Mines Couple Uses Blended Giving Approach To Create Grad Student Support Fund

Michael ’07, MS ’09, PhD ’13 and Kari Sanders ’97 understand what it feels like to be a graduate student whose trajectory is put in jeopardy because of a financial crisis.

In 2015, having led successful careers, they started Mines’ first graduate student emergency fund. The Michael and Kari Sanders Endowed Graduate Student Support Fund provides financial support to full- or part-time Mines graduate students who face hardship-inducing, unplanned personal expenses.

“When your safety nets are gone and you have to pay for your education on your own, things can come up that make or break your experience,” said Kari. “We feel that this type of support is critical to retaining graduate students.”

The couple financed the fund through a “blended giving” approach. They currently make monthly contributions. After their lifetimes, a gift from their estate will strengthen the fund. “We liked the way the fund is structured and that it will have a long-term impact,” said Kari. “The largest impact you can make is by giving through an estate gift.

That has allowed us to give more money than what we have accessible in cash right now. Additional monthly giving also helps bolster the position of the fund by slowly growing it over time.”

From Golden to Grad School in California

The Sanders’ love story began at Mines during Kari’s 1993 campus tour. Michael—then a metallurgical and materials engineering undergrad—was pulled in to answer Kari’s questions. He ended up staying for the whole tour. When Kari started at Mines, they ran into each other again. They’ve been inseparable ever since.

As a Golden native with an engineering aptitude, Mines was a natural fit for Michael. He started a degree in physics at Mines in 1990 but dropped out in 1994. He and Kari lived together while she earned BS degrees in physics and electrical engineering.

Following Kari’s graduation, the two moved to California for Kari to pursue her PhD. However, financial stress forced her to drop out. She found a job at Hughes Aircraft, which paid for her master’s degree in electrical engineering at UCLA.

Helping Grad Students Stay In School and Focused

After five years, the couple came back to Colorado for Kari to continue her career in aerospace and for Michael to return to Mines to finish what he’d started.

“I basically walked into Hill Hall in 2003 and haven’t left,” said Michael, who went on to earn a BS in metallurgical and materials science and an MS and PhD in materials science. Kari now owns an engineering services business, Orion’s Belt Engineering. Michael is a research assistant professor with the Colorado Center for Advanced Ceramics, where he works with master’s and PhD students.

“I’ve had plenty of graduate students who would have benefited from our fund,” said Michael.

The fund’s average $1,500 grants help students keep their heads above water when an emergency occurs, such as family illness or medical expenses. The Sanders’ intent is to minimize students’ stress and help them stay focused on their studies.

“If once or twice a year we can help even one student alleviate stress and keep them in school and focused, that’s all we’re looking for,” said Kari.