Dr. J. Michael "Mike" Kelly |
You would be hard pressed to find someone more connected to New Mexico Tech than alum, Mike’s history with New Mexico Tech begins with his father, John, who left Boston
in the early After earning a B.S. in Mining Engineering in 1936 and a P.E. in Petroleum Engineering
in 1939, both from NMT, John set off on what would be a successful career. Along with
running his own oil company, Elk Oil, John served the state and nation in many capacities
including as the director of the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources,
and as the State Growing up around the family business, Mike knew from a very young age what he wanted
to The differences between Tulsa and NMT were a welcome change. There was little handholding at NMT in the late 60’s... “You’re adults. If you want it bad enough, put in the effort and do it.” The Sterling Colgate era offered independence and an opportunity to grow. NMT’s hands-off “There was a great freedom on this campus; NMT was small and everyone knew Mike lived on campus for the remaining three years of his undergrad studies; one year
in the Like many growing up in the oil and gas industry, Mike had planned to gain field experience The major accomplishment of the Board during his tenure was to establish the Chemical “Establishing the Chem E Department allowed NMT to eventually start other engineering Mike credits the influence and impact Dr. Robert Lee, Professor of Chemical and Petroleum As if Mike didn’t have enough on his plate, during his time as a Regent he decided to take a few hydrology classes to help him in his business. One class became two, and eventually after several more years of classes, Mike graduated with his M.S. in 1997. The ink was still wet on his diploma when Professor Lee mentioned the idea of a doctorate. “I was thinking, I’m not an academic but Dr. Lee said, ‘No, you’ll fit into my
team really As a Ph.D. student Mike taught classes on petroleum economics and production engineering. So how does a self-proclaimed non-academic end up teaching as a professor for 17 years?
For Mike, it came down to the students and being a lifelong learner himself. To add to the list of alumni, regent, and professor, Mike is also a donor to NMT. In honor of their late father and mother, Mike and his siblings established the John M. Kelly Scholarship in 1995 and the John Kelly Endowed Faculty Chair in 2011. Mike has generously supported the President’s Scholarship and the Petroleum Engineering Department for a number of years. He also recently established a graduate assistantship in petroleum engineering, the Roustabout Graduate Fellowship. When asked what inspires his support, Mike responded, “The atmosphere of the school when I was an undergrad helped me later in industry.
Not “The students who go to a small school are different, especially in engineering;
and we Retired business owner and professor, Mike is ready for whatever captures his attention. If you pass through Socorro, you may catch him on the golf course with Dr. Chen. Or he might be hiking near his home in Nogal, listening to live music at the Outpost in Albuquerque, enjoying nature photography, or traveling with his wife, Heidi, a veterinarian. In fact, during his interview, they were supposed to be on vacation in Switzerland, attending the famous art fair in Basel. He says their next trip to the Kara Sea north of Russia is already on the books for the summer of 2021. Last but not least, Mike wanted to leave NMT students with a little advice, “When deciding on a major, pick something you genuinely want to do. During oil
booms We’re sorry Mike and Heidi had to miss their trip, but we’re glad we got to sit down and talk with Mike. He is a Techie through and through. We thank him for his commitment to NMT; the impact he’s had on students and the university cannot be measured! |