Dear Colleagues and Friends,
Carolyn and I spent an enjoyable weekend in Salt Lake City visiting with alumni and colleagues in the area. We especially enjoyed a tour of L3 Communication Systems-West which employs a number of our graduates. The visit to L3 was hosted by Susan Opp, L3 President and recipient of a 1995 Mines Outstanding Recent Graduate Award. We appreciate the hospitality extended by alumnus Steve Miller during our stay. As you may recall, through Steve’s generosity the first endowed chair at the School of Mines was established in 1999 and the associated Miller Lab was subsequently founded in 2002 in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Thanks to Dr. Larry Simonson for organizing the events in Salt Lake City.
Retention data for fall 2008 indicates that in addition to another year of increased retention for freshman to sophomore students, we have also experienced an all-time record retention rate of 67.5% for students entering their third year. This represents an increase of 10% over recent years and a rate higher than any year since we began tracking retention data in 1978. Our third year students entered in the fall of 2006 and were the first class required to meet increased admission requirements. Primary goals of the new admissions policy were to increase student retention and graduation rates. Clearly, the new admissions policy has significantly impacted student retention.
The School of Mines Foundation recently completed its annual Fall Phon-a-thon. Despite concerns about the economy, our alumni continued their generosity, pledging more than $100,000, (second most ever pledged in any School of Mines Foundation campus phone-a-thon). Students made calls to more than 8,000 alumni over 10 nights, receiving 470 pledges, 40 of which were first-time donors – thank you alumni! Special thanks to our student callers for their efforts: Jeremy Goens, Josh Green, Leah Koch, Randy Lloyd, Tara Martian, Conlan Nelson, Michelle Pinsdorf , Rianna Preston, Adam, Schulz, Kathleen Schwabe, Jennifer Trosvig, and Josh Wornson. Alumni that were not reached during the Phon-a-thon can still contribute to the Foundation this fall by calling 605 394-2436.
Congratulations to Dr. Vojislav Kalanovic, professor, mechanical engineering, who has been officially awarded Patent No. 7,431,632 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. This is the third U.S. patent awarded to Dr. Kalanovic in the area of robotics and automated manufacturing.
The School of Mines fall “Meeting of the Mines” weekend will be held November 7 and 8. The weekend encompasses three separate events: Family Weekend, for parents and families of current students; Visit Mines, for prospective students considering the School of Mines; and CommUniversity, a program for members of the community wanting to learn more about the School of Mines. For more information and a complete schedule, visit: http://sdmines.sdsmt.edu/meetingofthemines.
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
