Article Body
News Release
Contacts: Robert T. Tad Perry, Executive Director
tadp@sdbor.edu
Janelle Toman, Director of Information & Institutional Research
janellet@sdbor.edu
T: 605.773.3455
F: 605.773.5320
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, October 26, 2007
National Search Under Way for SDSMT President
PIERRE, S.D. – A national search has been launched by the South Dakota Board of Regents to find the next president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City.
“We are looking for an effective leader to position the School of Mines at the forefront nationally of educational and research achievement in the sciences and engineering,” said Regent Randy Morris, who chairs the search. “We plan to begin reviewing applicant credentials in mid-November, and would hope to have the process finalized so that the next president may take office by July 1.”
The new president will succeed Charles Ruch, who retires June 30, 2008, after five years as SDSMT’s president. The institution, founded in 1885, enrolls more than 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students in engineering and physical sciences degree programs. Its annual budget totals about $48.4 million and the institution is also supported by the SDSM&T Foundation, which manages assets of $53 million, including endowments of about $37 million.
Research activity on the Mines campus is on a strong upward trend, the regents noted, supported by regional technology-based economic development initiatives. A particular strength is the school’s connection to activities under way at the nearby deep underground science and engineering laboratory, located at the former Homestake Gold Mine. Morris said the regents will be looking for a campus leader who can capitalize on new research and development opportunities offered at Homestake and elsewhere.
The regents’ search committee, along with campus and community representatives who advise in the process, met this month to review the president’s qualifications. That information, available online at www.sdbor.edu/sdsmtsearch , is featured in national and regional advertisements and used elsewhere in the search process.
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. “We encourage anybody who knows of quality potential candidates to send us those names,” Morris said. Applications should include a letter of interest; a current resume or vitae; a statement of how the candidate’s experiences and qualifications match the university’s mission, strategic direction, and desired presidential characteristics; and the names, postal and e-mail addresses, and phone numbers of at least five references. Materials should be sent to Regent Randy Morris, South Dakota Board of Regents, 306 E. Capitol Ave., Suite 200, Pierre, SD 57501-2545. Candidates with questions about the process may contact Regents’ Executive Director Robert T. Tad Perry at 605-773-3455 (tadp@sdbor.edu) or Elaine Hairston, Academic Search Consultation Service, at 740-964-0905 (elaine.hairston@academic-search.com).