Mines Celebrates Record-Breaking Campaign for MINES@150, Securing $589 Million in Historic Fundraising Effort

GOLDEN, Colo., July 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Colorado School of Mines has raised $589 million in the most ambitious and successful fundraising initiative in the university’s 150-year history. The achievement of the Campaign for MINES@150, publicly launched in the fall of 2020 and closed on June 30, 2025, is even more remarkable given Mines’ alumni base of just 40,000 graduates.

“This record-breaking campaign was founded on our unique history, the pride we have in Mines and an ambitious vision for our future - all of which resonated strongly with our alumni and external partners,” said Mines President Paul C. Johnson. “The impact of this campaign will be long-lasting. We now have facilities, programs, faculty expertise, professional development opportunities – and most importantly – students and graduates that the world can’t find elsewhere. We are profoundly grateful to every person and organization who made this historic achievement possible.”

“Not only did the campaign shatter financial records, but it also inspired unprecedented participation and engagement across the Mines community,” said Mines Foundation President and CEO Brian Winkelbauer. “Launching during the pandemic was bold, but donors at every level, together with corporate and foundation partners, came together to invest in the vision of a world-class university focused on engineering and applied sciences, fueling its mission to produce the talent, knowledge and innovations that industry and society need for prosperity.”

According to the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the Education Advisory Board (EAB), universities average $1,150 raised per alum per year in a comprehensive campaign. The Campaign for MINES@150 exceeded that figure by 42 percent.

Campaign Priorities

The Campaign for MINES@150 was guided by four priorities:

• Investment in Students: Donors contributed $225 million for scholarships and fellowships, creating 264 new undergraduate scholarships and 41 new graduate fellowships. Helping to relieve the financial barriers that many promising and highly qualified students face is among the campaign’s greatest accomplishments.
• The Mines Signature Student Experience: Donors contributed $55 million for programs that complement Mines’ renowned technically rigorous education. Their support established new honors, leadership and professional development programs and provided resources to increase the success of Mines’ athletics and other competition teams and student organizations.
• Entrepreneurship & Innovation and Business Programs: Donors invested $33 million to build an Entrepreneurship & Innovation Ecosystem that is unmatched at any other university. This includes The Labriola Innovation Hub, Aramco xWorks Spaces, and McNeil Hall classrooms – which comprise one of the largest maker-space complexes at any university. Those are complemented by the Beck Venture Center building and the McNeil Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Collectively, these provide students, faculty and alumni with learning opportunities and resources to go from ideas to prototypes to commercial ventures.
• The Pursuit of Excellence and Distinction: Donors invested $103 million in departments, programs, facilities and opportunities that attract and retain top students, faculty, staff and student-athletes. Of that, $37 million supports endowed chairs and other named faculty positions that help attract and reward top faculty and elevate Mines' stature. Their generosity is elevating excellence and reinforcing what sets Mines apart from other universities.

Campaign Impact Highlights

• $589M total raised
• 31K total donors
• 77K total gifts
• $230M raised for endowment
• $76M committed by corporations and foundations
• 8K alumni donors
• 66K gifts under $1K
  

Beyond MINES@150

With the success of the Campaign for MINES@150, Mines has continued to grow and differentiate itself in the higher education landscape. It now offers a value proposition to students, families and partners unlike any other university, and Mines is in a great position to deliver what Colorado, the nation and the world needs from it.

“As we celebrate the close of this successful campaign and all of the hard work it took to bring the MINES@150 vision to reality, we are already looking ahead,” Johnson said. “The world around us is changing in many ways and at a speed we’ve never seen before. It needs our graduates and our unique expertise, and it needs us to evolve and stay laser-focused on Mines’ mission - to produce the talent, knowledge and innovations that industry and society need for prosperity. That, along with our aspiration to be a top-of-mind, first-choice university is driving the development of our new Beyond MINES@150 strategic plan.”

Every donor — from those making their first gift to those who gave transformational commitments — has played a vital role in shaping the future of Mines. Their generosity ensures Mines will continue to attract top talent, foster innovation and deliver solutions that benefit society for generations to come.

Visionary Donors who committed $1M+

The MINES@150 Visionaries contributed gifts of $1 million or more during the campaign. See the full list of these donors on the campaign website.

About Colorado School of Mines
Colorado School of Mines is a public R1 research university focused on applied science and engineering, producing the talent, knowledge and solutions to serve industry and benefit society – all to create a more prosperous future. Visit mines.edu to learn more.

*All funds committed from 10/1/2016 – 6/30/2025
Learn more about the impact of MINES@150 at campaign.mines.edu.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9b8f9d4a-41d6-4003-b758-76533aaea930

Contact:
Erich Kirshner, Media Relations Specialist
303.921.6733 – erich.kirshner@Mines.edu

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