I hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable Spring Break. Those of you who were off campus for the week may be surprised by the progress on the Nucor Mineral Industries Building. The steel, donated by Nucor, is now going up and the building is beginning to take shape. Those of you who are not on campus can view the progress in real time on our webcam.
We’re grateful for all the support that helped to make this project a reality. Nucor is the biggest donor in university history, and earlier this month Governor Noem signed the bill passed by state lawmakers to fully fund the state’s portion of the building’s construction cost. We need to fundraise a portion of the building cost from private and corporate sources; the Center for Alumni Relations and Advancement (CARA) is actively working to raise the $1.6M to meet that goal. We’re looking forward to the ribbon cutting in 2024, thanks entirely to the support from all involved.
I also want to thank everyone who was involved in this year’s High Plains Regional Science and Engineering Fair that took place yesterday. This excellent event was a huge success and a big inspiration for area students; kudos to those who volunteered their time and worked to make it happen.
It's a busy time of year with many events underway through graduation.
On Friday, the iNSPRiRE by Omnitech event encourages high school girls to explore STEM topics with leading women in their fields. The event quickly filled to capacity, and we are happy to have it on our campus for the first time this year.
A group of our students is also hosting the Techstars Startup Weekend beginning Friday, which is a fantastic event for anyone interested in starting their own business.
Our annual Dublin Dash, hosted by the student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, takes place Saturday morning.
On Monday the 27th, the university is home to Black Hills Talks, a new effort to foster dialogue and civic engagement in our community.
Our ever popular Cultural Expo, on March 30th for area school children and April 1st for the general public, is always a crowd pleaser.
Finally, I hope you’ll save the dates of April 5th and 6th for our annual Raising for Rockers event. This 24-hour giving event runs from noon to noon. It is part of our effort to continually enhance education and research on campus. All gifts make a difference and will help our departments reach their goals!
