Conoco tops $500,000 to MSU with recent gift

by MSU-Bozeman News Service

7/10/01            

            Bozeman -- Montana State University's Chemical Engineering Department celebrated a milestone today with a $10,000 donation from Conoco. This latest gift puts Conoco's support of the department over the last 15 years at more than half a million dollars.

            "Conoco's gifts have provided not only funds to purchase equipment but also the flexibility that allows students to design and build equipment they will use," said John Sears, head of MSU's chemical engineering department.

            Conoco's support over the years has included its largest single donation of $75,000 in 1991 for MSU's Engineering Research Center.

             In 1995 Conoco gifted the department with $50,000 for the school's EPS Chemical Process Laboratory. Since that time Conoco has given $210,000 specially for that lab.

            "The lab's work includes developing scientific approaches which have special interest to Conoco, and encourages innovative thinking that can lead to our industry's ability to produce cleaner and more efficient fuels and other petroleum-based products," said Jay Churchill, general manager of Conoco's Billings refinery.

            Conoco has also funded American Indian Science Scholarships.

            "The main purpose of our contributions is to help MSU students obtain a quality education in engineering and to help the school provide state-of-the-art equipment to attract a top faculty and recruit outstanding students," Churchill said. "We've realized exceptional benefits from our employees who have degrees from MSU, and from students we have hired as interns."

Conoco's giving to MSU has been fueled by the urging of more than 50 MSU grads who are employed by Conoco. Among those graduates are David Kem. Kem graduated from

MSU in 1967 with a civil engineering degree. He received an honorary doctorate from MSU in 2000.  Kem, who has recently retired from Conoco, was instrumental in recruiting MSU graduates, providing scholarships and internships to MSU students, raising MSU's visibility, and spearheading the Conoco donation for the EPS Chemical Process Laboratory. Other MSU graduates include Duncan Wohlgenant who was responsible for the construction of Conoco's newest refinery in Malaysia and Terry Indreland who was general manager for the company's largest refinery located in the Untied Kingdom.

Conoco is the fourth largest U.S. petroleum company.  It is a major integrated energy company with operations in more than 40 countries. It operates pipelines across Montana, the state's largest refinery in Billings and has an active marketing network throughout Montana.

Send questions or comments to Carol Schmidt: cschmidt@montana.edu. Or you can send letters to Carol Schmidt, MSU Communications Services, 416 Culbertson Hall, Bozeman, MT 59717.

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