IMPACT REPORT Every act of generosity creates ripples that expand infinitely.
Dear Mines alumni and friends, It’s always inspirational to take a step back and look at the incredible impact our donors have had on the people, places and programs at Mines. You have continued to support the university with gifts that have enabled Mines to advance its legacy of educating resilient, hard-working problem-solvers and leaders with the expertise to meet the needs of our ever-changing world. Thank you! I’m pleased to share a handful of stories with you that illustrate the ways that donors of all types and at all levels make a difference with their generosity. These gifts created programs, funded scholarships, and produced transformational change at Mines from the close of our last comprehensive campaign in 2016 to the end of 2019. I hope you are able to see glimpses of yourself or your future in them. You will also see in this report the exponential impact of donors on Mines through different investments the Mines Foundation has made in important campus initiatives. For annual gifts of any amount, programs like monthly giving and corporate matching gifts add more impact and power to donations through longevity and leverage. Forward-thinking gifts through wills, IRAs, stocks/securities, real estate and in-kind are great ways to benefit Mines, while also allowing donors to be tax-wise. Our corporate and foundation partners advance industry and get connected to Mines while making a difference for students. Endowed funds ensure reliable sustained support for the university, helping it prepare for the future. Through any vehicle, a gift to Mines allows every donor to match personal interests and passions with the needs of the university. In 2024, Mines will celebrate its sesquicentennial, and MINES@150 is the vision for the campus’ next 150 years of excellence in solving global problems through engineering and applied science. As we prepare for the Campaign for MINES@150 in support of this vision, we look to the Mines community to be our partners in building on Mines exceptional past to be a distinctive top-of-mind, first-choice university of the future. This work has already begun thanks to the generosity of you and other supporters. The last fiscal year, which ended in July 2019, was one of the most successful on record; donors like you gave more than $46 million to the university. We want to take this opportunity to recognize everyone who has kept Mines moving forward to this next exciting phase of innovation, leadership and success. Thank you for being a valued champion for sustained excellence at Mines. Sincerely,
Brian Winkelbauer President and Chief Executive Officer Colorado School of Mines Foundation
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$150.5M
OVERALL COMMITMENTS RAISED
25
COMMITMENTS OF $1 MILLION+
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By the Numbers
$303M current endowment value
$286M ➭ $303M 5.9%
$122M ➭ $149M 22%
536 ➭ 612 14%
endowment growth
endowed funds for students
endowed funds
Your Investment Generates More Support
$7.50
$317,500
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raised for every dollar the Foundation receives from reinvestment fees
Foundation Board of Governors investment in innovative Proof of Concept ideas to advance Mines research
properties purchased by Foundation to fulfill the Mines Master Plan
All data is from October 2016 – December 2019.
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The prestige that comes with a Mines degree is why I am where I am today and why I understand it is important to give back in any way I can.” — Kinzie Beavers ’10
$1.66M MATCHING GIFTS
508 DONORS WHO UTILIZE MATCHING GIFTS
Doubling Your Impact When donors are just getting started in philanthropy, matching gifts are a great way to double or even triple the impact of smaller gifts. Employers’ matching gift programs match charitable contributions by their current and retired employees. Since graduating in 2010 with a degree in petroleum engineering, Kinzie Beavers has been giving back to Mines by utilizing the matching gift program at Oxy, making her gift go further. This type of giving is making a larger impact on an area at Mines she still has a great passion for—the cheerleading program. As a student, Beavers was actively involved in the cheerleading program and then went on to coach the team for a time after graduating. Cheerleading brought a break from the rigor of academics when she was a student, created lasting friendships and cultivated a personal pride in herself as an Oredigger. Wanting to see the continued success of this program and to ensure students after her would have access to cheerleading, Beavers worked to create a fundraising account specifically for the cheerleading program.
“I have been donating to this fund in hopes that one day we can create a scholarship or sponsor a student who wants to get involved outside of academics,” said Beavers. With her own donations and her company’s match increasing the power of the original gift, Beavers has been able to provide support for this program quicker than she could have on her own. “Giving to Mines is easy and it is important,” said Beavers. “I fill out a quick form from my company and Mines does the rest, including working with my company.” By choosing to capitalize on matching gift programs, alumni and friends can support the areas they are passionate about at Mines, while continuing to grow the reputation of the university. “The prestige that comes with a Mines degree is why I am where I am today and why I understand it is important to give back in any way I can,” said Beavers. Visit matchinggifts.com/mines to find out if your company matches charitable donations.
