South Dakota School Of Mines & Technology

South Dakota School Of Mines & Technology International Student Insurance

The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, located in Rapid City, South Dakota, was founded in 1885. It opened to students as the Dakota School of Mines in 1887. In 1889, when North and South Dakota were granted statehood, it was renamed the South Dakota School of Mines. The state’s first licensed radio station was established on campus in 1911. In 1943, the school officially gained its current name. Today, SD Mines enrolls about 3,000 students and counting each year. The school’s colors are blue and old gold, and its athletic nickname is the Hardrockers.

On Campus

Noteworthy features on campus include M-Hill, a mountain monogram bearing the school’s initials in concrete (112.5 feet high by 67 feet wide) and visible from several miles away. The Museum of Geology is as old as the university itself and displays exhibits focused on paleontology and mineralogy. The museum has held the remains of Dinosaur “Sue” and Dinosaur “Stan,” two of the largest and most complete T-Rex fossils ever discovered. The Devereaux Library holds a substantial archive of documents and artifacts related to the history of South Dakota.

In 2012, the school gained nationwide attention when Bloomberg News reported that SD Mines graduates out-earned Harvard graduates when entering the job market.

Notable Faculty and Alumni

Notable campus faculty include author and physics professor Dr. Jack Weyland. Notable alumni include Tony Jensen, President and CEO of the precious metals company Royal Gold; Walter Miller, former Lieutenant Governor and Governor of South Dakota; Dean Peterson, inventor of the Kodak Instamatic camera; and James Abourezk, the first Arab-American to serve in the U.S. Senate.

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