The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology will hold its 156th Commencement at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 22, in the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Theater. More than 100 graduates will receive associate's, bachelor's, master's or doctoral degrees. Gerard A. Baker will join the School of Mines as commencement speaker. Baker is superintendent of Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
Baker, a graduate of Southern Oregon State University, with degrees in criminology and sociology, is a full-blood member of the Mandan-Hidatsa Tribe of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, Mandaree, North Dakota.
He has had a widely varied career, serving as a deputy sheriff, a campground ranger, law enforcement ranger, wilderness ranger, park ranger-historian, and a park superintendent. In May 2004, he assumed the position of superintendent, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, and responsibility for more than 1,200 acres, which include the magnificent monument. Mount Rushmore National Memorial visitation is nearly three million visitors per year.
Micah Sheldon (geology, Ray, N.D.) will represent the student body.
While attending the School of Mines, Mr. Sheldon invested his time in Intervarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF), Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), Ranger Challenge, Phi Eta Sigma honor society, Society of Economic Geologists, and Tau Beta Pi honor society. He has served as a small group leader and as president of IVCF, competed in five Ranger Challenge Competitions leading the team to a fourth place finish as captain, and participated in the Baaton Memorial Death March marathon, finishing in the top 40. Phi Eta Sigma voted him vice president for two consecutive years. In addition, he has served as a peer advisor, FIRST assistant, intramural athlete, and an employee in the Surbeck Student Center.
Upon graduation, Sheldon will begin his career with Cleveland and Cliffs in Hibbing, Minn.
Also during the ceremony, the School of Mines will honor four alumni with "Distinguished Alumni" awards, given to graduates who have made outstanding contributions in their professions and to the School of Mines.
This year's Distinguished Alumni:
Dr. Gary Dirks
Raised in Harrisburg, S.D., Dr. Gary Dirks earned his degree in chemistry from the School of Mines in 1973, followed by a M.S. and Ph.D. in chemistry at Montana State University and Arizona State University, respectively. Dirks had a prolific career as a research scientist. His extensive publications and patents detail significant contributions in applied chemistry.
Dirks is currently head of the Asia Pacific Region and president of BP China, and is a member of the senior executive forum of BP. During his time as president of BP China, he has invested more than $4 billion, making BP the largest foreign investor in the energy and petrochemical industry in China. In 2007, the company will have revenues of approximately $1.5 billion, spend in excess of $700 million on new capital projects, and employ 2,000 people directly and an additional 5,000 indirectly through 20 joint ventures.
Jim Green
Jim Green hails from Scottsbluff, Nebraska. His career with Caterpillar, the world's leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, clean diesel and natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines, began upon graduation in 1974, when he accepted a job as a design engineer doing structural analysis of engine components. He also completed the program for executives at Carnegie Mellon in 1995.
Green is currently the general manager for program management and conformance for large power systems, a division within Caterpillar with more than $8 billion in annual engine sales. He leads a department that is responsible for the development and introduction of new engine products.
Steve Newlin
Raised in Rapid City, Steve Newlin enrolled at the School of Mines and earned a bachelors degree in civil engineering in 1975. He also he completed the Tuck Executive Program at Dartmouth College and the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
In 2006, Newlin accepted the position of chairman, president, and CEO of PolyOne Corporation, a leading global polymer materials and services company, headquartered in Avon Lake, Ohio, with revenues exceeding $2.6 billion. The company employs approximately 4,700 people and has 52 manufacturing sites globally and 11 distribution facilities in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, and joint ventures in North American and South America.
Lowery Smith
Lowery Smith, originally from Oglala, South Dakota, graduated from the School of Mines in 1951 with a degree in geological engineering.
From 1989 to the present, Smith has owned, operated, and served as president of Ag Lime Sales, Inc. The company he founded contracted with Northern States Power Company to develop markets and products with ag lime and fly ash, supplying sulfur and boron to the Minnesota agriculture industry. His company is involved in numerous community service projects around the Twin Cities area, accompanied by Lowery's generous and meaningful participation.
#30#