Campaign Champions’ transformational gifts are elevating Mines students, faculty and programs: Impact Report

As of June 30, the Campaign for MINES@150 became the most successful fundraising effort in Mines’ history with $589 million to support students, drive innovation and uphold excellence at one of the country’s top STEM universities. 

We’re telling stories about the Campaign Champions who laid the foundation for this incredible success through transformational gifts. We’re already seeing the impact of their investments, which totaled nearly $150 million.

Support for undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships. A total $202 million investment in students, created 264 new undergrad scholarships and 26 new graduate fellowships.

• Denver entrepreneur Joe Cornell, whose $25 million estate gift will support Mines students from rural communities through an endowed fund. It’s the largest gift ever from someone who didn’t graduate from Mines.
• Stewart ’50 and Johanna Collester, who created one of the most generous endowed scholarship funds to benefit Mines students for generations.
• CoorsTek, who extended funding for the CoorsTek Research Fellowship. CoorsTek Fellows work on scientifically interesting technical ceramics projects, supported by Mines’ world-renowned materials science faculty.
• An anonymous donor whose $6.5 million gift to Mines Athletics has already funded 101 scholarships for student athletes in Olympic sports like wrestling, swimming and soccer and also funded significant upgrades to sports facilities.

Support for the Mines E&I Ecosystem and Labriola Innovation Complex, which are putting Mines on the map as a hub for engineering-style entrepreneurship and innovation.

• The Labriola Innovation Hub and the Aramco xWorks Innovation Space, which makes up one of the largest university makerspaces in the country. Frank Labriola ’52 and his wife, Mary, and energy company Aramco made multi-million-dollar investments to keep hands-on learning at the forefront.
• The McNeil Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, where every Mines student now learns innovation skills and how to start and run a business. Charlie McNeil ’71 and his wife, Judy, made a $5 million gift to start the center and help build McNeil Hall.
• The Beck Venture Center, fast becoming one of the most fertile environments for engineering and science startups in Denver and the Front Range. It was sparked by a gift from Mike and Kelly Beck.

Support for the Mines’ signature student experience, which includes activities and experiences to that enrich students’ time at Mines and extend learning beyond the classroom.

• Steve Chesebro’ ’64 and his wife, Dollie—some of Mines’ biggest supporters—who created endowed funds that not only support athletic scholarships but also help Mines Athletics stay strong through general department support.
• Joan Stratton ’74, who donated generously to her interests—including athletics, geology, civil engineering and honors programs—through 11 charitable gift annuities.
• Bruce Grewcock ‘76 and his wife, Debra,  whose $30 million gift established one of Mines’ most prestigious and leadership-intensive scholars communities: The Grewcock Presidential Scholars Program.

Support that elevates Mines’ excellence and distinctions with gifts to faculty, programs and research.

• The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which granted Mines researchers $4.2 million to support early-stage research that often focused on how science, technology and society intersect in engineering-based projects.
• Four organizations who invested in Mines’ popular civil, environmental and construction programs through facilities, programs and scholar communities to ensure graduates have the technical skills and hands-on experience to take the industry to the next phase.
• Lowell Shonk MS ’79 and his wife, Cheryl, whose $5.5 million gift established the economics and business department’s first endowed chair and bolstered their graduate fellowship in Mineral and Energy Economics—the world’s No. 1 graduate program the field.
• Joe Gray ’68, whose $5 million gift established a university endowed chair to support multidisciplinary efforts to address existential issues facing mankind. A pioneering cancer researcher, Gray is also the lead supporter of the bi-annual Undergraduate Student Research Symposium.
• Steve Whisler MS ’84 and his wife, Ardyce, whose $7.5 million investment in the mining engineering department established an endowed department head chair, an endowed professor of practice and an endowed scholarship program.

Visit the MINES@150 Impact Report website to explore all five campaign reports.