Dear Colleagues and Friends, I am pleased to report some exciting news about the value of a degree from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. The Forbes.com July 30 edition cited a study prepared by Payscale Inc., a Seattle-based research firm, identifying top Midwestern colleges and top U.S. engineering colleges by salary potential. The School of Mines ranked 9th among all Midwestern universities and 15th nationally among engineering colleges. According to the report, the starting median salary for School of Mines graduates is $55,800 and $93,400 for median mid-career salaries. The report also ranked the top ten college majors that lead to high salaries. Eight of the ten majors are offered at the School of Mines and a ninth, aerospace engineering, is a field in which many of our alumni are employed.
This report shows that a School of Mines education is truly an investment in a student's future. By choosing a career in engineering or science at our wonderful institution, students have the opportunity to invent tomorrow and be well compensated. For more information visit http://news.sdsmt.edu/stories/9218/.
Dr. Jennifer Karlin, Associate Professor in the Industrial Engineering Department, has been selected to the Texas Leadership Forum to be held October 8-10 at Baylor University. Only 25 higher education faculty members are selected for each of the two regional forums held each year. Participation in the Leadership Forums is highly competitive with final selection made by the American Council on Education, Washington, DC. Dr. Karlin is to be commended for her outstanding professionalism and leadership in being selected for this prestigious forum.
Dr. Dan Dolan, Co-Director Center of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing and Production (CAMP) and Professor, Mechanical Engineering, reports that the School of Mines Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Team received four awards at the annual International Aerial Robotics Competition held last week at Ft. Benning, Georgia. The Team received the Best Technical Paper Award, Best T-Shirt Design Award, and tied with Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech for the Best System Design Award. The team received over $8,000 in prize money for their efforts. Team member Mark Sauder received a special award for sportsmanship. He helped the team from California State University at Northridge (CSUN) bring their helicopter down from a very unsafe altitude to a low altitude where their pilot could take over and land it successfully. In announcing the award, the judges stated the award was for actions far beyond the call of duty. Congratulations to Dr. Dolan and this outstanding group of students.
The Fall 2008 semester is fast approaching. Our student athletes will be arriving this weekend, and classes will begin after 4:00 pm on Tuesday, September 2nd. An opening convocation will be held for faculty and staff on Monday, August 25th, at 10:00 am, with a reception at 9:30 am in the Surbeck Center Ballroom.
For more information on these and other activities and news, please visit our website at: http://www.sdsmt.edu/.
I invite your comments and questions. You can reach me at: robert.wharton@sdsmt.edu.
Robert A. Wharton, Ph.D.
President
