Red Raider graduates’ most recent generosity to the university can be seen at the new Academic Sciences Building.

Generosity and gratitude long have been twin influences in the lives of Mike Portnoy and Vicki Cooper. 

The couple, who recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, met at and received their education at Texas Tech University, leaving the sprawling West Texas campus abundantly equipped and thoroughly prepared to make their mark on the world.

The Texas Tech imprint on their lives is something they’ve never forgotten – or taken for granted.

As they became more successful professionally, their commitment to gratefulness expanded, always giving back to the place where other people invested time and effort in them and subsequently helped set their fabulous journey of achievement in motion.

“We have always felt it was important to recognize that we would not have achieved success in our careers and lives without the help and guidance of others,” Vicki said. “We believe it is important to give back to the university to help students have the opportunity to be successful in their careers and their lives also.”

That sentiment is at the heart of the couple’s latest gifts, which were unveiled during the official ribbon-cutting event for Texas Tech’s newest facility, the Academic Sciences Building (ASB). The 130,000-square-foot structure will house five departments in the College of Arts & Sciences, including Geosciences, where Portnoy earned two degrees.

Mike is quick to share how Texas Tech’s motto, "From Here, It’s Possible™" is particularly true for him. He was able to overcome some shaky academic moments as a result of geosciences faculty members believing in him. Their unwavering support at such a critical juncture of his life became a formative experience – educationally and philanthropically.

The encouragement turned out to be transformational. Mike went on to earn a master’s degree in geosciences and an MBA from Texas Tech. 

“I could not have done it by myself,” he says matter-of-factly. “Because of that, I 100% wanted to give back in recognition of the opportunity I had been presented. The opportunity was the main thing, and that’s why we give back.”

Mike grew up in Lubbock, and he has an impressive Red Raider pedigree. His father was a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering who did some work for NASA. His mother was an anthropology researcher and instructor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology & Social Work. His sister, Catherine Duran, is a professor of practice in the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business.

“I am a hardcore Red Raider,” he said. “You cut me, I bleed scarlet and black. Texas Tech has been in my blood pretty much since I moved here as a 7-year-old.”

That pride came through following the ribbon-cutting as Mike deftly led a tour around the gathered crowds and through the building’s first floor, which not only hosts Geosciences, but now is also home to a large portion of the couple’s impressive mineral and fossil collection. 

A number of sizable mineral specimens, collected from around the world throughout Mike’s career, were donated to Texas Tech in addition to a generous financial gift endowing a scholarship in Geosciences. To honor their generosity, the College of Arts & Sciences named a room on the first floor the “Vicki Cooper & Michael Portnoy Study Area.”

The Michael Portnoy & Vicki Cooper Mineral Collection comprises about 80 specimens from a pursuit spanning over 50 years of his life. Portnoy said it represented roughly a third of his personal collection but “about 95% of its overall weight.”

The couple had been considering downsizing for several years. They also had been following the construction progress of the ASB and thought it might be the right place to serve as a repository for the mineral collection. They contacted Callum Hetherington, the geosciences chair, and the plan was in motion.

“We are especially grateful to Mike and Vicki for the gem collection that truly makes this a one-of-a-kind space and their generous donation to the first named space within the Academic Sciences Building,” said Tosha Dupras, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “Their gifts contribute not only to the beauty of the building, but also will have an impact on future Red Raiders.”

Safely transporting the collection was an undertaking all its own. Once the specimens were transported from their home in Houston, Mike said the department of Geosciences personnel, including Kevin Werts, Garrett Williamson, Bethany Morgan and Alexa Williams, provided a lot of tender, loving care in strategically arranging the specimens in the ASB.

“We wanted to provide materials that would help with the teaching mission,” Mike said of the donated specimens. “It is purposeful to help students reach their potential. A student might walk through the first floor, maybe undecided about what they want to do. They see this and maybe they decide to be a geologist because of this stunning collection.

“It does provide a wow factor. We also know the department has a legacy of stewardship of resources, and we wanted a place where these specimens would be appreciated. We could not think of a better place than this building.”

The collection is a story in and of itself, dating back to Mike’s fourth birthday when a geologist uncle gave him his first geode. Like many youngsters, he was fascinated by the stone’s unique appearance and began building his own rock collection. 

The interest never waned, though, maturing into professional curiosity as he grew.

“I realized my interest in geoscience was pretty serious,” he said. “I wasn’t just looking at rocks. I wanted to learn about rocks and the processes and so forth.”

That brought him to the Texas Tech campus, where he eventually crossed paths with Vicki, who grew up as part of a farming family in Morton, Texas, a small community about an hour west of Lubbock. Her decision to attend college was even more pragmatic.

