UW's Haub school lands new endowed faculty position for 'conservation economics'

UW’s Haub school lands new endowed faculty position for ‘conservation economics’

The University of Wyoming’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources gained a new endowed faculty position; the Knobloch Excellence Chair for Conservation Economics and Finance.

The $2 million endowment will support a professor to teach undergraduate courses that examine economics and finance for conservation and to conduct scholarly work in this field. The position will be housed in the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and the Economics and Finance Department in the UW College of Business.

“We’re proud to support the Chair for Conservation Economics and Finance at the UW Haub School,” said Carl Knobloch, board president of the Knobloch Family Foundation. “This field of expertise will play a critical role in protecting the West’s open spaces and natural resources in the decades to come. And the university is the best place to foster education and research that will shape future leaders and decisions in this arena.”

The Knobloch Family Foundation supports protection of the natural world and critical ecosystems that are the foundation of economic activity. Several of its board members are Wyoming residents. The Haub School is also seeking private funds to support endowed chairs in Wildlife Habitat Management and Energy Development as well as in Natural Resource Law and Policy.

“The goal of hiring a professor in conservation finance is to bring sound economic analysis and accountability to the choices made by public and private conservation interests,” said Indy Burke, director of the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. “A conservation finance professor will find cost-effective strategies to protect working landscapes in Wyoming and the West. The professor will work with people in the academy and on the ground responding to the pressure to stretch limited conservation funds for greater results.”

“The most important thing about this new position is the integration of economics/finance and ecology/biology,” said Jason Shogren, Chair of the Economics and Finance Department in the UW College of Business. “Rather than stove piping, this person will integrate across disciplines, so we can all do a better job.”

For more information about the Knobloch Excellence Chair in Conservation Economics and Finance or for how to contribute to additional endowed chair positions, please contact Emilene Ostlind, Communications Coordinator, Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming at emilene@uwyo.edu or (307) 766-2604.