Greetings from Beautiful Bozeman Geoff Gamble These are exciting and anxious times at Montana State University. These summer days are also among the most beautiful in the Gallatin Valley. The balance of these elements--beauty, anxiety and excitement is what keeps us motivated to get to work each day. What a great place. As you know, Montana, like most of the states in the U.S., has had a difficult couple of years financially. A special Legislative session last summer and a projected state budget deficit led into the regular session this past January. In general, Legislators were supportive of the work that we are doing on the campuses and genuinely hoped that they could do more. It was clear from the outset, though, that the dollars were simply not in the state coffers, and we made the decision that we would not ask for a larger portion of a smaller state budget pie. Being able to see this in advance was helpful to the students, faculty, staff and administrators on the University Planning, Budget and Analysis Committee (UPBAC). Beginning in December, UPBAC, under the leadership of Provost David Dooley, crafted a budget strategy that combines selected budget reductions, a faculty and staff salary freeze and general tuition increases in a way that will allow us to promise and deliver the same level of quality education that students seek, that citizens expect and that alumni remember. Though the numbers of students graduating from Montana high schools were the same in 2003 as in 2002, those classes will start to get smaller over the next six to eight years. Our strategy, in order to maintain the size of our student body, is to encourage more Montana students to pursue higher education and to continue to make MSU-Bozeman the campus of choice for both Montana students and for selected students from across the nation. If you know of high school 10th-, 11th- or 12th-graders for whom you think MSU would be a good fit, please let Alumni Director Jaynee Groseth or me know about them. We'll get them information that will be helpful in their college decision-making process. We are looking forward to another record freshman class and another record for overall enrollment in the fall. Students who have been recommended to us and those who found us on their own have been coming to New Student Orientation in record numbers this summer. Many of them have told me that they were helped in their decision to attend MSU by the offer of a scholarship made possible by the generosity of our alumni and friends. The "Putting Students First" scholarship campaign has gone over $14 million toward a goal of $18 million. Please consider helping us to reach our goal so deserving students can attend MSU. Call Dave Gibson at the MSU Foundation for more information. When I speak with these new students at orientation, they are struck with the beauty of our campus and the Bozeman community. They also admit to being anxious about whether they will do well and whether they will make friends, but they are excited at the prospect of taking the next big steps in their lives. I sense that this combination of anxiety, beauty and excitement will keep them motivated to get to class, jobs and activities each day. What a great place. Sincerely, Geoff Gamble MSU President