“My dad was a farmer,” she said. “I was a farm kid, and I worked on the farm. It’s very hard, very hot work. I thought maybe I should go to college because I really would like an air-conditioned office.”

Vicki earned her degree from what is now known as Rawls College, living in Weeks Hall and taking a job with Dunlap’s department store in Lubbock before returning to school to obtain her MBA.

After earning her master’s, Vicki went to work in the corporate world, building a reputation as a subject-matter expert in oil and gas accounting software for clients throughout the country. Eventually, Mariner Energy, a client that saw her immense talents, offered her a position as an accounting manager.

She accepted and later joined Apache Corporation after Apache acquired Mariner in 2010. She finished her career at Apache and retired in 2020.

“It was a lot of fun and something I really enjoyed because it was challenging,” she said. “I always enjoyed learning something new. It was a great career, and that is one of the reasons we have always appreciated our education at Texas Tech because of what it did for us and where it took us.”

The ASB gifts are only the most recent they’ve made to Texas Tech. They also fund the Michael B. Portnoy Liquidus Scholarship Endowment for the Department of Geosciences, which provides funds for students pursuing a master’s in geology.

Additionally, they underwrite the Michael B. Portnoy Geology Solidus Fund, which assists seniors and graduate students with costs beyond tuition and fees. The couple also has supported Rawls College, the College of Arts & Sciences, Red Raider Athletics and the Texas Tech Alumni Association in a narrative of giving that began in the late 1990s.

“We’re proud to be a part of it,” Mike said. “We’re proud to support students, but we also are helping the advancement of science. We have conversations with people at Texas Tech asking what they need and how we can help.

“One of the things about giving back to Texas Tech is hopefully other people will see that and see the impact and what it does for students and consider what they could do to make a difference.”

Mike’s pathway to impact wasn’t without a few bumps along the way as he experienced some academic turbulence early. He lived in Sneed Hall and wrapped up his undergraduate degree before deciding to pursue graduate school. However, his grades didn’t provide the strongest recommendation.

Fortunately, Calvin Barnes, now emeritus faculty in geosciences, was among those in Mike’s corner. He was accepted, although it wasn’t in glowing terms.

“After negotiating, due to a less-than-stellar GPA, the geosciences graduate program accepted me on probation,” he said. “They said, ‘Let’s see how you can do.’ They opened the door, and the rest was up to me.”

Opportunity didn’t have to knock more than once. As Mike was completing work on his master’s thesis, he landed an internship with Sun Exploration & Production. The company offered him a job upon finishing his master’s but rescinded it shortly thereafter due to the downturn in the oil and gas industry at the time.

Mike was left to contemplate a suddenly murky future. He opted for more education, got the MBA and went to work as a financial analyst. He would soon add a second master’s in geosciences, this one from Western Michigan University with an emphasis in hydrogeology.

He was ready for the next chapter. Mike built an impressive portfolio of professional experiences, but he soon came to the decision that it was time to start his own company.

The new venture emerged into public view during the summer of 2000, when he founded Portnoy Environmental Inc. (PEI), a Houston-based environmental consulting and engineering firm. The company celebrated its 24th anniversary Aug. 1.

In 2019, Mike sold the company, although he still works part-time and considers himself “semi-retired,” taking on projects with a specific appeal. Interestingly, one of the non-negotiables in the sale involved the company’s official colors, which had to remain, you guessed it, red and black.

“I am working on a really exciting project in Puerto Rico right now that is very challenging,” Mike said, “and I am using a lot of the actual geology that I learned here at Texas Tech.”

But the university provided them an education in other facets of life as well. At Texas Tech, they built friendships and relationships that continue to this day. A lot of happy memories remain from their time in Lubbock.

“There was always something fun or interesting happening on campus,” Vicki recalled. “Something else I also notice now that we live in Houston is when we come back, is just how friendly everyone is. You go places where you don’t know anyone, and people are so welcoming and friendly.”

They have marveled at the way the campus landscape has changed since their student days. The campus has grown with the ASB being just the latest example, and each addition has been beautiful to witness, assuring them Texas Tech remains headed in the right direction.

“I see a lot of pride in Texas Tech from sports to academics,” Mike says. “The faculty are glad to be here, passing their knowledge to students. That’s what I see, and that’s one of my favorite things about Texas Tech – just the love there is for the entire institution.”

Playing a part in that means a great deal to Mike and Vicki. For them, it has never been about seeing their name on a space. Instead, it’s more about transforming success into significance.

“Texas Tech has the resources,” Mike adds. “They have the faculty, and they have the passion. That’s one thing you can say: The people here are passionate about Texas Tech.”

“You want to know that you’re leaving a legacy,” Vicki said. “You want to know you’re having an impact on others, and that when you leave this world, you have made a difference in it.”