Passion for Education Leads to Gift for Next Generation

By Jim Murphy ’83

Since my graduation from Montana Tech in 1983, I have given small amounts of money over the years, and have been involved on and off with the Environmental Engineering Industry Advisory Board since its inception in the early 1990s. It wasn't until my pending retirement in May 2015 that my wife, Lisa, and I really began to think about leaving a lasting legacy when it comes to the things we are passionate about. At the top of the list is education.

Lisa is the Associate Vice President of Institutional Advancement for Laramie County Community College here in Cheyenne. One of the main functions in her position is to oversee the college's foundation office, including trying to build up planned estate giving. Considering this, we thought the perfect way to give back was an estate gift through the Montana Tech Foundation's Legacy Endowment Program. Through the Legacy Endowment Lisa and I established, we will not only give to students through the Waring—James—Appleman Environmental Engineering Endowment, but will give back directly to Tech with an Endowment of unrestricted funds for pressing needs and initiatives of the Montana Tech Foundation and the Montana Tech Foundation.

So why did we decide to give back to the Montana Tech Foundation and higher education?

Because it's the right thing to do! Many people who have graduated from Tech have gone on to have very successful careers. I'm not talking about folks that have become CEOs or Vice Presidents of large international companies—though we have those too—but graduates of Tech like me who have been successful in our own right in relative anonymity. The foundations of those successful careers began at Tech. Tech shaped our ability to learn, to problem solve, and to interact with our peers. These three important abilities, along with our own motivation, are what have allowed us to become successful, and it all started at Montana Tech.

Provide Meaningful Support at the Montana Tech Foundation

Your future gift to the Montana Tech Foundation helps create a bright future for our students. Contact Luke Meyer, MSPR at 406-496-4144 and lmeyer@mtech.edu to learn more.