Alumnus Helps Endow Fund for Graduate Students

Returning to the University of Arizona department of mining and geological engineering for graduate school was the best investment M. Stephen Enders ever made.

“My life changed entirely after I got my PhD from the UA in 2000,” said Enders, an economic geologist who headed worldwide exploration for Phelps Dodge and Newmont Mining before becoming interim head of the department of geology and geological engineering at the Colorado School of Mines.

He is working with the UA College of Engineering to grow the Next Generation of Engineering Professionals Endowment, or NextGen Fund, which will help more domestic students earn graduate engineering degrees at the University of Arizona.