Every year the students, faculty and staff at Gallatin College MSU show up with more enthusiasm,

work ethic and focus for their academic goals and work than the previous year. Southwest Montana is in good hands with the individuals at Gallatin College. We are truly fulfilling potential! You will read below that new programs continue to be added as the demand for skilled and motivated employees in our workforce continues to grow. Students are building confidence in everything from math to carpentry to medical assisting. They are experiencing the value of teamwork in the classroom and on the job, and by the time graduation rolls around, students are eager to work in their chosen field. I am constantly smiling at their efforts and accomplishments, and more importantly their discipline and commitment to reaching their goals.       

As the Dean, my job is to prepare for the future. Southwest Montana, and the state for that matter, needs a career and technical education facility on MSU’s campus. We are one step closer to that goal with the $23.5 million dollar appropriation from the state for a new facility. This is the start of the story; now all of us are challenged to raise another $22.5 million in order to design a $46 million dollar facility that will be located on the south side of MSU’s campus. Getting this far was a university, college and community effort and I am asking all of us to help complete the goal. This will allow Gallatin College to triple enrollment, add new programs, engage more private sector partners, and support students with one location to access affordable technical education with all the support and activities of a remarkable college campus. The benefits of having Gallatin College on the MSU campus are countless and will be a unique model. When certificate and associate students see that the community and state value their educational choice with a state-of-the-art facility, full of advanced technical labs designed for their careers, the value proposition for students and their families will be high. 

Please take a look at the entirety of this annual report to see all the wonderful things our students, faculty and staff have been doing. You are always welcome for a tour, a quick visit to see what is happening, or to join us for a class! Lastly, a big thank you to everyone for your support and encouragement.    

Happy holidays and greatest gratitude, 

Stephanie Gray
Dean, Gallatin College MSU

"Modern Machining"

A Focus on Diversity

Program Expansion

Gallatin College's CNC Machining program was featured in the MSU Mountains and Minds Spring 2023 issue for its appeal to students of all backgrounds and relevance to countless industries. 

"[Aubrin] Heinrichs remembers all the students who have graduated from the program since its inception. Some were hobbyists, others aspiring engineers seeking a hands-on way to bring a design idea to life in the shop. Some sought the training to acquire skills needed in a specific industry and have achieved that goal; others use their machining skills in their own businesses. Heinrichs said it isn’t unusual for entrepreneurs to sign up to learn how to make their own products. In fact, he said, “This program is responsible for six new businesses in the state.”

[CNC machining student Malena Ketelhut,] says the machining skills she graduates with will be marketable anywhere. “I could potentially be part of the process that impacts everybody on Earth — the entire world revolves around machining,” she said. “It’s powerful being part of that.”

Read the full article in MSU Mountains and Minds.

In the 2022/23 academic year, 5.8 % of Gallatin College students self-identified as Hispanic. This notably surpassed Gallatin County's Hispanic population of 4.5% which was recorded in the most recent census as being the county's second largest ethnic group after whites. To support this increasing diversity, Gallatin College staff and faculty translated numerous program documents, formed a diversity and inclusion committee, completed professional development training on supporting English learning students in the classroom, and collaborated with a multi-lingual pedagogy consultant to make Business Management and Allied Health programs more accessible. 

Gallatin College also established a partnership with English Para Todos. The organization was founded by college alumna, Vanessa Zamora, and provides courses and tools to english learners as they communicate inside and outside of the classroom. As of fall 2022, courses were held at the Gallatin College East campus when regular classes were not in session. 

Fall 2022 marked the start of a five new Gallatin College progams, a record for the college.  Programs included one-year Carpentry and Healthcare Administrative Professional certificates of applied science, a two-year Aviation Electronics Technology associate of applied science degree, and the expansion of both IT Network Technology and IT Cybersecurity certificate programs into associate of applied science degrees. The Carpentry and IT programs filled to capacity with the other programs having a strong student response. 

