July 6-7, 2000

ITEM 108-1504-R0700    Professor Emeritus Status for Professor Charles J. Wideman; Montana Tech of The University of Montana

THAT:  Upon the occasion of the retirement of Professor Charles J. Wideman from the faculty of Montana Tech of The University of Montana, the faculty wishes to express its appreciation for his years of dedicated and valued service to the College, the Department Physics/Geophysical Engineering, and the State of Montana by recommending that the rank of Professor Emeritus be conferred upon him by the Board of Regents of the Montana University System.

EXPLANATION:  Charles Wideman earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Geophysical Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines in 1958, 1967, and 1975, respectively. He was a delegate to the First Joint Meeting of the Chinese SPE-United States SEG on Reservoir Characterization, Daqing, PRC, September 1988.

Before coming to Montana Tech in 1968, Dr. Wideman worked for Westinghouse Electric Corporation as a Senior Geophysicist in Boulder, Colorado. He joined Tech as an Assistant Professor for the fall semester of 1968. In 1970, he earned the Outstanding Teaching Award for Montana Tech.

In addition to his teaching duties at Montana Tech, Dr. Wideman has published numerous papers with fellow colleagues as well as been instrumental in getting research projects and monies flowing into Tech. He has been directly responsible for many successful research contracts including those from DOE-EPSCoR, a multi-campus collaborative effort between MSE, Montana Tech, and The University of Montana in the petroleum reservoir characterization research cluster. His efforts over the years have brought over $1 million in research monies to Montana Tech along with large equipment and software grants.

Dr. Wideman has been generous with his time and efforts to students and colleagues through the years. He has tirelessly helped graduate students obtain funding, equipment, and provided mentorship throughout their college careers and helped them obtain employment upon graduation. His industry contacts have proved invaluable to himself, his students, his department, Montana Tech, and the State in general.

Among his affiliations are membership in the Seismological Society of America, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, and the Billings Geophysical Society.

With this recommendation go sincere thanks for 32 years of invaluable service to the State of Montana, Montana Tech, and Montana Tech of The University of Montana. Congratulations and best wishes for the future.