Overview of Specific Needs
Endowment $850,000+
A review of true sustainability for the High Mountain Institute indicates the need for the fiscal resources to persevere – initiating an endowment to support the institution in perpetuity. In particular, support for financial aid to make our programs available to an ever wider population of students and substantive support for our dedicated and skilled faculty and staff are areas that deserve endowed support. An endowment will provide the long-term financial stability required for HMI to continue as an organization on the leading edge.
Student & Faculty Community Center $525,000
The successful growth of the Rocky Mountain Semester, Leading Edge, Apprentice Program, High Peaks Adventure, and other programs present us with the privilege of engaging more and more students with our mission. It also creates the challenge of insufficient housing and overuse of our existing communal spaces. Quality of life for our students, apprentices, and faculty will be improved by developing facilities that promote sustainability on campus. Removing impediments to time spent focused on our mission creates educational value. The architectural program for the Student & Faculty Community Center focuses on a 32-story structure in the HMI vernacular that would include Apprentice & Faculty on Duty living quarters – making a cabin available for additional student housing (a significant current need), exterior climbing wall or tower, bathrooms & showers for students, and a basic laundry facility.
Meeting House and Classroom $100,000
More students increase the number of sections of the various classes and in particular the number of classes scheduled simultaneously – creating a shortage of classroom space. Academic excellence depends on an adequate infrastructure. This building will combine both a formal community meeting space and also be an additional classroom space.
Transportation $75,000
Our goal is to develop a transportation system for HMI that decreases our annual expenses and our impact on the environment. By slowly purchasing our own fleet of diesel powered vehicles that can be run on bio-diesel fuels, HMI can realize significant operating expense savings, move HMI toward more ecologically appropriate transportation for our programming, and demonstrate the compromises needed when striving for sustainability in modern society.
Alternative Energy $50,000
Our goal is nothing less than the creation of enough energy by renewable means to balance our consumption. This will be accomplished by a combination of energy savings through increased efficiency and generation of power via photovoltaic panels. Capitalizing the costs for HMI's energy independence creates a future that will allow us to allocate more resources to financial aid and to the support of our faculty and staff. It also provides a rich set of additional educational opportunities.
Wilderness Program Equipment $25,000
Increasing student numbers, and ever present wear and tear, point towards a significant upgrading of the tools we use in the wilds.
Fund for the Future $75,000
Planning for our future illuminates the urgent need to set aside funds for both wilderness permit acquisition (e.g. potentially purchasing another entity with useful permits) and new program development.