Dr. Heather Wilson, Secretary of
the United States Air Force. Photo courtesy of the Air Force.
Dr. Heather Wilson, Secretary of the United
States Air Force and
past president of the South
Dakota School of Mines & Technology, will speak at the
university’s fall commencement ceremony at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 15 in the
Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Theatre.
Wilson served as president of SD
Mines from 2013 until she was sworn in as the 24th Secretary of the Air
Force in May 2017. Wilson is responsible for the Air Force’s $138 billion
budget, which includes organizing, training and equipping 685,000 active, guard
and reserve service members.
During her tenure at Mines, Wilson championed
the development of the Student Success Center, the Math @ Mines program, the
student business plan competition, entrepreneurs in residence, and the Freshmen
Day of Service. She oversaw expansion of academic programs with the addition of
a Ph.D. in civil engineering, the creation of the Energy Resources Initiative,
the undergraduate Honors Program, the pre-health professions pathway, as well
as the addition of numerous minors. She was instrumental in securing funds and
guiding improvements to campus facilities, including the Stephen D. Newlin Family
Wellness and Recreation Center, O'Harra Stadium renovations, construction of
Placer residence hall and renovations of the chemistry and biological sciences
and McLaury buildings. She also successfully led the effort for Mines to join
the NCAA Division II Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. She was a passionate
advocate for the university and its students and her work more closely
connected the university to the community.
Wilson has a distinguished career
of leadership and service. She graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and served
as an Air Force officer for seven years. She earned her master’s and doctoral
degrees in international relations as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, England,
where she was also a collegiate rower. Wilson served on the National Security
Council as Director for Defense Policy and Arms Control under President George
H.W. Bush during the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Warsaw
Pact. She also formed her own company, Keystone International, Inc., that
focused on business development and program planning work for defense and
scientific industry. Her career of service further includes being a member of
the U.S. House of Representatives and a cabinet secretary in New Mexico’s state
government.
“We’re lucky to have a leader of
Dr. Wilson’s caliber associated with the university. Her career, her service to
this country and to our students is a true inspiration for all of us here,”
says current SD Mines President Jim Rankin.
The commencement ceremony will be live-streamed
at www.sdsmt.edu/GradVideo.