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Eric Toberer, PhD Associate Professor, Physics Ben L. Fryrear Endowed Chair for Innovation and Excellence
I’ve supported Mines in many ways, and after 30 years, I’ve seen that one of the best ways to make a lasting impact for a university is by supporting faculty.” — Ben Fryrear ’62
Andy Bei Chemical Engineering, Class of 2020
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Undergraduate Research Enabled by Chairships Chemical engineering senior Andy Bei saw doing research as the pinnacle of what he would take away from his time at Mines, and he couldn’t wait to try it. “I personally believe research is one of the core elements of one’s college experience,” he said. He took it into his own hands to search out what interested him, identified potential mentors, and then applied for funding through the Mines Undergraduate Research Fellowship. This newly-created fellowship was conceived when Eric Toberer, a Ben L. Fryrear Endowed Chair for Innovation and Excellence, received $25,000 to drive a strategic initiative around undergraduate research on campus. Toberer, an associate professor of physics, was one of the inaugural chairs in 2017. The chairships endowed by alumnus Ben Fryrear ’62 were created to recognize and support highly accomplished faculty members driving institutional change at Mines. Each Fryrear Chair receives $25,000 in discretionary funds each year for three years. “Undergraduate research is presently distributed ad hoc—we have the opportunity to turn such research into a key activity at Mines. Regardless of a student’s ultimate career track, multi-year experiences beyond the classroom that encourage creativity and hands-on skills will yield students more prepared for success,” said Toberer. Bei, who is doing work in computational modeling, specifically in molecular dynamics, has benefited from this increased focus on undergraduate research. Instead of doing research in a traditional lab, his work is simulated by the Mines super computer. “One of the most precious gifts I received from my research experience is a mindset free of fear to explore the unknown and to tackle open-ended challenges. I will always cherish the independent thinking and problem-solving skills I have gained from conducting original research,” he said. With support from the university deans, Toberer was able to successfully petition and hire an interim director of undergraduate research, Lakshmi Krishna. As part of an effort to encourage students from all backgrounds to get involved in research on campus, Toberer and Krishna
28 CURRENT NAMED CHAIRS AND PROFESSORSHIPS
organized a campus-wide undergraduate research fair where more than 75 students presented their research. They also introduced a summer program for incoming transfer students that helped facilitate their transition to Mines and create their identity as scientists and engineers. Toberer will continue working on this initiative throughout his time as a Fryrear Chair. “These efforts combine to create a pipeline of new students who are excited to grow into excellent researchers while at Mines.” Fryrear, who was awarded Mines’ Distinguished Achievement Medal in 1989 and was appointed to the Mines Foundation Board of Governors in 2016, is a loyal advocate of the university. “I’ve supported Mines in many ways, and after 30 years, I’ve seen that one of the best ways to make a lasting impact for a university is by supporting faculty. Students come and go, which is why it’s important to reward and retain faculty leaders,” Fryrear said. “This award supports President Johnson’s vision, and I’m so excited to be able to help make it happen.” Fryrear wants to invest in the longevity of the university and institutional change so he recently made an additional gift to extend the award from four to five chairs starting in 2022. During his professional career, Fryrear held positions at Alcoa Research Labs, Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, McCall Publishing and Conti Engravers before taking on the leadership of a startup company, Aerospace Optics, Inc., where he served as president and chairman until his retirement in 2000.
