Education
Education
Skye and Kambria Callantine Donate $1 Million to Montana Tech's Student Success Center
Skye and Kambria Callantine have made a $1,000,000 gift to Montana Tech’s Student Success Center. Skye graduated in 1997 from the Geophysical Engineering Program and is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Denver-based Felix Energy and member of the Montana Tech Foundation Board. Prior to Felix, Skye worked for Chesapeake Energy and began his career in the oil and gas industry with ConocoPhillips. Before starting at Montana Tech, Skye served in the United States Air Force.
The Student Success Center and Living Learning Center is the largest capital project undertaken in Montana Tech’s history. Scheduled to open in early 2019, the new building features 166 new residence hall beds on the first two floors, with the building topped off by the Student Success Center (SSC). Dedicated to providing spaces designed to aid Montana Tech in recruiting, retaining and graduating more Orediggers, the SSC will offer students opportunities to receive academic help along with places to study, socialize and grab a bite to eat. The SSC is made possible entirely through philanthropic support received from alumni, friends and industry. The Montana Tech Foundation, through these generous investments, is providing $8M to campus to construct the SSC.
Providing more opportunities for students from ordinary beginnings to live extraordinary lives is the main reason Skye and Kambria chose to invest in the SSC. “I grew up in Belgrade in a family that instilled a strong work-ethic in me,” noted Callantine. “I had very limited financial resources to spend on higher education. I knew I would need to stay in-state, looked at tuition at Montana Tech and the incredible return on investment, and knew I’d be headed to Butte after the Air Force. We are fortunate to now be in a position to invest some of our returns back into Tech so future generations will have the types of opportunities we’ve enjoyed.”
“Private, philanthropic support is a critical component in public higher-education,” said Joe McClafferty, Vice Chancellor for Advancement and University Relations. “In our campaign for Montana Tech, we set about first on improving the physical campus infrastructure and have invested nearly $40MM in private support over the last decade. Facilities like the SSC, Natural Resource Research Center, Natural Resources Building, Digger Turf and the University Relations Center were all made possible in part or entirely by philanthropic support. Skye and Kambria understand what we are trying to accomplish at Tech, and are tremendous allies and advocates for the advancement of our campus.”
“Skye and Kambria are incredible Orediggers,” explained Don Blackketter, Montana Tech Chancellor. “They know the value of a Montana Tech education and believe in the direction Montana Tech is moving. We are so thankful for their generous donation to Montana Tech as it truly will change the atmosphere on our campus.”
For more information about the SSC, visit http://foundation.mtech.edu/ssc/.
The Student Success Center and Living Learning Center is the largest capital project undertaken in Montana Tech’s history. Scheduled to open in early 2019, the new building features 166 new residence hall beds on the first two floors, with the building topped off by the Student Success Center (SSC). Dedicated to providing spaces designed to aid Montana Tech in recruiting, retaining and graduating more Orediggers, the SSC will offer students opportunities to receive academic help along with places to study, socialize and grab a bite to eat. The SSC is made possible entirely through philanthropic support received from alumni, friends and industry. The Montana Tech Foundation, through these generous investments, is providing $8M to campus to construct the SSC.
Providing more opportunities for students from ordinary beginnings to live extraordinary lives is the main reason Skye and Kambria chose to invest in the SSC. “I grew up in Belgrade in a family that instilled a strong work-ethic in me,” noted Callantine. “I had very limited financial resources to spend on higher education. I knew I would need to stay in-state, looked at tuition at Montana Tech and the incredible return on investment, and knew I’d be headed to Butte after the Air Force. We are fortunate to now be in a position to invest some of our returns back into Tech so future generations will have the types of opportunities we’ve enjoyed.”
“Private, philanthropic support is a critical component in public higher-education,” said Joe McClafferty, Vice Chancellor for Advancement and University Relations. “In our campaign for Montana Tech, we set about first on improving the physical campus infrastructure and have invested nearly $40MM in private support over the last decade. Facilities like the SSC, Natural Resource Research Center, Natural Resources Building, Digger Turf and the University Relations Center were all made possible in part or entirely by philanthropic support. Skye and Kambria understand what we are trying to accomplish at Tech, and are tremendous allies and advocates for the advancement of our campus.”
“Skye and Kambria are incredible Orediggers,” explained Don Blackketter, Montana Tech Chancellor. “They know the value of a Montana Tech education and believe in the direction Montana Tech is moving. We are so thankful for their generous donation to Montana Tech as it truly will change the atmosphere on our campus.”
For more information about the SSC, visit http://foundation.mtech.edu/ssc/.
