• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Digital News Updates
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business

Montana State to break ground on building to house Gianforte School of Computing

April 6, 2024

BOZEMAN — Montana State University will break ground on a new building later this month that will house the Gianforte School of Computing and provide space for computing-related fields, including cybersecurity, film, photography and music technologies.

The groundbreaking will take place from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, adjacent to Norm Asbjornson Hall and MSU’s parking garage. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte and MSU administrators will be on hand for the ceremony, including President Waded Cruzado; Brett Gunnink, dean of the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering and John Paxton, director of the Gianforte School of Computing.

The three-story building was made possible by a $50 million gift from the Gianforte Family Foundation.

“I am grateful for the generosity of the Gianforte Family Foundation and for the opportunities this new facility will create for students at Montana State University,” Cruzado said.

The building, named Gianforte Hall, will feature two large classrooms and laboratories dedicated to robotics, cybersecurity, augmented and virtual reality, data science, artificial intelligence and machine learning. A video production studio will be available, as will an audio recording facility. Some of the spaces will be designed to highlight the contributions of computing pioneers Grace Hopper and Alan Turing.

Gianforte Hall will incorporate multiple sustainability features designed to target a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, silver certification. The building will be part of MSU’s South Campus Energy District, a system that helps reduce energy use by allowing buildings to help heat and cool each other. The district includes Norm Asbjornson Hall, Romney Hall and the new Student Wellness Center, now under construction. Additionally, Gianforte Hall will be MSU’s first mass timber structure, a sustainable choice of materials that will help minimize carbon emissions from concrete and steel used elsewhere in construction.

“Gianforte Hall is the next step in our journey in expanding access and increasing excellence in computing education at MSU,” Gunnink said. “The Gianforte Family Foundation has been our partner on this journey for the past two decades. We are greatly appreciative of their steadfast support for advancing computing education for Montanans.”

The building is expected to open in 2026.

From MSU News Service 

Filed Under: News

Related Articles:

  • Montana State Auditor Warns of Rising Cryptocurrency ATM Scams
  • After completing innovation and management graduate program, Montana State alumnus launches food-focused startup
  • Trump HHS tells states to remove gender ideology from sex ed or lose PREP funding
  • Gianforte Approves $308 Million in Broadband Grants
  • New Report: Griz Athletics Economic Output Nears $100 Million Annually
  • Carter County Man Charged With Sexual Abuse of Children

Primary Sidebar

Digital News Updates Logo

Recent News Posts

  • Montana State opens quantum computing facility
  • Montana Historical Society Revives Lecture Series, Launches Statewide Book Club
  • Carter County Man Charged With Sexual Abuse of Children
  • Montana State Auditor Warns of Rising Cryptocurrency ATM Scams

Recent Politics Posts

  • Knudsen Leads 23-State Coalition Urging EPA to Stop Funding Climate Advocacy Group
  • Montana Delegation Urges President Trump to Impose Tariffs on Russian Palladium
  • Montana AG Leads 22-State Coalition Asking Supreme Court to Hear Parental Rights Case
  • Governor Little Signs Executive Order to Streamline State Government

Recent Business Posts

  • Montana State opens quantum computing facility
  • Warren Buffett Marks 95th Birthday With Reflection on Legacy, Berkshire’s Future
  • Montana Commerce Department Launches New Loan Program for Rural Businesses
  • CNBC Ranks North Dakota Most Business-Friendly State for Fourth Straight Year

Copyright © 2025 Digital News Updates, All Rights Reserved.