Darrell Sawyer (left)
receiving the Dick Kitchen award from SD Mines President Jim Rankin during a
special ceremony earlier this year.
RAPID CITY, SD (June 13, 2018) –
Darrell Sawyer, Ed.D., Assistant Vice President for Student Development at
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, has been selected as the 2018 recipient of the Dick Kitchen Award for Outstanding Staff Person. The
South Dakota Association of College Career Centers (SDACCC) also awarded Sawyer with an
Honorary Lifetime Membership.
Sawyer is a 1970 graduate of Howard High School and the son of the late Richard and Dorothy Sawyer of Howard. He spent the first 18 years of his career as West River Director for former U.S. Senator Larry Pressler. In 1997 he became the director of the SD Mines Career &
Professional Development Center where he has dedicated 20 years of service to Mines students.
The Dick Kitchen Award for Outstanding Staff Person was established by Gail March and Bruce Johnsen to honor Dick Kitchen, the SD Mines Public Relations Director from 1954 through 1961. This award is to recognize non-faculty staff members at Mines who have
distinguished themselves by demonstrated excellence in their work and by encouraging students to complete their education at the School of Mines.
SDACCC awarded Sawyer the
Honorary Lifetime Membership during the bi-annual conference in Rapid City at the end of May. The award is bestowed upon members who have provided significant contribution to SDACCC efforts, goals and purposes. Sawyer has been a member of SDACCC since 1999. During that time, he has served as President of SDCPPA/SDACCC from 2007-2009, chaired the
Black Hills Regional Job Fair in 2003, and currently chairs the Finance Committee for the upcoming 2019 Black Hills Regional Job Fair.
“It’s nice to see the service and dedication of those like Dr. Sawyer recognized,” says SD Mines President Jim Rankin. “Darrell not only cares about how well our students do while in school, he also helps them launch their careers after graduation. His hard work is one
of the reasons our graduates enjoy a job placement rate of 97 percent.”