There are several reasons the building under construction at Colorado Mountain College’s campus in Leadville emphasizes the word “leadership” in its name.
For starters, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., the Fortune 500 company based in Phoenix, has taken a leadership role in supporting the nearly 15,000-square-foot Climax Molybdenum Leadership Center. The building is now under construction and ahead of schedule.
Through Freeport’s foundation, a contribution of $1 million to the new structure’s $2.3 million overall cost has been made in the name of the company’s Climax Molybdenum mine outside of Leadville.
But the main reason for “leadership” in the building’s name is for the function it will serve, in the college and the community. After a grand opening planned for the center in mid-summer 2010, this is where the college’s outdoor leadership program will be headquartered and taught, along with other programs.
John Wells of Wells Financial Services in Leadville heads up the Timberline Campus Capital Campaign Cabinet, the group that’s helping to raise funds to build the new leadership center.
Wells is impressed with Freeport’s involvement in the Leadville community and in the college’s future. He said it sets an example for community members and businesses to follow.
“I can’t say enough good things about Freeport’s corporate presence in the community,” said Wells. “Climax isn’t currently operating, but in the meantime, they’re willing to invest money in an important campaign such as this.”
Wells said 17 people are part of the campaign’s fundraising cabinet, which includes Leadville Mayor Bud Elliott and Bob Hartzel, the director of the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, as well as Colorado Mountain College administrators and staff, community members and business owners. Their campaign has taken a systematic approach to generate funding for the new building, from presentations to direct mailings to privately hosted fundraising events. The campaign’s goal is to raise $200,000 in community donations.
College, Mining Hall of Fame can team up on conferences
Mike Simon, a Colorado Mountain College vice president and CEO of the Timberline Campus, is also a member of the capital campaign cabinet. He said the new leadership center supports one of the college’s chief goals: to become a leader in community partnerships.
“One of the ways we’ll do that is through our partnership with the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum,” he said. “We want to take a shared approach in attracting out-of-town conferences and corporate training events to the area.”
Simon said that in concert with the mining museum, trade shows can be set up at the leadership center’s gymnasium and breakout sessions can be held in the building’s two high-tech community meeting rooms. At the end of the day, conference participants can use the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum’s large banquet room for dinners and other evening presentations.
Besides the campus building’s availability for conferences, Simon said community rooms, the leadership center’s gym and a 25-foot climbing wall will be available to the general public at scheduled times.
Simon said that like other campus features open to the public – including the library, dining hall and the 15-kilometer cross-country ski trail adjacent to the campus – the new leadership center is a continuation of the college’s partnership philosophy.
“Community members have always made great use of our amenities,” he said.
To find out more about the Climax Molybdenum Leadership Center, including information about hard-hat tours and ways that you can participate in its capital campaign, contact John Wells at 970-471-0357 or Colorado Mountain College at 791-486-4206.
