Mines News

The South Dakota Mines has received a $3.6 million donation, the largest gift in school history, for the Department of Civil Engineering. The endowed gift comes from the estate of Willard and Billie Kaye Goodman.

The Goodmans' gift doubles the department’s annual operating budget and provides opportunities for scholarships, graduate student stipends, faculty endowments, student activities and lab facilities.

“This generous donation to civil and environmental engineering will have a huge impact on the faculty, staff and students in that department. We are so pleased when alumni value their Mines education so much that they want to aid future scientists and engineers for decades to come. We’re very grateful to the Goodmans for this endowment,” says South Dakota Mines President Jim Rankin.

Willard, who passed away in 2013, was a 1969 civil engineering graduate. He was past owner of Plant and Flanged Equipment Company in Minneapolis and an avid golfer. He often touted the experiences and mentoring he received at South Dakota Mines as instrumental in his successful business achievements.

Goodman was from Phillip and expressed how appreciative he was for the great education South Dakota Mines provided to him. One of Goodman’s key reasons for donating to the civil engineering department is the support he received as a student from department head Bill Coyle. Coyle’s tenure with the university spanned 40 years, both as a faculty member and department head. Many alumni remember Coyle for his interest and interactions with students that expanded beyond the classroom. His concern for students and their well-being made them seek him out for guidance on academics, career planning, personal challenges and financial difficulties. 

“When he would talk about his professor Bill Coyle, he would start by saying, ‘I’m probably going to start to cry when I tell you this.’  He was very open about how South Dakota Mines changed his life — and thanks to the Goodmans', this gift is going to allow the university to become even better at changing the lives of the students for many more generations,” says Brad Johnson, vice president for development of the South Dakota Mines Foundation.

“Bill Coyle’s reputation has been the long-term, standing foundation of the department. His enduring legacy proves that a teacher and a mentor can have a true impact on a person’s life,” said Scott Kenner, the current civil engineering department head. “The Goodman’s gift will continue that legacy and tradition of supporting the next generation of Mines graduates.”