Montana Technological University

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox university Montana Technological University, popularly known as Montana Tech, is a public university in Butte, Montana. Founded in 1900 as the "Montana State School of Mines", the university became affiliated with the University of Montana in 1994.<ref name=history /> After undergoing several name changes, in 2017 the Montana University System Board of Regents voted to designate Montana Tech as part of Special Focus Four-Year Universities, the only such designation in the Montana University System.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref> To recognize this new designation and the greater independence with it, the name was officially changed in 2018 from "Montana Tech of the University of Montana" to "Montana Technological University".<ref name="McDermott2018">Template:Cite news</ref> Montana Tech's focus is on engineering, applied and health science.

In fall 2017, Montana Tech had nearly 2,700 students. It has 13 campus buildings and offers 39 undergraduate degrees along with 15 minors, 5 certification degrees, and 9 pre-professional career programs.<ref name=history/> Montana Tech also offers 18 graduate degrees and has Ph.D. programs in Materials Science and Engineering,<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> Interdisciplinary Studies,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Earth Science and Engineering.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

The Enabling Act of 1889, which brought Montana into the Union, allotted land for the creation of a school of mines as one of the four original Montana University System universities.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1893 the Montana Legislature provided funding to establish the school in Butte. The cornerstone of Main Hall was laid in 1896, and the university opened its doors in 1900 as the "Montana State School of Mines".<ref name=":3"/> The first student was a woman, Clara Clark of Butte, and Nathan R. Leonard acted as the first president.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Despite enthusiastic local support, even offers of free land for construction,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the early history of the school was fraught with poor funding and accusations of fraud,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but with the help of former governor John E. Rickards, the school was opened.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1919 the Montana Legislature established the Montana State Bureau of Mines and Metallurgy on the campus in keeping with Montana Tech as a school focusing on the development of minerals and industry. Charles H. Clapp of the mining department served as the first president of the Bureau.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The school was renamed the "Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology" in 1965. It began moving beyond purely engineering and applied sciences, adding social science and liberal arts options. Alumni Coliseum opened on campus.

The university became affiliated with the University of Montana in 1994 with a reorganization of the Montana University System.<ref name="history">Template:Cite web</ref> The name was changed to "Montana Tech of the University of Montana". The Butte Vocational-Technical Center was put under Montana Tech administration as the College of Technology. In 1998 Frank Gilmore became chancellor.

In 2010 the Natural Resource Building (NRB) opened. It now accommodates the Bureau of Mines and the Petroleum Engineering Department. In 2011 Don Blackketter became chancellor. In 2012 the College of Technology became Highlands College, and the Frank and Ann Gilmore University Relations Center (URC) building opened.<ref name=":3" /> The first Ph.D. program in Materials Science and Engineering began in 2014 in partnership with University of Montana and Montana State University.<ref name=":0" /> The Nursing Department began offering a full bachelor's degree in 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In October 2021, the university announced a $7 million donation to the Nursing Department from Dave and Sherry Lesar. This led to renaming the Nursing Department the Sherry Lesar School of Nursing. These funds also contributed to the construction of the Lesar Family Nursing Simulation Center, which opened in spring 2022 in the Science & Engineering building.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2016, a full Bachelor's of Mechanical Engineering program was added,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Natural Resource Research Center opened on campus, including a new nano research lab and additional lab space for existing departments.<ref name=":3" />

In 2017 the Montana Board of Regents designated Montana Tech as part of Special Focus Four-Year Universities, the only such designation in the Montana University System, in recognition of Tech's focus on engineering, applied science and health science. This change gives greater independence by reporting directly to the Board of Regents and handling its own finances instead of through the University of Montana.<ref name=":2" /> To recognize this, in the summer of 2018, the school's name was changed to "Montana Technological University".<ref name="McDermott2018" /> Les Cook became chancellor in 2019.

On April 25, 2023, the university announced the largest donation in its history from Ryan Lance, CEO of ConocoPhillips.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On September 21, 2023, the university's School of Mines and Engineering was officially renamed the Lance College of Mines and Engineering by unanimous vote of the Montana University System Board of Regents.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Presidents (1900–1994) and chancellors (1994–present)

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1. Nathan R. Leonard, 1900–1909<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2. Charles H. Bowman, 1909–1919<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
3. Charles H. Clapp, 1919–1921<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
4. George Warren Craven, 1921–1928<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
5. Francis Andrew Thomson, 1928–1950<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
6. J. Robert Van Pelt, 1951–1956<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
7. Edwin G. Koch, 1957–1971<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
8. Fred W. DeMoney, 1972–1985<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
9. Lindsay Norman Jr., 1986–1998<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
10. Frank Gilmore, 1998–2011<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
11. Don Blackketter, 2011–2019<ref name="history" />
12. Les Cook, 2019–present<ref name="history" />

Academics

Montana Technological University offers 39 undergraduate degrees consisting of 11 associate degrees and 28 undergraduate majors, along with over 15 minors, 5 certification degrees, and 9 pre-professional career programs. Montana Tech also offers 18 graduate degrees including three Ph.D. programs in Materials Science and Engineering,<ref name=":0" /> Interdisciplinary Studies,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Earth Science and Engineering.<ref name=":1" />

Montana Tech consists of four colleges:

• Lance College of Mines & Engineering
• College of Letters, Sciences, and Professional Studies
• Highlands College
• Graduate School

Athletics

File:Montana tech athletics logo.png

MTU athletics logo

The Montana Tech athletic teams are called the Orediggers, named after Butte's mining history. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Frontier Conference since the 1933–34 academic year.

Montana Tech competes in 12 intercollegiate varsity sports: men's sports include basketball, cross country, football, golf, and track & field (indoor and outdoor); women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, track & field (indoor and outdoor), and volleyball.

Reputation and rankings

In 2014, Montana Tech was ranked sixth in the nation for graduates earning the highest starting salaries, according to the Washington Post.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2015, The Wall Street Journal ranked Montana Tech ninth in the nation for best public universities for return on investment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Montana Tech has had 1 Fulbright Scholar, 3 Rhodes Scholar finalists, 11 Goldwater Scholars, and 5 Goldwater honorable mentions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Notable alumni

• Mike Mansfield, former United States Senator
• Arnold Olsen, former United States Representative
• Don Heater, former NFL player
• Craig Kupp, former NFL player
• Ryan Lance, CEO of ConocoPhillips
• Tucker Wetmore, country singer-songwriter

Further reading

• 25 Statutes at Large, 676; 1 Supp. Rev. St. U.S. pp. 645, 648.
• Laws of 1893; Section 1572, Political Code of Montana
• Laws of 1895; Sections 1591, 1594, 1595, 1600, Political Code of Montana
• McGlynn, Terrence D. Montana Tech 1893-1984. Butte, MT: Montana Tech Foundation, 1984.
• Munday, Pat. Biographical entry for C.H. Clapp (1883-1935), geologist and Montana School of Mines President. American National Biography, ed. John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes, 24 vols. (Oxford University Press: 1999): v. 4, pp. 900–1.

External links

• Template:Oweb
• Athletics website