Mary Lukin

Mary Lukin, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe, received her degree in secondary education in 1967 and worked in student services at UCLA for six years before becoming the founding director of a variety of award-winning Montana State University programs that help underserved students including the Advance By Choice program (now known as TRIO). She also directed or coordinated the College of Engineering Minority Program, Minority High School Apprentice Program, the NSF Career Access Mentor Project and the AISES/NSF Young Scholars Program. She served on the steering committee for Women in Science and Engineering. Under her direction, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society received the national chapter of the year award three times. When she first enrolled at MSU, she thought she'd major in microbiology, but learned she didn't want to work full time in a lab. Her interest in science, however, has endured as she emphasized science programs for Indian students throughout her career. Lukin was named Montana Indian Educator of the Year, received an MSU Alumni Association Blue Gold Award and was also a member of the MSU President's Council of Elders. Lukin, who retired from MSU in 2005, now lives in her hometown of Browning.

One of Mary Lukin's greatest contributions to MSU is that she was a role model for all students, but particularly Native women.