September 28, 2007

Article Body: Dear Friends,

The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology has been named one of America’s 100 Best College Buys for the 10th consecutive year. School of Mines graduates command placement rates in excess of 95 percent and average starting salaries of approximately $54,000.

The survey reported average costs of attendance, including tuition, fees, room and board. The survey found that the average 2007-2008 cost of attendance based on the regular cost at a private institution and the out-of-state cost at a public institution is $26,190. School of Mines costs are $ 12,203 for South Dakota residents and $13,441 for non-residents.

This year’s America’s 100 Best College Buys is the 12th list published by Institutional Research & Evaluation, Inc., a research and consulting organization that specializes in the recruiting and retention of students for universities. Each year, the organization identifies the 100 colleges and universities in the United States that provide students the highest quality education at the lowest cost. The organization sends surveys to each institution that meets its criteria and makes selections for the list. This year, 1,152 universities responded to the survey. For further information, visit http://sdmines.sdsmt.edu/pressrelease/2007September/bestbuy.

The Higher Learning Commission has voted to accept the School of Mines’ application to join the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP). AQIP will replace the PEAQ evaluation process previously utilized by the campus and we anticipate that this will streamline the process in the future.

We welcome to campus, Dr. Perry Marteny, who has joined the School of Mines as the Director of the Composites and Polymer Engineering Laboratory (CAPE).

The School of Mines is honored to be one of several local sponsors for Dr. Jane Goodall’s visit to the Rapid City area. Dr. Goodall’s lecture is scheduled for Tuesday, October 2 at 7:30 pm in the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. Tickets are available through the Civic Center Box Office and $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger. Our freshmen from the College of Science and Letters and our American Indian Science and Engineering Students have been invited to be special guests for the event.

Nominations are now being received for this year's Distinguished Alumni Awards. Candidates must have received an academic degree from the School of Mines, and have established a professional career of more than ten years – five of those in a responsible capacity with outstanding contributions to his or her profession.

Award nominees are evaluated based on four categories:

Level of professional achievement
Evidence of significant and creative professional activity
Involvement in professional or business organizations
Balance of community and professional service & awards

Attached are a list of previous recipients and the selection process information, including the nomination format. Please note that nominations should provide the information requested using a maximum of three pages. Nominations are due in the Alumni Office by October 15, 2007. (Anyone may submit nominations)

There can be up to five awards per year, and the awards are presented during fall graduation. A brief citation for each recipient appears in the commencement program.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments. I can be reached at charles.ruch@sdsmt.edu.

Charles Ruch

Posted by Mitchell Vander Vorst on 9/28/2007 3:45:00 PM

September 28, 2007

September 28, 2007

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