Montana Tech Mining Engineering Alumnus to Establish $1 Million Endowment

A Montana Tech alumnus and retired international mining executive has established a $1 million endowment that will be used to fund scholarships for students studying in fields that support the mining extraction industry.

Arthur H. “Art” Ditto, has pledged to donate $1 million over the next two years to establish the Arthur Ditto Scholarship Endowment, which will be managed by the Montana Technological University Foundation.

“Montana Tech is fortunate to have individuals like Art who invest in the University by providing scholarship support that will be transformative in the lives of our students,” Chancellor Les Cook said. “Student success is one of the three goals of our strategic plan and generous gifts like this help to make this a reality.”

Ditto graduated from Montana Tech in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering. His subsequent career spanned four decades around the globe. His work was vital in developing mines in the Salt Lake City area in the 1980s. More recently, Ditto held executive positions with Katanga Mining Ltd., that rebuilt and operated major copper/cobalt mines and extraction facilities in the Congo, and Kinross Gold Corporation, a Toronto-based company with operations in the U.S., Canada, Chile, Brazil, Africa, and the Russian Far East.

“The training I obtained at the Montana School of Mines was essential in building my career,” Ditto said.

He has given back to Montana Tech over the years. Ditto served as a member of the Tech Foundation Board of Directors from 1997 to 2003. He received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University in 1993.

“My objective in creating this endowment is to assist Montana Tech in being able to attract students, primarily in the extractive industries,” Ditto said. “I believe having a competitive scholarship fund to attract and retain high quality candidates is essential.”

Montana Technological University Foundation Director of Development, Luke Meyer, thanked Ditto for his latest contribution. “Mr. Ditto has positively impacted communities domestically and abroad by providing jobs and natural resources that are essential to our quality of life,” Meyer said. “We appreciate this investment in the Montana Tech community and his goal of putting students on a path to graduation by providing permanent scholarship support.”