For as long as the world has been connected, Mines has been known for its global impact and international reach. So it's no wonder one of the School's strongest supporters shares a similar profile.

For years, the fully integrated and omnipresent Phillips Petroleum Company has been a positive force in the Mines educational system by hiring graduates of the School. Since 1998, Phillips has also made a difference via the Phillips Scholars Program before the students graduate.

"Corporations are the unsung heroes in the development of successful employees and productive members of society," said Colorado School of Mines President John U. Trefny. "They provide the consistent, dependable funds that Mines in particular needs to offer a superior technical education to a world of qualified students."

The Phillips Scholars program now includes 12 students.

The best and the brightest that Mines has to offer apply and interview for the Phillips Scholars Program in their freshman and sophomore years.

Once selected, the successful students receive scholarships, mentorship support, and the opportunity to obtain paid internships.

The company remains involved in their academic and professional development until the students graduate.

In return, Phillips produces an experienced applicant pool, which is a great advantage to a company that has been recruiting employees from CSM for years. Currently Phillips employs 89 Mines graduates.

According to Celine Long, Phillips College Relations Representative, Phillips' corporate philosophy with regard to college relations is not to support bricks and mortar, but rather the student population where "the true assets are."

The Phillips Scholars Program is designed to bridge academia with the work environment. Forest Bommarito is a petroleum engineering junior and Phillips scholar since 2000. "Even though I had only taken one petroleum engineering class, I was in the field gaining actual reservoir engineering experience," he said. "The next semester, the things I was reading about, I had already done!"

With oil and gas properties in 26,000 retail outlets in 48 states and 21 countries, Phillips Petroleum Company is one of the five largest oil and gas exploration, production, refining, and marketing concerns in the world.

The company also processes and markets natural gas liquids and produces petrochemicals and plastics. Phillips' headquarters are located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and additional offices are maintained in Alaska, Texas and Denver, Colorado.

Selection for the Scholars Program focuses on the disciplines that directly support Phillips' activities: primarily petroleum engineering, geophysics, geophysical engineering, chemical engineering and mechanical engineering. Scholarship awards range from $500 to $5,000 annually for resident and non-resident students.

To qualify as a scholar, entering freshmen must have a minimum SAT score of 1300 or ACT of 30. Once accepted, the students must be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours and maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

Most students agree that the Phillips Scholars Program means they don't have to work while attending school, which allows them to spend more of their time studying. Phillips scholar since 1998 and chemical engineering major Leslie McCandless also finds time to run cross-country and track. But, she said, "the greatest value of the program has been getting to see how corporate industry works; how business, industry, and science all go together."

The students gain that perspective acutely in their sophomore and junior years, when they become eligible for summer internships. The internships afford hands-on experience in the type of work environment the students plan to enter following graduation.

Bommarito knew he wanted to pursue a career in petroleum engineering, but not in what area. "The Phillips internship helped me decide," he said. "When I was given the chance to do some production engineering, it proved to be a turning point for me."

Leading them along the road to such discoveries are academic mentors from CSM and professional mentors from Phillips. Whenever possible, the Phillips mentors are also Mines alumni who work in the disciplines the scholars are pursuing.

By sharing their own experiences, the mentors serve as a continuous resource and help nurture the scholars' personal and academic development. The mentors introduce the students to professional organizations, recommend curricula choices, and provide intellectual and emotional encouragement.

The Phillips Scholars Program also develops a sense of community and social responsibility in the students. For example, the scholars volunteer as mentors themselves in local pre-college science and mathematics classes.

The scholars have also cooked at a homeless shelter during Thanksgiving, worked with the Toys for Tots program during the holiday season and regularly coordinate social gatherings and networking opportunities for the scholars group.

"People find being a Phillips scholar an impressive thing. It's been really a great opportunity for me," McCandless said. "It's something I'll always be thankful for."