Aditi David, a Ph.D. student in chemical and biological
engineering at SD Mines is shown here working in a
lab. The university is seeing an increase in both the number of graduate
degrees awarded each year and in the number of female students.
South
Dakota School of Mines & Technology is seeing a slight increase in the
number of first-year students, students from South Dakota, and an increase in
the overall number of female students.
Traditionally women and people of
color have been underrepresented in the fields of Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math (STEM), and SD Mines is working to meet industry demand
for increased diversity. The university also welcomes many students who come
from rural areas of the state. The hands-on knowledge of students with a
background in farming or ranching is invaluable in science and engineering
disciplines. Mines is also seeing an increase in the number of graduate degrees
awarded each year. The number has steadily climbed from 57 in 2010 to 131 so
far in 2019.
The university is seeing an overall
decrease in the number of full-time equivalent students of 1.87%. There was
also a decrease in the headcount of students on campus of 4.71%. These decreases
were expected as the large freshmen class of 2014 is moving out of college and
into their careers. The South Dakota Board of Regents, the governing body for
state universities in South Dakota, reports that the headcount is down across
all state schools. Nationwide, there is a drop in the number of students
attending college. The National Center for Education
Statistics reports an enrollment decrease of 7% nationwide between 2010 and
2017 (from 18.1 million to 16.8 million students in the US).
While there is a small drop in the
number of students on campus this year, university leaders believe a bright
future is ahead for the university. There is a high demand for STEM majors and
Mines graduates enjoy an average starting salary of $63,350. This makes the
university an excellent return on investment. SD Mines is also a central part
of tech-based economic growth underway in the Black Hills region. The
university is working alongside those at Elevate Rapid City, the Sanford
Underground Research Facility, and Ellsworth Air Force Base to build an
economic ecosystem that increases the number of high-paying STEM jobs in the
area.
The expansion of the tech-based
economy in Rapid City adds to the need for continued workforce development in
science and engineering fields. To maintain enrollment growth, SD Mines is
working to stay competitive with a level of scholarship funding that attracts high
caliber students from around the United States who will excel in STEM fields.
But many challenges remain. The South Dakota Boards of Regents’
executive director and CEO Paul B. Beran points out, “South Dakota lacks a
stable source of state-level, need-based financial aid. In our work with the Governor and state legislators, we’ll continue to
stress that such support is critical to make higher education a reality for
more students.”
To reduce the cost of college and
increase the number of students who can afford to attend SD Mines, the
university is currently implementing a new strategic enrollment plan. This
includes a four-year
scholarship guaranteed to any student who achieves an ACT score of 24 or
higher.
“We hope that support from state
government can be combined with our own foundation’s private fundraising to
provide competitive scholarship funding that will increase the number of STEM
students and meet today’s work force needs,” says Mines President Jim Rankin.
“Investing in our students will pay itself back many times. This is because our
graduates are building the kinds of high-tech businesses that will diversify our
economy and help it flourish in the decades to come.”