I had the pleasure of working with George Dennison for
nearly 20 years at the University of Montana. His visionary leadership and support
for civic engagement programming provided the basis for all of my professional
work at UM and statewide.
Under his leadership, UM’s service learning and civic
engagement initiatives were launched and institutionalized. In addition to
being one of the founding presidents of Montana Campus Compact, he also created
UM’s Volunteer Action Services office which later became the Office for Civic Engagement. Thousands of UM students each year continue to engage in volunteer
and service learning activities because of the foundation and infrastructure of
support he built. It is noteworthy that while George is known for the many
physical buildings he built at UM, he was also responsible for laying the structural foundations
for many programs and initiatives that also have endured over time.
I always
appreciated George’s straightforward leadership style. Even though it was intimidating
at times, it provided clarity for direction of programming and partnerships.
His legacy of engagement will live on throughout UM and Montana for a long time
to come and we will always be grateful for his leadership in this field.
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