Campus Compact Blog REMEMBERING GEORGE: PART 3
February 8, 2017
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| George with Emma Lommasson in 2006. |
We’re opening this space to friends and former colleagues of George Dennison, so we can remember him and the good work he did. This piece comes from Steve Nelsen of Helena, MT. Steve is retired now, but he is the founding director of the Montana Conservation Corps and was the director of the Governor’s Office of Community Service, working with George who was Commission Chair. Thanks for contributing, Steve.
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It’s pretty easy to be cynical about the leaders of our institutions when their brilliant narrative wanes in the face of obstacles to their pursuit of lofty public policy goals. However, when George Dennison talked about civic engagement he was “the real deal”. As a History professor George understood that citizens working to help each other formed the basic fabric of our democratic society, and was relentless in his efforts to reinvigorate involvement of Montana’s citizens.
When Marc Racicot was elected Governor he adopted national service as one of his signature programs. He created the Governor’s Office of Community Service and tagged George to Chair the Commission. At the time, I was Director of the fledgling Montana Conservation Corps and was pleased to have a University President chairing the Commission that we hoped would be a major funding source. Frankly, I had few expectations that he would be more than a nice “figurehead”. It quickly became apparent that George was serious about leading Montana’s national service programming. He took time from his crazy busy schedule to support the Corps in its’ infancy. He came to swear in Members, graduations, and provided numerous contacts with potential partners. He even flew to spend a day with a crew in the Yaak, where they threw him a pair of waders and took him to a wetlands project. Only later did I learn that he had directed his scheduler to give priority to AmeriCorps Programs. His presence gave us credibility, stature and legitimacy at a critical time in the infancy of the Conservation Corps . George laid more than a couple of bricks in the foundation of the Montana Conservation Corps.
I also observed the support he gave to other AmeriCorps programs. I watched as he brought together virtually every college and University in the state to participate in Campus Compact. This may have been his crowning fete. If you’ve had any dealings with Institutions of Higher Ed you know how difficult it is to bring them together on any issue, yet, in a few short years George had the Presidents of all these institutions, from Carroll to Dawson Community College dedicating staff to Campus Compact and preaching the Gospel of Civic Engagement as though it were their lifelong passion. Maybe it was, but I doubt we would have seen this unified effort mobilized without the leadership and persuasiveness of George.
It seemed that he never passed up a chance to spread the gospel of civic engagement and to
Steve Nelsen
_____________________________
It’s pretty easy to be cynical about the leaders of our institutions when their brilliant narrative wanes in the face of obstacles to their pursuit of lofty public policy goals. However, when George Dennison talked about civic engagement he was “the real deal”. As a History professor George understood that citizens working to help each other formed the basic fabric of our democratic society, and was relentless in his efforts to reinvigorate involvement of Montana’s citizens.
When Marc Racicot was elected Governor he adopted national service as one of his signature programs. He created the Governor’s Office of Community Service and tagged George to Chair the Commission. At the time, I was Director of the fledgling Montana Conservation Corps and was pleased to have a University President chairing the Commission that we hoped would be a major funding source. Frankly, I had few expectations that he would be more than a nice “figurehead”. It quickly became apparent that George was serious about leading Montana’s national service programming. He took time from his crazy busy schedule to support the Corps in its’ infancy. He came to swear in Members, graduations, and provided numerous contacts with potential partners. He even flew to spend a day with a crew in the Yaak, where they threw him a pair of waders and took him to a wetlands project. Only later did I learn that he had directed his scheduler to give priority to AmeriCorps Programs. His presence gave us credibility, stature and legitimacy at a critical time in the infancy of the Conservation Corps . George laid more than a couple of bricks in the foundation of the Montana Conservation Corps.
I also observed the support he gave to other AmeriCorps programs. I watched as he brought together virtually every college and University in the state to participate in Campus Compact. This may have been his crowning fete. If you’ve had any dealings with Institutions of Higher Ed you know how difficult it is to bring them together on any issue, yet, in a few short years George had the Presidents of all these institutions, from Carroll to Dawson Community College dedicating staff to Campus Compact and preaching the Gospel of Civic Engagement as though it were their lifelong passion. Maybe it was, but I doubt we would have seen this unified effort mobilized without the leadership and persuasiveness of George.
It seemed that he never passed up a chance to spread the gospel of civic engagement and to
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| Steve Nelsen |
institutionalize its presence . He highlighted civic engagement at Griz pregame Presidential breakfasts, used it as the theme of Commencement Addresses, and even co-opted the Cat/Griz venue to present Awards to alumni for the community involvement. He spoke with passion about the vital role of civic involvement in a democratic society, and how it was the foundation for citizen led government. We miss you George. We could use you in these dynamic times.
Steve Nelsen
Helena, Montana