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I hope to help other first-generation students so they do not have to struggle as I did, either because of financial issues or just because they have not had anyone help them navigate the system.” — Elizabeth Kostiuk ’85
Giving Made Easy Elizabeth Kostiuk ‘85 gives monthly to the Bliss Endowed Scholarship Fund that directly supports firstgeneration students at Mines. This fund is near and dear to Elizabeth, as she herself was a first-generation student. Over the past 28 years, she has seen the benefits of her Mines education while working as an engineer with ExxonMobil. She has come back to campus for the past couple years during Career Day as a recruiter for ExxonMobil. “Being on campus every year has made a huge impact on me, meeting with students and seeing how campus has changed since I was a student helps me see my impact directly,” said Kostiuk, solidifying her desire to support Mines with gifts of her time, talent and treasure. Giving monthly provides consistent support to Bliss scholars from all backgrounds so they can experience the true benefits of a Mines education. Loyal donors who give on a monthly basis help to raise the prestige of a Mines education. She says giving monthly is easier from a financial aspect, and she encourages other alumni and donors to choose this option of giving. Kostiuk decided to attend Mines because growing up in Denver, the shadow of the M gave her the impression that Mines was an elite institution that she wanted to join. As a first-generation student, she faced many obstacles. “I was completely blind about the other aspects of college life beyond studying and making the grades,” she said, and without resources, these unforeseen 8
$40 AVERAGE MONTHLY GIFT PER PERSON
507
MONTHLY DONORS
aspects of being a college student left Kostiuk on her own to navigate through them. Studying and school work came easy to Kostiuk, but finding or asking about scholarships, financial aid or grants was something she didn’t know how to do. Although she maneuvered through these challenges while at Mines, she knew other first-generation students who came after her would also likely struggle through similar issues. This inspired Kostiuk to give back to Mines. “My Mines education has given me so much that the little I can give back is important to me,” said Kostiuk. “I hope to help other first-generation students so they do not have to struggle as I did, either because of financial issues or just because they have not had anyone help them navigate the system.” Visit weare.mines.edu/monthlygifts for more information on how to join Kostiuk and impact today’s talented students.
Scholarship Honors Alumnus’ Commitment and Dedication For Stewart ’50 and Johanna Collester, supporting students through scholarships has been possible because of the opportunities Stewart received as a result of his education at Mines, his experience and his chosen career. “Stew was very committed and dedicated,” Jo said, a product of his time in the military during World War II and then a rigorous education at Mines. Commitment to his job in the oil industry after he graduated took Stew and his family around the world. His respect of the university that afforded him a successful career meant he and Jo wanted to support future generations of Mines students to provide access to a Mines education and lead to their own successful paths. In 1985, the couple created an endowed scholarship at Mines that provides support to out-of-state students pursuing degrees in geology, geophysics or petroleum engineering; since 2006, 45 scholarship awards have been made from this fund, benefitting 18 students. Stew was involved at Mines throughout his career and received the Mines Distinguished Achievement medal in 1992. After Stew passed away in 1993, Jo took up the mantle in his memory. She recently made a gift of more than $1.3 million to create a new scholarship at Mines; the Stewart and Johanna Collester Scholarship
will be open to undergraduate students at Mines who demonstrate financial need. This generous gift was created through a donor advised fund transfer. This method of giving offers donors the flexibility to recommend how much and how often money is granted to Mines. “We want to reinvest our money into education. Hopefully the students, in turn, realize the value of helping others in the same manner,” said Jo. “It is a reward to me that our estate can be productive in this way.” In 2019–2020, 15 students received scholarships from the newly-established scholarship. Jo and Stew started supporting students in the 1960s when they lived in the Middle East; they provided individual loans to medical students. They saw the students’ eagerness to learn and to benefit the world around them. This inspired the Collesters to continue their philanthropy, ultimately leading Jo to start the new Mines scholarship and to make arrangements to add a significant amount to the fund after her lifetime.
