MSU sets eyes on new building for Gallatin College

In the midst of a flurry of construction and multiple grand openings of new and remodeled buildings, MSU has set its sights on another new project: Constructing a home for Gallatin College.

“A building for Gallatin College MSU is our number one priority going into the 2023 legislative session,” said MSU President Waded Cruzado.

The plan has been added to the university’s Long Range Building Program (LRBP), part of a state-mandated process for developing future building projects. The building would provide a new home for the college, which offers hundreds of students two-year associate degrees and one-year professional certificates.

“There's an immediate need for a dedicated building for Gallatin College MSU,” Cruzado said. “It has been MSU's fastest growing college for years, and most of its programs are full to capacity.”

The Dean of Gallatin College, Stepanie Gray, went into further detail on the issue saying, “Gallatin is currently facing space issues and many classes are at max capacity. A new building dedicated to Gallatin College would make more room for numerous classes,” specifically for technical and trade students attending the two-year college.

The Gallatin College MSU Career Technical Building request was submitted to the Board of Regents (BOR) in May as part of the LRBP’s capital development priority list, Becker said. 

If the BOR chooses to include the Gallatin Technical Building in a system-wide LRBP list, they will present the idea to the state commissioner. If approved, the state legislature and the governor have the power to approve the building, Gray said.

Cruzado and the University “will be advocating for $38 million in state funding during the 2023 Legislature,” Becker said.

The college’s main location is off Frontage Road in a building it is leasing. However, Gallatin operates out of seven leased locations around the Gallatin Valley, Cruzado said.

“The all-in cost for us to lease the Gallatin College East location is $353,000– this includes everything, lease, power, internet, cleaning, etc,” Gray said. 

The money for leasing could “instead be put to much better use funding additional classroom instruction.” says Cruzado. The idea for a new Gallatin building is still in its infancy. After receiving public funding, the next step would be to start planning where the LRBP is going to build the new addition, Gray said.

Although the project’s goal seems distant, Gray says that “there is no denying the positive effect a new Gallatin building for tradesmen would have on the Gallatin Valley and Montana as a whole.”

According to Gray, the Gallatin Valley, “industry support in this valley is very positive…. We need carpenters, machinists and photonics technicians in our economy here.”

Gray suspects a new building could be instrumental in increasing the Bozeman tradesmen community and the size of Gallatin College itself; “I could see us doubling and tripling in size.” 

“I just really believe [the students] should have an amazing space to walk into.”