The University of Utah College of Mines and Earth Sciences is one of 12 beneficiaries of Utah’s trust lands. Trust Lands generates revenue from acres of land held in trust for the college and deposits the revenue into a Permanent Fund. Annual distributions come from earnings generated by the investment of the Permanent Fund.

The College of Mines and Earth Sciences uses these funds to assist it in its mission, which is: “To educate and prepare professional earth scientists, geological engineers and earth science educators, meteorologists, and atmospheric scientists, physical and extractive metallurgists, mineral separation experts, and mining engineers. To engage in scholarly research activities in geology, geophysics, geological engineering, meteorology, physical and extractive metallurgy, mineral separation, and mining engineering. To disseminate newly acquired knowledge through timely publication of original research by faculty and students in all of the above fields. To educate the University community and the public about the composition and structure of Earth, the processes that shape it, and its history and future. To provide professional service by providing knowledge about natural resources, methods of natural resource extraction, safety in industrial activities, metals extraction and modification, geologic hazards, the environment, and a sustainable Earth.”