The University of North Dakota has announced a $5 million gift from the Hess Corporation to the UND College of Engineering and Mines, along with $2.5 million in matching funds from the state's Higher Education Challenge Fund.

Awarded through the UND Alumni Association and Foundation, the funds will finance specific portions of the new Collaborative Energy Complex in the college with the aim of stimulating innovation, problem solving, and futuristic ideas; providing hands-on experience, outreach, and enriched lab experiences; and fostering partnerships between the university and the energy industry. The $7.5 million from Hess and the state will support several features in the building, including the Hess Innovation Lab, the Hess 3D Visualization and Reservoir Simulation Lab, the Hess Drilling Simulation Lab, and a display on the "History of Oil and Gas."

Pledges and commitments totaling $11.8 million have been made toward the $15.5 million campaign goal for the 30,000-square-foot building, which will also serve as the new headquarters of the Department of Petroleum Engineering and the Institute for Energy Studies.

The $5 million gift from Hess is among the largest corporate gifts to date to the UND Alumni Association and Foundation.

"This is a great model of how industry support and public resources can work together to advance engineering education, research, and innovation," said Hesham El-Rewini, dean of the UND College of Engineering & Mines. "The Collaborative Energy Complex will provide our students and faculty with state-of-the-art labs to address future challenges and explore big ideas. We look forward to utilizing this generous gift along with the match dollars to better educate engineers who will contribute to the success and prosperity of North Dakota and the nation."