University of Montana School of Social Work

10/02/2026

Your MSW can fit your life without putting meaningful field experience on hold.

Applications are open for the University of Montana Online MSW, a flexible program that combines online learning with hands-on practicum experience in communities where our students live and work.

That approach recently earned the UM School of Social Work the 2026 CSWE Field Education/Practicum Excellence in Innovation Award.

Hear from Field Education Director Kat Werner about what this national recognition means for our students and why practicum is an important part of choosing an Online MSW program.

Nationally recognized. Community rooted. Online and built for the real world.

Spring Term application deadline: December 5

Apply now: at www.umt.edu/mswonline or at the link in bio.

10/02/2026

The Native American Center of Excellence (NACOE) will welcome Dr. Damian Chase-Begay for a special lecture. We warmly invite you to join us for the NACOE Lecture Series on Wednesday, October 21st from 1 – 2:30 PM. Zoom link in bio for our Online students!

Damian M. Chase-Begay, PhD, MS, is Mandan and Arikara, and his family hails from the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. He is an Associate Professor in the School of Public and Community Health at the University of Montana. Dr. Chase-Begay has nearly three decades of experience working in Indigenous health, spanning research, public health practice, health care, and community leadership. His research focuses on Indigenous health equity, culturally grounded approaches to substance use prevention and wellness, implementation science, and Indigenous data sovereignty. His work emphasizes Indigenous governance, community partnership, and the integration of Indigenous knowledge and values into research and public health systems.

Join us for the NACOE lecture series featuring Damian Chase-Begay, PhD, MS.

Lecture Title:
Our Culture, Our Data, Our Health: Indigenous Knowledge as a Foundation for Wellness

Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Time: 1 – 2:30 PM
Location: Payne Family Native American Center, Room 103
Virtual Option: Zoom

This lecture is hosted by the Native American Center of Excellence (NACOE).
These sessions are designed to support culturally affirming practices across all health disciplines and to foster a deeper understanding of Indigenous approaches to wellness.

10/02/2026

Join us in Missoula to celebrate the launch of Pie in the Sky by Janet L. Finn! 📚✨

Come meet the author, pick up a signed copy, and enjoy an evening of books, conversation, and light refreshments.

📍 Burns Street Bistro
📅 Thursday, October 22
⏰ 6:30–8:30 PM

We’d love to see you there!

10/01/2026

Art, movement, rhythm, and reflection come together at Pop-Up Expressive Arts in Missoula. 🎨💃🥁

Students from UM’s School of Social Work, Counseling and Clinical Psychology have created life-size body maps exploring emotions, memories, and personal experiences through color, image, and symbol.

Students from the UM School of Theatre and Dance will respond to these works through improvisational movement, bringing the stories within the maps to life in real time.

Come experience this unique collaboration tomorrow evening and join in a final shared movement centered on strength and connection!

📅 October 2
⏰ 5:30–6:15 p.m.
📍 ZAAC Zootown Arts, 216 W Main St., Missoula — Back Alley
📧 Questions? Contact [email protected]

09/14/2026

Join the Montana Innocence Project for its 13th Annual Wrongful Conviction Day Event on Friday, October 2, from 6–8 p.m. at the University of Montana, with a virtual option available.

The evening will feature excerpts from an unreleased documentary, followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker and exonerees. The conversation will explore wrongful convictions, forensic science, the criminal legal system, incarceration, and the real-life experiences of those directly impacted.

This is a powerful opportunity for students, educators, and community members to hear firsthand from people who have experienced the system—and to take a deeper look at the issues that can lead to wrongful convictions.

🎬 Learn more and watch the trailer, link also in bio:
https://mtinnocenceproject.org/wrongful-conviction-day-invite-documentary-conversation-with-filmmaker-exonerees/

We hope you’ll join us.

09/03/2026

Proud of our MSW Director, Clinical Associate Professor Amanda Cahill, for her work and advocacy on this important issue. Her expertise is helping inform critical conversations and policy decisions affecting communities across Montana.

Read more from Yellowstone Public Radio: https://www.ypradio.org/government-politics/2026-08-28/montana-lawmakers-advance-bill-to-ban-psychoactive-plant

09/02/2026

Join us in Missoula for The Welcome Table Film Screening!

📅 Wednesday, September 23
⏰ 5:30–8:30 PM
📍 UC Theater, University of Montana

Come together for a screening of The Welcome Table, a documentary exploring the connections between migrant justice and climate justice. After the film, connect with local organizations doing this work and take part in a communal storytelling experience centered on welcoming, belonging, and connection.

This is an in-person event, so we especially invite UM students and members of the Missoula community to join us.

Bring a friend, come curious, and pull up a seat at the table. 🌎🤝

09/01/2026

More than books. More ways to support our community.

This September, Billings Public Library is launching a new social work program in partnership with the University of Montana. A social work practicum student will be available at the Library to help connect community members with local resources while also supporting staff with trauma-informed care and de-escalation skills.

This partnership is an exciting step toward making the Library an even stronger access point for information, resources, and support in our community. 💙

Thank you to the Billings Library Foundation for funding the student stipend and helping make this program possible.

Read more from Q2 News:
https://www.ktvq.com/news/billings-public-library-launching-social-work-program-for-community-members

08/27/2026

We’re proud to celebrate Professor Emerita Janet L. Finn and the release of her first work of fiction, Pie in the Sky.

Drawing on decades of storytelling and social justice scholarship, Finn brings readers a sweeping novel of struggle, solidarity, and unexpected connection. Set against the political upheaval of 1970s Chile, Pie in the Sky follows two young women—one from Butte, Montana, and the other from Santiago—whose lives intersect amid labor movements, mining communities, and the rising hope of social change.

Grounded in rich historical detail and emotional depth, the novel explores courage, loss, transformation, and the power of human connection to cross borders and generations.

📖 Pre-order Pie in the Sky
https://www.open-bks.com/library/moderns/pie-in-the-sky/order.html

📅 Join us for a special event on November 18:
https://www.buttearchives.org/pie-in-the-sky

Congratulations, Professor Finn!

06/15/2026