From Alumni Association Director Dear Alumni, February is one of my favorite months of the year. It is when Montana State University, known in 1893 as the Agricultural College of the State of Montana, was founded. What a great day that was. Just think about the impact our alma mater has had on so many students and their families, faculty, and staff and on the state as a whole. February 16 is truly a special day. February is a month for some of the best skiing at Bridger Bowl or Big Sky. Bright colors, healthy and happy people, and the swooshing sounds of skis or boards on snow, grace every day. It is that time of year when we work hard around here; shoveling snow from the sidewalks in the morning and pushing mounds of fresh powder off the car before leaving campus at night. The Awards for Excellence is an annual February event. Held on a Tuesday evening near Founder's Day, the Alumni Association and the Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce recognize outstanding students, faculty members and business leaders for their remarkable achievements in academics, campus and community service. The banquet is a highlight of the year as it culminates all that is Montana State University—excellence. Vacation plans begin to formulate in February. I hope that as you think about yours, you'll give some thought to spending a day or so, this summer, in Bozeman and on the campus. Many of you have already stopped by the office on a summer trip through here. We enjoyed seeing you. We are waiting for the rest of you. You'll get a discount coupon to use at the bookstore and an Alumni Association trinket of some sort. Remember, the coffee pot is always on and there is a soft drink in the fridge. February. You can see the sapphire blue skies over Bozeman. You can hear the crunch of snow underfoot. You can smell hot chocolate or the aroma of a spicy candle in many of the places you enter. You can feel the sun warming the bricks on the buildings around campus. Students are studying; faculty are teaching. Montana State University goes on just as it did in February 1893. There are more buildings and classrooms. The faces have changed, and there are a lot more of them. In the end, though, the Montana State spirit remains the same. I'm glad that you are a part of this great family of alumni. Enjoy reading the Collegian. There is so much going on here. It is exciting to share the news with you. Sincerely, Jaynee Drange Groseth, '73, '91 Executive Director, Montana State University Alumni Association