UM tribal liaison Linda Juneau stands on the second floor of the center’s distinctive circular atrium.

Some projects are too important to fail.

Terry Payne, a 1963 UM alum and Missoula-based insurance executive, came to that realization while working with the UM Foundation to raise funds for a new Native American center. People were excited about the prospect of a centralized home for Native American studies, American Indian Student Services and related programming, but financial support was lacking.

The Payne family repeatedly stepped up with financial support to continue the project when momentum stalled, becoming the building’s major donor. Why do it? Payne says the reasons are varied. Maybe it was because his wife’s grandmother was on the 1904 Fort Shaw Indian School girls’ basketball team that became world champions. Maybe it was because his son and daughter-in-law are involved with Native culture and traditions.

But mainly it was because they had become invested in a first-of-its-kind project that would give international stature to UM Native American studies and encourage more Indian students to attend and graduate from college in Missoula.

“This was an opportunity to build a facility specifically for Native American studies that we can be proud of,” Payne says. “We feel proud and blessed our family was able to participate. And we weren’t alone – many people stepped up in a big way.”

The new center offers 12 offices, four classrooms, a conference room, a student lounge and student meeting rooms. Daniel Glenn, a Crow architect, designed the building as UM’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building. Nearly everything about the structure, from its landscaping to its east-facing entrance, honors Montana’s 12 tribes in some way. The 12-sided Lodge Rotunda with its translucent panels allows the building to glow at night like a tepee with an internal campfire.

“UM ensured that Native people had a strong voice in designing the building around their culture,” Payne says. “That was thoughtfully done.”

Project at a Glance:

Cost: $8.6 Million
Start Date: April 2008
Completion: January 2010
Gross Square Footage: 30,000
Funding: 14% UM, 86% Private
Unique Feature: Lodge Rotunda Atrium