Dr. J. Michael "Mike" Kelly   

You would be hard pressed to find someone more connected to New Mexico Tech than alum,
former Regent, and recently retired Professor, Dr. J. Michael “Mike” Kelly. 

Mike’s history with New Mexico Tech begins with his father, John, who left Boston in the early
1930’s to venture west and start school at New Mexico School of Mines. 

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
Geologist. John was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Mineral Resources by
President Kennedy in 1961, and was instrumental in securing legislation in 1977 that
established the Petroleum Recovery Research Center (PRRC), an organization dedicated to
solving problems related to the oil and gas industry. The PRRC is housed in the aptly named
John M. and Esther L. Kelly Petroleum Building at New Mexico Tech. 

Growing up around the family business, Mike knew from a very young age what he wanted to
do. After graduating from high school, he packed up and moved to Oklahoma to study
petroleum engineering at the University of Tulsa. TU’s fraternity culture and size were not a
good fit and after only a year, Mike traded his TU cape for a NMT pickaxe in 1969.  

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
approach to education and social engagements was refreshing compared to Tulsa, which still
had house mothers at the time. 

     “There was a great freedom on this campus; NMT was small and everyone knew
       everybody. You knew all the faculty, you partied with them.”

Mike lived on campus for the remaining three years of his undergrad studies; one year in the
“zoo” (West Hall) and two in South Hall rooming with Michael Crowley (B.S. Petroleum
Engineering, 1972).  Mike couldn’t name just one favorite memory as “life was good here”, with his petroleum crew and a few geophysics guys thrown in. 49ers and the “Ore House” may have come up in conversation once or twice, but we won’t expand on that.

Like many growing up in the oil and gas industry, Mike had planned to gain field experience
before going to work for his family. Sadly, close to his graduation an Elk Oil employee passed
away, so Mike jumped in to help his family’s company. After 6 years, Mike left Elk Oil to go out
on his own. He started Keltic Services, a well service company in 1982, and ran the business for 30 years; he also started a fiberglass fabrication company in 1988, and ran that for 12 years as well. During his time in business, Mike never lost touch with NMT. His work in the oil industry kept him very connected with the PRRC, and he had a continued interest in staying involved with the school. His ties became even closer in 1992 when he was appointed by Governor Bruce King to the Board of Regents, where he would serve for 5 years.

The major accomplishment of the Board during his tenure was to establish the Chemical
Engineering Department, a decision that had a lasting impact on the future of NMT.

     “Establishing the Chem E Department allowed NMT to eventually start other engineering
      departments as well…. There was resistance, even in the 90’s, to increasing engineering
       on this campus.”

Mike credits the influence and impact Dr. Robert Lee, Professor of Chemical and Petroleum
Engineering, had on the Board’s decision. Now, a little over 20 years later, the majority of
students at NMT major in engineering. 

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
      well’. So I decided, what the hell, I’ll go for it, as I have a lot of respect for Robert Lee.
      He was my mentor.”

As a Ph.D. student Mike taught classes on petroleum economics and production engineering.
He received his doctorate in 2000, earning his third degree from NMT. The summer before
school began in 2003, a call from Dr. Tom Engler resulted in Mike being roped in as an adjunct professor. Adjunct turned to associate and before he knew it, Mike had taught production engineering at NMT for 17 years.

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.
 
     “I advised grad students for a while and that was fun.... Some of them were really
      unique, as NMT has an international reputation and student body. And because I wasn’t
      actively involved in research, the grad students had to find their own projects; many of
      their projects were quite diverse, and could be applied to research in their home
      countries. I’ve truly enjoyed Tech’s students, whether as a professor or as an advisor.
      The other reason for turning to teaching was that I was becoming bored in industry, as
      increasingly the focus tended to be on the business end, rather than on engineering and
      practicalities in the field.”

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
      only was the academic and technical education first-rate, but NMT’s approach gave me
      the confidence to try new ideas and innovations in my own businesses.”

     “The students who go to a small school are different, especially in engineering; and we
       here at NMT send students out into the world who are not only academically strong, but
       who are also practical, involved, and hands-on, and I want to keep that going.”

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
      throughout the world, I realized that some students were at Tech only for the potentially
      high salaries available to them after graduation. That's going to become a pretty                      boring life! And if you want to work in oil, yes, sometimes it's going to be hard to find a              position, but if that's what you truly want to do, you'll find your place in the industry.                   Whatever it is, do what you really want to do."

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!