UM to Hold On-Campus Listening Session for Naming of new Waterfowl and Wetlands Center
MISSOULA – The University of Montana will hold an on-campus listening session to gather public comment on the proposal to establish a Waterfowl and Wetlands Center and name it after James C. Kennedy.
The proposed name of the facility will be the James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Center.
“It is with great enthusiasm that I offer full support for the proposal to name W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation’s newest Academic Center the James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Center,” said Libby Metcalf, Dean of the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation. “The creation of this Center will elevate UM as a global leader in waterfowl and wetland research and management, providing a dynamic hub to support, strengthen and expand the programs and expertise developed here. Mr. Kennedy has provided sustained, far-reaching support to UM’s Wildlife Biology Program, and honoring him in this way acknowledges both his extraordinary generosity and a life that has inspired others to give.”
The listening session will take place Wednesday, May 13 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the University of Montana’s President’s Room in Brantley Hall.
Jim Kennedy has been a longstanding champion of wetlands and waterfowl conservation, demonstrated through his support of multiple endowed chairs and centers at leading universities. Between 2008 and 2016, he endowed programs at Mississippi State, Clemson University, the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point and Colorado State University focused on waterfowl and wetlands conservation.
"Mr. Kennedy's lifelong commitment to the environment, health and higher education sectors has established him as transformational leader in stewardship and conservation,” Metcalf added. “His ongoing support of UM’s Wildlife Biology Program over many years has strengthened the University's ability to drive meaningful change, especially around research and management of aquatic ecosystems. This most recent commitment will endow support for the James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Center in perpetuity. UM is proud to recognize his decades of generosity and honored to see his name on this Center.”
The listening session is taking place in accordance with Montana Board of Regents of Higher Education Policy 1004.1.
"The establishment of James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Center comes at a pivotal moment in waterfowl and wetland conservation,” said Chad Bishop, director of the Wildlife Biology program and professor of the Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences. “Wetland drying is fundamentally altering waterfowl populations, posing a direct threat to our hunting heritage. The Kennedy Center positions UM to meet these urgent challenges with science-based strategies that will inform continent-scale management decisions. Mr. Kennedy's investment provides a generational opportunity to strengthen wetlands conservation and secure the future of North America’s migratory waterfowl."
Public comments may be submitted via email to news@umontana.edu or by mail to Brantly Hall 101, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812.
###
Contact: Dave Kuntz, UM director of strategic communications, 406-243-5659, dave.kuntz@umontana.edu.