Missoula commencement weekend: What families should know before Saturday

MISSOULA, Mont. — Thousands of families were expected in Missoula for the University of Montana’s spring commencement weekend, with school officials urging visitors to plan ahead before heading to campus Saturday.

The university said it was holding two spring commencement ceremonies Saturday at the Adams Center. The first ceremony was set for 9 a.m. and the second was scheduled for 2 p.m.

University officials said parking at campus would be free, but they warned it would not last long. They encouraged families to allow extra time for parking, traffic and getting to their seats before each ceremony began.

“Parking will be free, but it will fill up quickly. So we just hope that folks are able to get here on time and get up in the center and get in their seat by the time the ceremony begins,” Dave Kuntz, UM director of strategic communications, said.

The university also encouraged visitors to look at bus options before they traveled. Mountain Line was running its normal Saturday service and U-Dash bus service was operating like a weekday schedule.

Officials also encouraged people to plan ahead for hotel stays, restaurants and traffic around campus. Ceremony details and transportation information were available on the university’s commencement webpage and transportation webpage.

Kuntz also shared a message for graduates as they marked the end of school and the start of what comes next.

“Be confident in yourself and take big risks. You know, there's a window in time early in your career where we encourage students to really take that risk, take that responsibility and have the confidence in themselves to take on even more,” Kuntz said.