Luxbacher highlights SMEMR's workforce sucesses in GBR
(From left) Resolution Copper underground operations analyst Wendy Stanfel and Kray Luxbacher, Gregory H. and Lisa S. Boyce Leadership Chair and SMEMR executive director, celebrate the end of an intensive safety program, which was piloted in June 2025 with eight trainees at the university’s San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory.
Global Business Reports spotlighted the University of Arizona's School of Mining Engineering and Mineral Resources' efforts to advance the U.S. mining workforce with a Q&A article featuring Kray Luxbacher, Gregory H. and Lisa S. Boyce Leadership Chair and executive director of SMEMR.
In the interview, Luxbacher talked about the importance of a $1.5 million gift from Tim and Rhonda Snider aimed at supporting students, faculty and programs at the San Xavier Mine.
"We aim to make San Xavier a hub for mine training, research and technology development," she said. "We are partnering with major OEMs to conduct underground proving and aim to expand operations and secure more partnerships to serve as a national incubator and training center, addressing the shortage of experienced workers."
Luxbacher told GBR that around 40,000 workers have left the mining sector since 2008, making it vital for the industry to attract talent. She described how the U of A is working to reverse that shortage with partnerships between academia, government and private industry.
Among the programs is the Cu at the Mine! Teacher's Academy and the K-12 outreach program. The School also works with industry partners like Resolution Copper to develop an intensive safety program that fast-tracks worker training.
"I see the University of Arizona filling those gaps, providing an incubator space for technological innovation, training new talent, and also facilitating the critical minerals segment by helping companies understand how to produce byproducts in a profitable way," Luxbacher told GBR. "We aim to be a national resource and global destination."