state’s main land-grant university and historically has
specialized in agriculture and engineering, resulting in a less lefty overall
atmosphere on campus and in town than at University of Montana in Missoula.
I have to admit to not being overly impressed with the
campus my first time there. With the
exception of a few older buildings around the main quad, much of the campus consisted
of rather homely buildings, including some high-rise apartments/dorms, built a
few decades ago that now look somewhat dated. Even among the older buildings, there’s no
unifying architectural theme the way there is on some of the more appealing
public university campuses I’ve been to, the Universities of Virginia,
Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, and Mississippi being a few that come to mind.
What a difference a decade makes, though. There’s a whole ring
of strikingly modern new buildings surrounding the older parts of campus that
weren’t there ten years ago, reflecting the large increase in enrollment at MSU
– numerous classroom buildings, residence halls, and a huge student
athletic/fitness facility. I was most
impressed by the Redezvous Dining Hall, a glassy modern food court with
multiple stations on an AYCE for one price system. I didn’t pay because I had already eaten, but
they let me in to look around. For
$10/meal it’s the best deal in town in a place that city that doesn’t have
buffet restaurants. And you don’t have
to be a student or have a university connection to partake. I’ll be back!
2025-05-22