Olds Family Scholarship Endowment Grows by $150,000

Montana Technological University alumni Nick and Kari Olds have donated $150,000 to enhance the university’s Olds Family Endowed Scholarship.

“We are so fortunate to have the generous support of Nick and Kari,” Chancellor Les Cook said. “It has been said that the most valuable people in our society are those who take a deep interest in institutions that exist to improve the world. Nick and Kari are two individuals who continue to do just that.”

The couple established the endowment in 2019. The scholarship supports students who graduate from a Montana high school, are pursuing a four-year degree, and demonstrate financial need. Nick and Kari received degrees in petroleum engineering from Montana Tech, in 1992 and 1994 respectively. This initiated rewarding careers in the oil and natural gas industry for both. They married in 1993.

“We recognize that we are indeed fortunate to be Montana Tech graduates and are very pleased that we can give back to our university and community in a way that offers others the same opportunities we had,” said Nick Olds, executive vice president of Global Operations for ConocoPhillips, the Houston-based independent oil company. “Our four years at Tech provided the foundations of great careers, along with the beginnings of professional networks and lifelong friendships with classmates. We remember our time here fondly, and the Olds Family Endowed Scholarship is our way of saying ‘Thanks’ while encouraging others to follow the same path.”

Since her time at Tech, Kari has been pleased with the growth in the diversity of students, faculty, and the engineering profession.

“I am very proud of the ongoing improvement in academics we see occurring at Tech, its rising stature in the industry, and the growing diversity of both the students and faculty,” said Kari Olds. “As a woman majoring in petroleum engineering at that time, I was a rarity, but was always made to feel welcome and comfortable. Now, the number of females pursuing engineering reflects our nation as a whole, and it’s just one of many ways that Tech is adapting and changing with the times.”

The Montana Tech Foundation manages the endowment.

“Nick and Kari have been wonderful volunteers and supporters of Montana Tech over the years. With enrollment growth being a top priority of our university, I love that the Olds Family Endowed Scholarship is aimed at recruiting Montana kids to Montana Tech,” said Luke Meyer, Director of Development for the Foundation. “We celebrate and appreciate Nick and Kari’s continued investment in Montana Tech and Montana students!”

Students may apply for the Olds Family Endowed Scholarship by filling out a general application to the university, and completing the instructions in their student profile.

To learn more about the Montana Tech Foundation, please visit foundation.mtech.edu.