Tucson Standard

The family of Greg and Lisa Boyce has given a gift totaling $2.5 million to the University of Arizona to establish the new Gregory H. And Lisa S. Boyce Endowed Department Leadership Chair in mining and geological engineering.

According to a release from the university, Lisa Boyce earned her a degree in business administration from UA in 1978, and Greg earned his bachelor's degree in mining engineering in 1976. He went on to have a 40-year career in global energy mining, becoming a member of the American Mining Hall of Fame. Although he was accepted to multiple colleges after high school, going to Arizona clearly was the right choice, he said.

"Obviously, I've never regretted making that decision," Greg Boyce said, according to the release.

David Hahn, the Craig M. Berge Dean of the College of Engineering, said the establishment of the chairship will be a major benefit to the university.

"Expanding and strengthening our mining and geological engineering program has been one of my top priorities since I joined the college in 2019, and I am thrilled that Greg and Lisa have decided to make such a generous contribution to that mission," Hahn said in the release. "Greg's long and impactful career is a perfect testament to the value of a mining engineering education. We are proud to name this leadership chair after two such successful University of Arizona alumni."

Carmala Garzione, dean of the College of Science, said the gift will be combined with the experience and expertise at Arizona to deepen the study of geological engineering.

"The College of Science houses strengths in mineral resources and Earth surface processes that are intertwined with the strengths of the mining and geological engineering program in the College of Engineering," said Garzione, according to a university news release. 

"This generous gift from the Boyce family will ensure that the Engineering and Science college partnership in administering the School of Mining and Mineral Resources is reinforced by strong leadership in mining and geological engineering that will put us on the cutting edge of advancing sustainable and environmentally sound mining practices," he added.

Greg Boyce said creating the chairship fills a need due to the emerging importance of the program.

"Because the MGE department is so core to the mission of the new School of Mining and Mineral Resources, I felt we needed to ensure the longevity of strong leadership in that position," he said. "I believe the university's vision of the mining programs and the collaborative programs around mineral resources will become the best in the world."

John-Paul Roczniak, president and CEO of the University of Arizona Foundation, said the project will give Arizona students a leg up in the future.

"With Greg and Lisa's commitment, we have not only established the premier leadership chair in mining and geological engineering, but also met the ambitious match set by the Lundin family," he said. "This is a meaningful example of alumni leaders in industry working together to move the university forward. When alumni give to programs that made a difference in their own lives, it sets the stage for all Wildcats to compete with the best."

Arizona President Robert Robbins said UA was one of the preeminent colleges in the nation in the field.

"In addition to being home to the new school, we are also ranked fourth in the U.S. in mineral and mining engineering programs in the 2022 QS world university rankings," he said in the release. "And the U.S. News & World Report best graduate schools ranking placed our geosciences program as second in the nation among geology graduate programs."

In the end, Greg Boyce said, he wanted to give other UA students the same advantages he had as a youth.

"My education, the relationships and the exposure I got at the University of Arizona set me up for a challenging and global career in the mining industry," he said. "I feel very strongly about the importance of mining and mineral resources, and strong leadership is critical to the evolving nature of the mining industry. Lisa and I are so pleased to be able to provide the endowment to further the mining and mineral resources education goals of the university and train the next generation of mining industry leaders."