Dear Colleagues and Friends, Traditions were alive on the School of Mines campus last week as we celebrated M-Week. The enjoyable and exciting week-long celebration closed with a parade and football game on Saturday where the Hardrockers defeated Mayville 46-7. We thank everyone involved in organizing and conducting this highly successful week, and in particular, M-Week student co-chairs Colter Burleson and Chris Peters. Last week the School of Mines celebrated a milestone with a new record for industry participation in our annual Fall Career Fair with recruiters from nearly 150 companies in attendance. The significant participation of industry representatives at the Fair, a 99% placement, and 75% student participation in co-ops or internships before graduating, are a testament to the high demand for School of Mines students and graduates. Congratulations to Dr. Darrell Sawyer, Career Center Director and all those on campus who contributed to making this Career Fair the best ever. The South Dakota Board of Regents held a tele-press conference on Wednesday, October 1st, officially announcing the fall 2008 enrollment numbers for the six state-supported universities. The total system-wide student enrollment is up nearly 2.5 percent to 32,943. While the enrollment at the School of Mines remains relatively flat, the 2008 freshman class credentials reflect increases in both ACT composite and math scores, an increase in GPA and average rank in high school graduating class, and the percentage of students graduating either first or second in their class has nearly doubled. We are extremely proud of the caliber of our students and are continually working to continue this positive trend, as well as increase the number of new and returning students to the School of Mines. The School of Mines recently hosted a university round table discussion on Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) research, education, and collaboration with representatives from the University of California Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, South Dakota EPSCoR, South Dakota Science and Technology Authority, Sanford Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory, and a number of South Dakota colleges and universities. The event culminated with a discussion of alternative energy and environmental studies, led by Nobel Laureate, Dr. Steven Chu, director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and professor of physics and molecular and cellular biology at the University of California, Berkeley. The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology will be the site of a new National Science Foundation (NSF) Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/U CRC) in the area of bioenergy. Dr. Duane Abata will serve as the center’s coordinator and Dr. David Dixon, SDSM&T, will be the school’s site director. The new I/U CRC, the Center for Bioenergy Research and Development, will receive substantial funding at the multi-million dollar level from both the NSF and sponsoring industries. The School of Mines has already seen considerable opportunities created from its friction stir processing I/U CRC which was established in October 2004. Both I/U CRCs will provide funding and research opportunities for faculty and students. For more information, please visit: http://news.sdsmt.edu/stories/iucrc.
Representatives from the School of Mines Alumni Association, faculty, Foundation office, my wife Carolyn, and I, recently joined alums for events in Denver, Colorado, including a Colorado Rockies game. More than 100 people were in attendance for the alumni event. It is always a pleasure meeting new alumni and getting to know better those we have met previously. Immediately following the trip to Denver, I traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, along with others from the Alumni Association, Foundation, faculty, and students, to participate in the annual Mine Expo. We had an enjoyable and productive visit with representatives from mining and related industries as well as many alumni. The past summer the School of Mines hosted over 200 GEAR UP students and 38 Youth Engineering Adventure (YEA) students on campus. Both of these successful programs provide pre-college youth with the opportunity to learn about and gain hands-on experience in science and engineering. Many of these students return to become students at the School of Mines—40% of the YEA youth who have graduated from high school, have chosen to attend Mines. In addition to these programs, the School of Mines hosted 261 students in 13 residential camps (a 36% increase over last summer), and 24 day programs serving 424 children. Students from 19 states participated in science and engineering lessons over the summer, complementing their math and science coursework during the school year. These camps are in addition to the many other educational sessions offered through the Surbeck Center. We were pleased to host these wonderful students on our campus! For more information on these and other activities and news, please visit our website at: www.sdsmt.edu. I invite your comments and questions. You can reach me at: president@sdsmt.edu. Robert A. Wharton, Ph.D.President 