The Associate of Arts and Science programs also expanded their offerings. While many courses have been available online to students, these degrees may now be completed entirely in this format. This flexible option supports learners of all ages, lifestyles, and locations, including rural Montana. Furthermore, the Associate of Science program developed a Pre-Healthcare option for students who complete pre-requisite healthcare courses at Gallatin College and then transfer to related programs around Montana. Of the 32 students who enrolled in the option last academic year, interests included sonography, dental hygiene, nursing and more. 

View our full list of 22 program offerings here. 

Sheds for Haven

Cooking for Warriors

Helping our Neighbors

Gallatin College collaborates with local industry members on student instruction, tours, and lab space. In Fall 2022, the inaugural Carpentry cohort of 15 students partnered with two local organizations to give back to our community in a tangible way.

Utilizing an outdoor build site at Martel Construction, students were tasked with building two full size sheds. As Martel was building Haven's new facility, intended to shelter those facing domestic violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking and stalking, students learned of Haven's need for storage sheds for the belongings of individuals and families in transition. With oversight from Frank Harriman, Building Trades Division Director, the Carpentry students found a greater purpose for their work. They finished out the sheds in materials matching the Haven facility and delivered them to their new home. 

Second year students in the Culinary Arts ProChef 2 class provided a cater-out dinner event for the Warriors and Quiet Waters Foundation's "Sayonara Dinner" on the evening of November 3, 2022. 

Eight students set up kitchen at the foundation's ranch north of Bozeman where they served up braised bison short ribs and all the trimmings for veterans seeking recovery from the traumas of combat and solace in the valley's many outdoor offerings. The program's director, Chef Mike Dean, plans to continue this service for years to come.  

True to the college's mission of helping individuals achieve success, Gallatin College faculty and staff served dinner at Fork and Spoon, Montana’s first pay-what-you-can restaurant, and helped to facilitate sports competition events at the 2023 Special Olympics Montana State Summer Games. 

During academic year 2022, the college also established the annual Fulfilling Potential scholarship. This scholarship is intended to financially support a local nonprofit organization nominee who is actively pursuing academic goals to improve their future. 

Career & Technical Education Pathways

Developmental Education

• During the 2022-2023 academic year, Gallatin College served 699 regional high school and home school students through Dual Enrollment and Early College course offerings, allowing students to earn college credit before graduating. Seven new Career and Technical Education (CTE) dual enrollment courses were offered in the 2022-2023 academic year, bringing the total number of course offerings to 52. These course credits are transferable to existing Gallatin College programs, Montana University System colleges and numerous other higher education institutions.
• October 2022 marked Gallatin College's first annual Photonic-CON high-tech info fair. The event introduced regional middle and high school students to high paying high-tech photonics and manufacturing career opportunities available in Montana after completion of a one or two-year program. At the event, around 150 students, teachers and community members were able to interact with 15 high-tech companies to learn about and experience cutting edge technologies.

• Developmental Education courses in Math, Humanities and Writing continued to be in high demand. During the 2022-2023 school year, Gallatin College served 2,132 MSU and Gallatin College students to prepare them for college-level courses, with around 90% being MSU four-year degree seeking students.

• In December 2022, Mathematics Department Chair Katie Ivester and Instructor Maria Perks received a Faculty Excellence Grant to attend and present at the National Organization on Student Success Conference with a focus on increasing retention and student success in developmental education.

• Kyndra Campbell, Developmental Humanities Department Chair, earned two Open Education Resources (OER) grants funded by the MSU Library and the Office of Commissioner of Higher Education: one to revise the Developmental Writing OER text, and the other to create an OER text for WRIT 121 Introduction to Technical Writing.                                     

Instruct

Support

The college's enrollment, programs, and need for space continues to grow! With the recent legislative approval of House Bill5 (section 16, pg. 37) and subsequent amendment (section 14, pg. 27), Gallatin College is slated to have it's own building in the coming years. You can now contribute to this facility fund and we also hope you will share the story of our students, programs and need for space with your friends and neighbors. 

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