May 17-18, 2001

ITEM 111-2004-R0501 Authorization to Change the Name of the Northern Plains and Rockies Center for the Study of Western Hemisphere Trade to the Agricultural Marketing Policy Center; Montana State University-Bozeman

 

THAT: The Board of Regents of Higher Education authorize Montana State University to change the name of the Northern Plains and Rockies Center for the Study of Western Hemisphere Trade to the Agricultural Marketing Policy Center.

 

EXPLANATION: By Board of Regents action on January 25-26, 1996, the Northern Plains and Rockies Center for the Study of Western Hemisphere Trade was authorized. This center operated publicly under the shortened name, the Trade Research Center.

The research and education objective specified in the proposal through which the initial Federal funding was obtained has been conducted. The initial Federal funding has been exhausted.

Current activities of the Trade Research Center are being conducted by the faculty of the Montana State University-Bozeman Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics, the department to which this Center is administratively responsible. Applied research and education currently being conducted by faculty is funded through grants and contracts.

The proposed name for the Trade Research Center is the Agricultural Marketing Policy Center. This name will be more descriptive of the Center's current purpose.

The purpose of the Agricultural Marketing Policy Center (AMPC) is to provide applied research and education on agricultural marketing and related agricultural policy issues for informed decision making by farm and ranch managers, public decision makers in rural communities and local and state agencies, state legislators and administrators, and the Montana Congressional delegation and other congressional delegations in the Northern Rockies region. The Center focuses on agricultural commodity markets and the domestic and international policies that influence the performance of these markets.

The name change will be commensurate with the Center's purpose and provide differentiation in name and purpose from the Montana World Trade Center located at the University of Montana campus in Missoula. That center works to increase international trade through public-private partnerships and business networking.

The change in name to the Agricultural Marketing Policy Center will facilitate additional funding to enable increases in the applied research and education activities demanded by Montana private and public decision makers.