The Hamm School of Engineering

Harold Hamm is passionate about education and the difference it can make in someone’s life. “I am probably inspired more by students than anything else,” Hamm said. “Students today spend a lot of time working hard to get the education they need to pursue their dreams. That’s very inspiring to me and hopefully, I can provide that same inspiration back to them. Education freed me up from the poverty cycle, and I want every person in North Dakota to know it can do that for you too.”

Hamm grew up in rural Oklahoma and went to work in the oilfields as a teenager. In 1967, at the age of 21, Hamm established Continental Resources. This grassroots startup turned into one of the top ten oil producers in the United States lower 48. A national leader in promoting health, education, and energy industry advocacy, Hamm has devoted much time and resources to championing a healthy and secure future for all Americans.

Hamm is devoted to preparing the next generation of energy industry leaders, which is why the Harold Hamm Foundation has made a $10 million philanthropic gift to the University of Mary, along with an additional $2 million gift from Continental Resources. It is the largest donation in the school’s history and believed to be the largest-ever charitable gift given for education in the footprint of the Bakken Shale Formation of western North Dakota and eastern Montana.

$10 million from the Harold Hamm Foundation goes toward naming the Hamm School of Engineering, while Continental Resources has specifically earmarked the additional $2 million to endow a Chair of Engineering, naming it the “Continental Resources | Monsignor James Shea Chair of Engineering.” This gift also launches Phase II of the University of Mary’s $272 million Vision 2030 Capital Campaign. The goal for Phase II is $87 million.

“This gift is significant in so many ways,” stated Hamm. “We believe so strongly in the values and mission of the University of Mary and the leadership of Monsignor Shea. Continental Resources is serious about oil and gas production in the Bakken, and to sustain that growth we need some of the best and brightest engineering graduates. We believe Mary’s engineering program will provide some of the most well-prepared engineers in the industry. So, we see this as a long-term partnership for the viability of the economy in western North Dakota.”

In just five years since its beginning, the new Hamm School of Engineering has already earned a reputation for rigorous course work, innovation, and multidisciplinary experiential learning during all four years of study in civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering, in addition to programs in construction management and computer science. These gifts will help the Hamm School of Engineering attract and retain top faculty from across the country to teach in the program, as well as enable the school to purchase crucial pieces of laboratory and teaching equipment to give students a hands-on experience with the most modern tools, according to Dr. Terry Pilling, dean of the Hamm School of Engineering, who is excited about the naming of the school.

“The oil industry has been crucial to the prosperity of western North Dakota,” Pilling said. “Harold Hamm and Continental Resources have been pioneers in developing these resources, funding initiatives, and employing North Dakotans. To have his name attached to our engineering school is an honor and shows the community that we are here to serve the engineering needs of western North Dakota and beyond.”

We are here to serve the engineering needs of western North Dakota and beyond.

Pilling has been a part of the school since its beginning and has led the charge to develop it and its programs. “It is gratifying to see that our hard work over the past years in designing atop-tier engineering school with a hands-on, integrated approach to engineering education has succeeded,” Pilling said. “Our faculty is completely dedicated to student success, which results in graduates who are confident servant leaders with technical excellence and a strong moral compass. The engineering community across North Dakota and the United States is actively recruiting our students— sometimes even a year before they graduate — because they have acquired technical and social skills and a sense of community service that are rarely found at other engineering schools.”

This dedication to student success and forming well-rounded engineers has been key to the early success of the school of engineering and has helped set Mary’s graduates apart. With the naming of the Hamm School of Engineering and the generosity of the Harold HammFoundation and Continental Resources, the University of Mary will continue to graduate culturally-prepared engineers who are leaders in their communities.

“We are humbled, grateful, and honored that Mr. Hamm and Continental Resources have so generously made this transformative investment in our students, faculty, and mission,” said Monsignor James Shea. “We understand that this is about leadership. Stewardship of such generosity carries with it a tremendous amount of responsibility ultimately to transform the lives of current students and future generations, even as we meet the growing workforce demands of North Dakota and our great nation. We accept this challenge with great vigor and excitement, as we continue to meet the needs of the people of this region and beyond with that same pioneering spirit exemplified by our founders, the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery, when they arrived to Dakota Territory in 1878. Thank you for your trust in us and your partnership.”

The Hamm School of Engineering is named after Harold Hamm, founder of Continental Resources.