We want to reinvest our money into education. Hopefully the students, in turn, realize the value of helping others in the same manner.” — Johanna Collester, wife of the late Stewart Collester ’50
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With this collection, I hope we can stimulate a love affair for the natural beauty we see in the world and get kids and their parents hooked. — Eric Long, President and CEO, USA Compression Partners
Donated Gems Sparkle at Mines Museum A show-stopping collection of minerals valued at $3.2 million was donated to the Mines Museum of Earth Science in 2019. The 27 specimens—remarkable for their pristine condition, color and crystal form—come from the personal collection of Eric Long, an oil and gas industry veteran based in Austin. Long, president and CEO of USA Compression Partners, has been a serious mineral collector for more than a decade. A graduate of Texas A&M, he was first introduced to the Mines Museum a number of years ago by Mines alumnus Hugh Harvey ‘74, MS ‘80, who happens to be one of the neighbors in the mountain neighborhood where Long and his wife, Tracy Walsh, have a home. “The Mines Museum is a real gem, and Tracy and I are so excited to be able to make the donation,” Long said. “Both the museum and Colorado School of Mines have so many opportunities from an educational perspective to help open people’s minds about the extractive industries, and we hope that these beautiful minerals can help serve as a gateway. With this collection, I hope we can stimulate a love affair for the natural beauty we see in the world and get kids and their parents hooked. What better way to encourage kids’ interest in STEM topics than by stimulating their intellectual curiosity through minerals.” The gift marks Long’s fifth to the museum over the past five years. The specimens have been incorporated 10
into the museum’s permanent displays based on their country of origin. “A donation of this caliber truly elevates the quality of our exhibits and also heightens the experience for our visitors. Mr. Long is a mineral connoisseur and the quality of these specimens clearly reflects that,” said Renata Lafler, executive director of the Mines Museum. “We are absolutely thrilled to share this generous contribution with the public and encourage everyone to come see these natural works of art.” Founded in 1874, the Mines Museum of Earth Science is the second most visited university geology museum in the nation, with more than 22,000 catalogued minerals, as well as significant specimens of meteorites, fossils, gemstones and mining artifacts. The state repository for Colorado’s mineral heritage, the museum is also home to one of the state’s two Goodwill moon rocks collected during the Apollo 17 mission, a walk-through mine and the Miss Colorado crown. “I got into collecting rocks as a child because I thought they were pretty, but the more you learn about them—how hard they are to find, how rare good specimens are—it makes you think about the complex science behind their formation tens or hundreds of millions of years ago,” said Long. In-kind gifts such as this one continue to make a difference at Mines and can easily be donated.
Students and Nonprofit Join Forces to Help Injured Veterans Designing adaptive athletic equipment to solve mobility challenges for veterans and first-responders is an incredibly rewarding project for students to be involved with at Mines. A gift from the non-profit organization Quality of Life Plus enhanced a lab for Mines’ Human Centered Design Studio by purchasing equipment for measurement, prototyping and fabrication of innovative, custom devices to elevate the quality of life and independence of veterans and first responders with disabilities. “These are projects that can make a huge improvement in the lives of people who have sacrificed so much for our nation,” said Joel Bach, director of the studio. “The students get the opportunity to work with somebody who’s faced different challenges in life and learn about their abilities.” Mines students are working with clients from around the country to engineer solutions for specific mobility problems through creativity, technology and empathy.
Velette Britt, an Air Force veteran from Colorado Springs who is paralyzed from the waist down, is a competitive hand cyclist and avid skier whose goal is to compete in the Warrior Games and the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. Mines students designed a manual wheelchair that allows her to traverse curbs and bumps without having to do a “wheelie.” Britta has also challenged the team to design comfortable cranks for her hand cycle and attachments to allow her to ride in inclement weather. “The students have so much drive to help me get through life independently,” said Britt. “This is just huge for me.” “We selected Mines as a partner university because it is well-known for its terrific engineering program and outstanding students,” said Quality of Life Plus Founder and retired CIA Senior Executive, Jon Monett. “There is no place better for us in this region than Mines, with its committed faculty and passionate students.”
We selected Mines as a partner university because it is well-known for its terrific engineering program and outstanding students.” — Jon Monett, Founder, Quality of Life Plus and retired senior executive, CIA
Velette Britt Air Force veteran
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$10.5M IRA COMMITMENTS
223 IRA DONORS
I am a patriot and I believe in supporting those folks who come out of the military and have a desire to go on and get more education.” — Bud Isaacs ’64
