History of the School of Mines

The School of Mines of Columbia University was the first mining and metallurgy school in the U.S. (1864). It became the foundation of Columbia's School of Engineering and Applied Science and later the home of the Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Mineral Engineering. However, the title "School of Mines" was retained by Columbia University honoris causa. You can see the bronze statue of The Metallurgist (Le Marteleur) in front of Columbia’s Mudd Hall that was named after an alumnus of the School of Mines.

One century after its formation, the School of Mines was renamed to Henry Krumb School of Mines in honor of the generous alumnus of the School of Mines and his wife, Ms. Lavon Duddleson Krumb. HKSM has been a leader in mining and metallurgy research and education, including the first mining handbook by Prof. Peele, the first mineral processing handbook by Prof. Taggart, and other pioneering work in mineral beneficiation, chemical thermodynamics, kinetics, and transport phenomena in mineral extraction and processing.

In 1986, HKSM was designated by Governor Cuomo as the Mining and Mineral Resources Research Institute of the State of New York. At the present time, two of the HKSM faculty and three professors emeriti are members of the National Academy of Engineering. Another professor is member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Click here for more information as to how the traditional disciplines of the Henry Krumb School of Mines were transformed to encompass the major environmental concerns of the 21st century.