The scholars program established by Hugh and Michelle Harvey (back row, fourth and fifth from the left) enables Mines students to travel and participate in service projects, with the goal of producing well-rounded future leaders with technical expertise. The 12 current scholars join the Harveys here, along with Peter Konrad, managing consultant of the Hugh & Michelle Harvey Family Foundation (back row, fourth from the right).
Tagging sharks in Hawaii. Building bridges in Nepal. Repairing homes in Idaho. Conducting research in India. These are just some of the experiences that 12 hardworking Harvey Scholars are gaining through a prestigious program at Mines aimed at cultivating sophisticated and well-rounded future leaders with technical expertise.
Starting soon, the opportunities afforded by the program will be enjoyed by many more students, thanks to an additional $11.2 million given by Hugh Harvey ’74, MS ’80 and his wife, Michelle, which comes on the heels of their 2009 gift of $10 million that created the program. Once up to speed, Mines could have as many as 60 Harvey Scholars enrolled in the program, which pays for all tuition and living expenses, as well as enrichment activities such as study abroad, service projects and travel.
“I couldn’t ask for a better education than I got at Mines,” says Hugh Harvey, “and now I want to pay it forward. We want to help Mines attract the best, brightest and hardest-working students, then encourage them to be thinking philanthropically from the moment they enroll.” The Harveys have directed that the money be spent over a 25-year period. It’s enough to support about 300 students, but their hope is that their quarter-century-long investment in the Harvey Scholars Program will become self-sustaining, as those who landed dream scholarships as teenagers find themselves able to offer similar opportunities to subsequent generations of Mines students.
“I hope to one day run for office and use my degree to shape more informed energy policy,” says Lucy Orsi, a Harvey Scholar studying chemical engineering.
“The Harveys are a wonderful family,” says junior metallurgical and materials engineering major Scott Harper, who enjoys the lunches he and the other scholars share with the Harveys several times a year. “It is fantastic to be a part of this program and to experience all that we’ve had the opportunity to do and see.”
This fall, the Harvey Scholars Program welcomes its fourth contingent of students, bringing the total to 26. The 14 new students will join a close-knit and supportive group that regularly meets to organize community projects and select new scholars.
Hugh Harvey is executive vice president and director of Intrepid Potash, the largest potash producer in the U.S. Michelle Harvey is president of the Harvey Family Foundation and a 10-year volunteer children’s advocate with Jefferson County CASA.
Learn more and meet the Harvey Scholars at �giving.mines.edu/harveyscholars.
