A Tale of Two Scholarships

This is a tale of two scholarships that have impacted hundreds of the Montana Tech Foundation students, and they started with one person. Robert "Bob" Little graduated from the Montana School of Mines in 1943 with a degree in Mining Engineering.

Bob's planned gift to the Montana Tech Foundation was noted in his will and made upon his death in 2003. His last will and testament stated that the residuary of his estate would be distributed to the Montana Tech Foundation in memory of his parents, Ronald and Jessie Little. Two scholarship funds were established: The Ronald & Jessie Little Undergraduate Endowed Scholarship for incoming freshmen and other undergraduates, and The Ronald & Jessie Little Graduate Endowed Scholarship. The first scholarships were awarded for the '05-'06 academic year. To date, more than 400 students have benefited from his gift.

Michael Barth, the Montana Tech Foundation Executive Director, shares, "I've seen firsthand the incredible impact the Little estate has had on our campus and its students at the undergraduate and graduate level. The undergraduate scholarship helps us to be flexible and make awards to students pursing degrees where fewer scholarship funds are available. We've been able to utilize the graduate scholarship to offer aid to students pursuing degrees in our online programs, like the master's in Industrial Hygiene. Having scholarship funds available in this area has enabled the Montana Tech Foundation to attract students to this program from one end of the country to the other. All of these students are a wonderful living legacy for Bob Little and an honor to the memory of his parents, Ronald and Jessie."

Start Your Living Legacy

Contact Luke Meyer, MSPR at 406-496-4144 or lmeyer@mtech.edu to learn how you can help our students and leave a lasting legacy at the Montana Tech Foundation.