Defining Student Success

By Clayton Moody

Imagine winning the lottery. Does that make you successful? As remarkable a fantasy as that is, success is not typically found through lucky numbers. Some days, we may feel a sense of success by making it to our scheduled appointments on time or finding that lost sock in the dryer, but those small successes fade quickly. For the most part, we feel we must climb mountains before seeing the astonishing view that success has to offer.

As students, we’ve likely been told that to become successful, we must go to college. This can be an arduous journey and an immense investment. Certainly, struggling up this steep mountain should lead to success. After all, success only comes at the end of difficult roads, correct? Absolutely not. Suffering is not a prerequisite to success.

Believe it or not, finding success can and should be an incredibly enjoyable experience. After all, it is far easier to make our dreams transpire if the process is filled with the excitement to show up and give our best efforts each day.

Keep this in mind as I describe three attributes of Montana Tech that lead to true success.

First, allow me to introduce cross country and all-conference track and field athlete, Becca Richtman. During Tech’s inaugural track and field season in May 2021, Becca won the Steeplechase event at NAIA Nationals. For her, success began with gratitude

as she acknowledged Chancellor Cook, Montana Tech, and the community of Butte for “adding track from scratch.” As a studentathlete, she defines success as “putting Montana Tech on the map to being elite.” She says this happens through the great sacrifice of “putting in the work.” To fellow students, her success shines through her passionate dominance in competition, and through her humble attitude and friendly character in class.

Those of us who remain off the field admire our athletic peers for elevating school pride and for their diligence in the classroom. We can also learn from their dedication to fitness. It is indisputable from a multitude of scientific research that exercise helps to improve mood and brain function. According to an article from Brain Sciences (2021) by Kohei Aga et al., “exercise may be

The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.

—Ben Stein

considered a simple but useful strategy for improving these cognitive functions. It may also have important therapeutic potential in psychiatric contexts.” For these reasons, there are often flyers throughout Tech notifying the student body of active opportunities. Montana has exceptional recreational hobbies to be exploited and students are invited to partake in this easy access to adventure. Additionally, the HPER is open from the early morning to late into the evening for any student, night owl or early bird, to have the availability to exercise. All of these components generate a healthy and vibrant campus ecosystem.

Second, Montana Tech’s campus infrastructure is geared to inspire students. There is even a gorgeous new building that includes success in its name. The Student Success Center, or SSC, is built so students can glance up and plan their dreams with a spectacular view of the Highlands mountains. More broadly, this building and the campus provide an environment for all students to flourish, creating innovative opportunities among a community of individuals striving for excellence.

Our third attribute: Montana Tech currently offers 60 academic programs. The underlying common denominator is the commitment of faculty and staff to help instill in every student a desire to undergo a transformative experience. Everyone works together to empower students to meet the changing needs of society by becoming collaborative problem-solvers and innovative leaders capable of trailblazing to advance science, technology, and engineering. This is proven through the applied experiential learning encouraged across campus. As of this semester, construction is underway for a nursing simulation center. Facilities such as this one and other labs throughout Tech give students a pragmatic education that allows them to grow beyond the covers of books and thrive in the workforce.

Crossing north through the top-of-the-line labs in the Natural Resource Research Center and Engineering Lab/Classroom Building, and out the back door, we find Sarah Raymond, Director of Career Services, in the University Relations Center. Sarah understands that a one-size-fits-all definition does not work for success. Instead, to establish a path for success, she quotes Ben Stein: “The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.” Sarah does a remarkable job of helping students define what they want. To help reach that goal, in cooperation with the faculty at Montana Tech, she provides knowledge and skills to students. After that, she says, “The responsibility is on the students to show up and be present. Students who are focused and driven can find exponential growth.”

There are books claiming that success comes from a few simple steps to get rich quickly. Thankfully, the reality of success doesn’t flow from the pages of books, as we all know how quickly a book can empty our wallets!

Let’s be real. Most of us go to college at least in part to become the highest quality employee or businessperson possible. That’s the reason we chose to come to Montana Tech. Here, we become marketable and outright priceless employees. There are companies worldwide ready to shred a pile of resumes just to pick up that one invaluable Tech graduate. These companies know that if they can adopt a Tech alumnus, they will have an apprentice they may one day entrust to take over the company. That is a sweet scenario, and it is just as likely for one of our students to be the mastermind behind an invention to solve one of the world’s significant problems, the entrepreneur of a business that employs others, or a healthcare provider who saves and nurtures lives. These are great and common outcomes for Tech alums.

Many of us wish for a clear-cut path toward success. At Montana Tech, there are foundations to help us on our way—ample opportunity for physical exercise and adventure, infrastructure that inspires, faculty and staff who challenge and support, and an outstanding career services office to help us hit the targets we set for ourselves. In the end, success is reaching our fullest potential so that we can better help others. Most importantly, we can be encouraged through the obstacles along the journey and find ourselves with mesmerizing opportunities by surmounting mountains of success. Here at Tech, success is the triumphant ability to use our achievements to positively impact the world.

Clayton is a senior studying Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. He serves as a Student Prospector and is engaged in many additional campus activities.

MONTANA TECH HAS RECEIVED THE MOST SIGNIFICANT GIFT IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY. THE $7M GIFT FROM SHERRY AND DAVE LESAR WILL NAME THE NURSING DEPARTMENT AS THE SHERRY LESAR SCHOOL OF NURSING.

The Lesar’s transformational gift will grow and sustain the nursing program’s quality and impact the students, faculty, and curriculum. Funds from the endowed gift will be used to provide student scholarships, professional development opportunities for faculty, leadership training, and advanced degrees, including a plan to offer a Master’s degree in nursing education in the next five to seven years.