Mission & Vision

Our Mission The purpose of the Mammoth Lakes Foundation is to support higher education and cultural enrichment in the Eastern Sierra.

Our Vision To establish a permanent campus in the Mammoth Lakes area that will provide facilities for academic studies, appreciation of the arts, and student housing.

The Dave and Roma McCoy Learning Center opened to students in 2003.

Dave McCoy's vision to cultivate higher education and the arts in the Eastern Sierra is a vision that is shared by many. It is a vision that the Mammoth Lakes Foundation looks to time and time again for inspiration and purpose. The availability of higher education and cultural enrichment in the Eastern Sierra enhances the quality of life enjoyed by residents, second homeowners and visitors. It balances the recreational attractions in the community with cultural and educational opportunities. Higher education promotes leadership, stimulates growth and builds a stronger year round economy and community.

History The Mammoth Lakes Foundation was in founded in November 1989 by Dave McCoy. As of 1989, Cerro Coso Community College, a member of the Kern Community College District, had already been offering a small number of classes in the Eastern Sierra in an "outreach" effort for 10 years. However, there was no reliable funding in place for an ongoing college program. The Mammoth Lakes Foundation recognized the need for a college and supported the efforts of the Eastern Sierra Community College Committee in order to promote the Eastern Sierra's annexation into an established college District. After four years of clearing political hurdles, annexation into the Kern Community College District was achieved, and the future of community college service in this area was secured.

Cerro Coso Community College, based in Ridgecrest, California, accelerated development of its college program in the Mammoth area (through the Eastern Sierra College Center) with financial support from the Foundation. The Foundation leased retail space in the Gateway Shopping Center in Mammoth Lakes from 1990 through May, 1996, where the Foundation operated the Mammoth Education Center. The facility offered three classrooms and a 15-station computer lab which was provided at no cost to Cerro Coso Community College for five years so that college classes would be held in Mammoth. It was also used for two years by California State University, Bakersfield.

Soon after the 1993 annexation into the Kern Community College District, the Mammoth Lakes Foundation Board of Directors created a Campus Master Plan. This plan envisions a campus designed to include a community college center, an upper division college or university program, student housing, a cultural and performing arts center and an outdoor amphitheater.

Land acquisition for the campus was the first priority. In 1993, Southern California Edison donated 255 acres of land near Mono Lake, which provided the basis of a land exchange for a campus site in Mammoth. This land, along with about 264 additional acres the Foundation purchased in Lee Vining Canyon, would be traded to the U.S. Forest Service for an 88-acre parcel in Mammoth Lakes.

In 1995, the Foundation obtained a special use permit from the U.S. Forest Service that allowed construction of the first building on the 88 acre campus site in advance of the land exchange. Edison Hall, named for Southern California Edison, was officially dedicated in September of 1996. The building houses three classrooms with flexible wall, a 20-station computer lab, administrative center for the Eastern Sierra College Center's Mammoth Campus and the Foundation Offices.

Edison Hall is now the home of the Mammoth Ski Museum and foundation offices.

In 1996, community college funding was secured through Cerro Coso Community College for the growing program, faculty, staff and student body. The program includes full-time faculty members for Computer Science, Mathematics, English and Psychology/Academic Counseling.

In the fall of 1996, the Eastern Sierra College Center launched a two-year degree transfer program at its Bishop and Mammoth campuses, attracting its first class of full-time students. Twenty-nine students were enrolled full-time in Associated degree programs in Mammoth in 1996 and enrollment nearly doubled to 51 full-time students by the fall of 1997. In addition, about 450 part-time students were enrolled in Mammoth. Today, over 150 students are enrolled full-time at the Mammoth Campus and over 300 students attend classes part-time or through Cerro Coso On-line.

In 1998, voters in the state of California passed Proposition 1A, which provided 7 million dollars in funding for a permanent college building on the Mammoth Campus. Groundbreaking for the Dave and Roma McCoy Learning Center took place on the Mammoth campus in June of 2001 and was opened to students August 2003.

In 1999 the land exchange with the U.S. Forest Service was completed. Immediately following the exchange, the Mammoth Lakes Foundation deeded 20 acres of the property to the Kern Community College District for their expansion, which included land for the Learning Center. Another 20 acres was immediately sold to the Mono County Unified School District which provided them with the necessary land to build their district offices and Sierra High School, an alternative learning facility.

In October of 2000, local resident of Mammoth Overwhelmingly passed Measure "C", a 15 million dollar local bond initiative which would provide funding for expansion of the Mammoth Campus and construction of a Cultural and Performing Arts Center.

The Future As Campus Development evolves, the Mammoth Lakes Foundation has identified certain projects of importance to fulfill its mission. Student housing facilities are a priority of the Foundation and, are crucial to the success in recruitment and retention of students at the Mammoth Campus. Student housing still remains a priority for the foundation and each building will house approximately 50 students. Other projects of importance include an outdoor amphitheater and expanding the amount of educational and cultural opportunities on campus.

The Foundation was also instrumental in acquiring the Beekley International Collection of Skiing Art & Literature. The Mammoth Ski Museum opened in late 2003 and is proud to be the host of the Beekley Collection. The unique collection includes a variety of ski memorabilia, one of the largest collections of vintage ski posters and artwork as well as a private library collection that is one of a kind.

Please click on the image to learn more about the Mammoth Ski Museum.

Supporting and hosting community event's is another way for the foundation to strengthen its offering of cultural opportunities in the community. Currently, foundation sponsored events include the Mammoth Fall Festival of Writing, hosting world-class art exhibits, the Sierra Summer Festival and providing financial assistance to the Felici Piano Trio.

Funding for many of the projects slated for the Mammoth Campus relies heavily on private donations and through annual fundraising events. Four annual events make up the events calendar at the Foundation. Together, the Dave McCoy College Classic Ski and Snowboard Event, the Local Golf Tournament at Sierra Star, the Lakeside Golf Tournament and the Friends of Education Dinner, raise over $200,000 annually for the Foundation. These events target different donor profiles but share one common goal, supporting higher education and the arts.

In addition to annual events, a major portion of funding for the foundation comes from individual donations, via direct mail appeals, and through sponsorship opportunities. Campus Patrons, Restaurant Plaque Sponsors and Gondola Plaque Sponsors are examples of sources of funding through sponsorship. Various other giving campaigns throughout the year bring in incremental contributions to the foundation, including the summer and fall mail appeals. Other funding sources for foundation projects have come from planned giving programs, will estates, capital campaigns and grant funding.