III Periodic Review of Centers (Academic Policy 100.0)

Bolle Center for People and Forests

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A. Written Report Summary:

1. Purpose: The mission of the Bolle Center is to provide interdisciplinary education, research, and community service to advance knowledge of the relationships between forests and people with the goal of ensuring the continued diversity, productivity, and beauty of forests through healthful co-existence with human communities.

2. Objectives: Ÿ Provides interdisciplinary and innovative education on and off the UM campus on issues related to interactions between people and forests, which is responsive to a diversity of values and public concerns; Ÿ Supports public understanding of the forces bearing on forests and forest management conditions, debates, and possibilities; Ÿ Provides a medium for sharing information on current forest issues and policies to a broad range of people; Response to local, rural communities’ and other groups’ request for research and information to inform and assist them with forest-related activities; Ÿ Advances research and scholarship on topics related to the social, economic, political, and public policy dimensions of forests and forestry, in the region, nation, and internationally.

3. Activities: Education-a) Nature and Democracy interdisciplinary minor with the goal of developing both scholars and professionals who possess a deep and complex understanding of the inter-relationships between human communities and forests, and are able to apply this understanding to forest management issues and conflicts. The minor has had low enrollment and will be reassessed in the broader discussion of restructuring curricula changes. b)Through advising and teaching, the Bolle Center supports individual courses including Social/Community Forestry, Collaboration in Natural Resources Decisions; Environmental Sociology; Environmental Conservation; International Social and Environmental Change; and Ethics and the Management of Public Land.
Research- a. Faculty research includes the Northwest Recreation Study (2000-2001); Upper Missouri National Wild and Scenic River (2000-20002); Social Acceptability of Fuel Treatments (2000-2003), Geospatial Technology; Wildfire and Fuels Management (2003-current); and Corporate Timber Divestment and Local Forest Acquisition and management (2004-current). b. Graduate student research includes Understanding Human and Grizzly Bear Conflicts on Private Lands in Montana; The Politics of Cross-Boundary Conservation: Meaning, Property, and Livelihood on the Rocky Mountain Front in Montana; Institutional Dimensions of Fire Management Organizations in the Interior West; Community Forestry Education in the Swan Valley: Contributions of Northwest Connections; Developing the Blackfoot Community Conservation Area, Ovando, MT; Tools for Local Acquisition and Management of Former Corporate Timber Lands; Case Studies in the Swan Valley, Blackfoot Valley and Thompson Fischer River Valley, MT; and other international projects.
Public Engagement- The Bolle Center provided training to Forest Service planners and decision-makers on the Kootenai and Idaho Panhandle national Forests on mechanisms to incorporate citizen interests in the revision of land management plans; provided organizational support to the Madison County Planning Commission in identifying landowner interests in the development of the Ruby River corridor in Southwestern Montana; assisted in providing instruction for the International Seminar on Protected area management during August 2001-2004; hosted a workshop on collaborative resource management and supported the creation of a series of case studies and policy papers on collaborative resource management; assisted the citizen-led Swan Valley Ecosystem Center to develop and administer a land use survey. The Center continues to support research and practical implantation of research results on improving knowledge of conflicts between ranchers and grizzly bears along the Rocky Mountain Front, and how to facilitate their mutual co-existence. The Bolle is providing social science expertise and advice on the preparation of a community mail survey to guide the development of a community –driven forest management plan for the proposed Blackfoot Community Conservation Area in Ovando, MT. The Center is also currently working with the Communities Committee (from the Seventh American Forestry Congress) and other co-sponsors to convene a convergence at Um entitled, “Community Forests in the United States: Visions, Experiences, and Lessons Learned.”

4. Other organizations involved:
The Bolle Center’s Executive Committee includes:
Randy Bolton, Dept of Drama/Dance
Perry Brown, Dean, College of Forestry & Conservation

James Burfield, Assoc Dean, College of Forestry & Conservation
Paul Dietrich, Prof., Religious Studies
Robert Frazier, University Executive Vice President

John Horwich, Prof., School of Law
Daniel Kemmis, Dir., O’Conner Center for the Rocky Mountain West

The following entities are partners in or co-sponsors of ongoing courses and/or projects:

College of Arts and Sciences, Sociology Department, and EVST Program
College of Forestry & Conservation, International Resource Management Program
National Center for Landscape Fire Analysis
Mansfield Center
Office of International Programs
O’Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West
Law School – Public Lands Conference
Wilderness Institute
Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
USDA Forest Service
The Nature Conservancy
The Swan Ecosystem Center
The Blackfoot Challenge
Other governmental and nongovernmental organizations involved in land management, environmental education, policy-making, and research

5. Reporting line: Dean, College of Forestry and Conservation, then Provost

6. Relationships with academic units: The Center provides important opportunities for close faculty-student interaction and development of practical problem-solving skills. See University departments included in the list of other organizations above.

