Most of that stuff could probably break down after a while. Knowing heavy equipment all it takes is some asshole to tighten a bolt too tight - or too lose - to start a reaction to ruin the machine. There'd also be the market in trying to sell those machines, if you can even run them in a world with no fuel or no electricity. I can see that you're trying, but I can't help but think you're trying too hard to justify wealth in having the parts for a large conveyor belt or the engines to a beached ore barge.

NMU is also incredibly tiny as far as universities go, and isn't even as major a research institution. Western Michigan is ranked even higher. But even in this realm the specialized equipment for research wouldn't be much use once the lights go out. But, surely you'd find decades irrelevant business research information relevant.