In 2013, I was one of the founding members and core organizers of Reinvest Montana, the student fossil fuel divestment campaign at University of Montana in Missoula. I had recently graduated from UM with my Master’s, but continued to work with current UM students on the launch of this campaign. Reinvest Montana became the single most active and visible politically involved student organization at UM, engaging thousands of students, alumni, and Missoula community members in the effort to pressure the UM Foundation to divest its assets from coal, oil, and gas companies. Reinvest Montana collected thousands of petition signatures, held rallies with hundreds of students, and met with members of the UM Foundation Board of Trustees to discuss divestment.
Although I moved on from Reinvest in 2015 (to return to school in Washington state), the organization continues to do inspiring work engaging students in the climate movement and putting pressure on UM to divest.
Nick Engelfried 