7. Similar programs: The Bolle Center is unique in Montana and the surrounding regions because of its broad topical focus on people-forest interactions, and its approach integrating education, research and public engagement.

Budget:
a. 1. Current faculty and percentage of time:
Jill M. Belsky, Director 33%
Other College of Forestry and Conservation faculty who either regularly teach courses or conduct research related the purpose of the Bolle Center:
James Burchfield, Society and Conservation
Theron Miller, Society and Conservation
Martin Nie, Society and Conservation
Stephen Siebert, Forest Management
Current staff:
Lynn Gruszie, Admin Assist 25%

2. Need and cost for new faculty (next five years): The Bolle Center as well as The College of Forestry and Conservation and the Department of Society and Conservation would greatly benefit by additional faculty with expertise in conservation/forest social science, specifically in areas related to rural resource development, property rights and arrangements, environmental/conservation education, and environmental/conservation governance.

3. Need for other personnel: Additional expenses are, in part, dependent on the projects

and programs pursued by the Director and affiliated faculty.

b. Use and anticipated needs (next five years) of University Resources:
1. Library & technology/equipment: adequate, and has been supplemented using Bolle Center Funds.
2. Facility and space: Dependent on the projects and programs pursued by the Director and affiliated faculty. It is expected that these costs would be met through a combination of campus/college resources and external funding.

c. Source of Funding (Provide figures for the last fiscal year): The Center is funded through a combination of sources including contracts, payment for service, and private grants.

General Funds	$0		Personnel	$11,870	49%
Grants	$24,000	100%	Operations	$12,130	51%
Total	$24,000	100%	Total	$24,000	100%

Anticipated source of funding for the next five years: The Director is working closely with both the UM Foundation and the Colleges development personnel to increase the financial health of the Bolle Center. Funding for the next five years will likely focus on applications for competitive research grants and from private foundations.

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B. Review and Approval Process

2. The Faculty Senate through its Chair, ECOS, and Committees as appropriate shall recommend continuance or discontinuance by vote.

Review in terms of Scope as stated in academic policy 100.0
To provide instruction, scholarship, or service to the University, state or world by: (1) focusing attention on an area of strength and/or addressing a critical issue, or (2) facilitating collaborative, multi-disciplinary endeavors to combine resources from several programs or institutions to address issues of common interest.

• Comments: The Bolle Center appears healthy and justified in terms of the scope as stated in academic policy 100.0. It focuses attention on critical issues of public interest and policy and encourages student engagement in its activities concerning these issues. It also facilitates collaborative endeavors to combine resources to address issues of common interest. One question, however, is that it seems the Center is dependent mainly on one person, the director. Is this healthy for a “center”?

• Controversial: No

• Relationship with academic units beneficial: Yes, it appears that the relationship between the center and the academic units, particularly the College of Forestry and Conservation, is beneficial. For example, faculty members from CFC collaborate with graduate students on research projects that also benefit the state of Montana. There is an interdisciplinary minor (Nature and Democracy) offered by the center in conjunction with faculty from CFC, which will be reassessed by the center because of low enrollments. The list of other organizations and co-sponsors of the center is sizeable and attests to the interdisciplinary nature of the center. It is unclear, however, to what extent these other academic units, faculty, and organizations have and do contribute “hands on” to the projects. In general, the center appears to have a beneficial relationship to CFC units, by means of research projects that also involve students, courses, and advising for students, as well as public engagement that combines academic research with issues of public interest.

• Revenue: In the past fiscal year, the center did not consume more resources than it generated. It appears that the only university funds used by the center are to support the 1/3-time director and various faculty members who are affiliated with the center. It would, however, be beneficial if the center could increase its funding sources, which the director currently is working on.

• Progress towards objectives: It appears that the center’s activities are in line with their objectives, although more evidence of interdisciplinary education/projects as stated in the objectives would be helpful to see.

Recommendation: Approve further operation of the Center.

Justification: The Center is operating according to its objectives and stated purpose. It provides services to students as well as the public. It works within its budget and is making efforts to expand.