Dear Friends,
I just returned from the June Board of Regents meeting. The major item of discussion is the beginning of the FY10 budget request process. Through the ‘informal budget presentation', I shared with the Regents our critical budget needs appropriate for state support. Our list includes salary support to respond to the ever-increasing demands of a competitive market, support to expand our research efforts, including ties with the Sanford Deep Underground Laboratory in Lead, funding for enhanced telecommunication and IT infrastructure, and, of course, additional support for on-going items such as energy, maintenance and operating costs. The Regents will review the requests from across the system and develop a list for transmittal to the Governor in late summer. You will hear more about our requests and needs as the process unfolds.
Some recent campus items of interest include:
Congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Karlin, Assistant Professor, Industrial Engineering Department, for being elected to the National Educational Research and Methods (ERM) board of directors. The ERM division of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) is led by a Board of Directors with six elected members: chair, secretary/treasurer, and four directors. ERM is one of the largest and most active divisions within ASEE.
The Indo-US Summer School on Coastal Environment, offered as part of the Black Hills Natural Science Field Station in collaboration with Anna University in India, was a resounding success. Seven students from various U.S. universities, including Harvard, Vassar College and Eckerd College, registered for this Environmental Science/Geology course offered through the School of Mines. Dr. P.V. Sundareshwar, Assistant Professor, Institute Atmospheric Sciences and Director, Biogeochemistry Core Facility, is to be congratulated for his efforts in coordinating the support of the National Institute of Ocean Technology, the Government of India, and Anna University.
The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is now a member of the Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (GP-CESU). The CESU is a national network of cooperative units established to provide research, technical assistance, and education to resource and environmental managers. Each CESU is structured as a working collaboration among federal agencies and universities. Membership is selective and requires a unanimous vote of the CESU Executive Committee and is based on the ability of partner institutions to significantly expand the capabilities and skills of a CESU. Inclusion of SDSM&T as a partner in the GP-CESU is a recognition by its peers of its unique facilities and expertise. The School of Mines' application for membership was spearheaded by Dr. P.V. Sundareshwar, who will also serve on the Executive Committee of the GO-CESU as the Technical Representative from SDSM&T.
The Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) office reports that the School of Mines had the highest percentage of athletes in the conference qualifying as DAC Academic Scholars for this academic year. Congratulations to this outstanding group of students.
This is my last letter to you as I retire at the end of the month. These five years have gone all too fast-primarily because of your support, encouragement and love of this institution. Sally and I leave with new friends and a sense of accomplishment and wonder in what the future holds for this most special place. Thank you all for your help.
As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments. I can be reached at charles.ruch@sdsmt.edu or charlesruch@hotmail.com.
Charles Ruch