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Veteran Supports Veterans Through IRA Bud Isaacs ’64 is familiar with the rigors of both the military and Colorado School of Mines. As a member of ROTC as a student and then as an army officer in Vietnam, Isaacs learned how to work hard and how to lead. These attributes led him to a successful career in the oil and gas industry. Now, Isaacs is helping those with similar backgrounds by wisely giving from his IRA; he has created a scholarship for veterans attending Mines that covers education expenses when the GI Bill falls short. “As a vet and a big supporter of Mines, it made sense to me to fill that need. I am a patriot and I believe in supporting those folks who come out of the military and have a desire to go on and get more education,” Isaacs said. “I believe in giving a leg up, not a hand out.” Isaacs views his time at Mines and in the military as complementary experiences. While at Mines, he learned how to solve problems, a core skill he would take with him when he volunteered to go to Vietnam. In addition, as a combat engineer with the 101st Airborne, he learned how to manage people and established sound work habits. These are the characteristics that he wants to support in the veterans who are coming to Mines. “I think the combination of military service and a Mines education creates strong leaders— not just engineers, not just scientists, but leaders who can go on and create something in the business world that supports many people,” Isaacs said. “They’ve had the basic training and discipline that one needs to get an engineering degree. To me, it’s leverage in the best sense; it’s leveraging the youth’s intellect and fire.” More veterans are choosing to get a degree at Mines, and the university has made a
concerted effort to support these nontraditional students. The Mines Veterans Alliance, a student group, was founded in 2016 and strives to provide services to those in the Mines community who have served or are currently serving in the United States armed forces. To have a bigger physical presence on campus, the Veterans’ Resource Center opened in fall of 2019, offering a space specifically for veterans. This building provides a comfortable area for veterans to gather, study and support one another, a key component in the ongoing cultivation of an open and inclusive Mines community. Through this resource center, the university hopes to create a buddy program that pairs incoming veterans with current students to do resume reviews and interview training. “Veterans who choose Mines are definitely a special breed of warrior. They are scholars with the courage to jump into the fire that produces engineers with the prestigious Mines pedigree. More often than not, they need a bit more support than your typical Mines student,” said Michael Knight, president of the Mines Veterans Alliance. “The administration is now more aware than ever of the needs of student veterans, and generous support from alumni veterans like Bud Isaacs is critical to improving veteran services at Mines.” Isaacs started the Isaacs Veteran Endowed Scholarship by making a charitable gift from his IRA. Choosing this method allowed him to satisfy his required minimum distribution without having to pay income taxes on the money. Isaacs found it easy to make the gift from his IRA and satisfying to support veterans who will turn into the problem solvers of the future.
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National Foundation Recognizes Mines’ Excellence Our competitive advantage stands out when a philanthropic partner decides to make a follow-up investment to build upon the success of a previous grant to Mines where students demonstrated the qualities that make them stand out. In 2016, Mines was one of three Colorado universities that each received $250,000 from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation as part of its legacy grantmaking program honoring its late founder Ralph C. Wilson, Jr., 30-year owner of Interstate Highway Construction (IHC) and founder and longtime owner of the Buffalo Bills NFL franchise. The gift made possible the development of a pilot lab course in construction materials, taught by Reza Hedayat, assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering. Currently 45 students take this course and are then able to put what they learn to the test during a hands-on laboratory, which is offered three times each semester. The initial grant also funded a Capstone Senior Design project for IHC. The team of Mines students prepared proposal documents, estimates and presentations to the company. IHC leadership was so impressed with
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the students, they hired two of them as interns last summer and then offered these students full-time positions upon graduation. The Wilson Foundation and IHC saw how impactful their original investment was at Mines, and in 2019, the Foundation’s trustees approved an additional $1 million grant as a way to recognize and honor IHC Chairman and CEO Ken Schaeffer during his 50th year of service at the company, and his wife Sally Schaeffer. “We were able to communicate very clearly to [IHC] the kind of things that we able to achieve with the first round of funding,” Hedayat said. “We have excellent supporters that are willing to put in the time and effort to make these great things happen.” With this larger gift, Mines is now able to create the permanent construction materials laboratory, which will give students access to material testing facilities to conduct tests, analyze the resulting data and prepare technical reports. “The nature of our field is constantly changing; the type of materials we deal with is constantly changing, so our goal is to have a laboratory that’s always up to
We are honored to be able to provide this extension of our Legacy Grantmaking Program to Mines because of the strengths we see in their students and the problems they will be able to solve in this lab.” — David O. Egner, President & CEO, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation
$17M RAISED FROM CORPORATE AND FOUNDATION DONORS
date with state-of-the-art equipment and tools for our students to perform testing and have access to new materials as well,” Hedayat said. “While the Foundation’s grantmaking is concentrated solely in Mr. Wilson’s hometown regions of Southeast Michigan and Western New York, we are honored to be able to provide this extension of our Legacy Grantmaking Program to Mines because of the strengths we see in their students and the problems they will be able to solve in this lab,” said David O. Egner, president & CEO, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. “Mines has been a pipeline of talent to IHC for many years and we’re proud that the new Ken and Sally Shaeffer Endowment Fund will support this new lab for many more years to come.” This new laboratory will also provide space for senior design teams, the Concrete Canoe team and the Steel Bridge team to make and test materials; all of these student experiences play a critical role in the hands-on learning that is a key component to a Mines education.
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