History
The cornerstone of the first School of Mines building was dedicated on August 19, 1885, with the first classes being held February 21, 1887. John W. Hancher received the first bachelor of science degree at the first commencement on May 31, 1888.
The School of Mines presented exhibits during the 1904 World's Fair and the first licensed radio station in the state of South Dakota was established on campus in December 1911, a full decade before WCAT (the precursor the current campus station KTEQ). The first "M-Day" homecoming celebration occurred on October 5, 1912 with the construction of the "M" on M-Hill, the school's mountain monogram. The school's ROTC battalion was formed in 1918 in response to WWI. The football stadium began construction in 1931 and was completed as "O'Harra Field" in 1938.
The school formally became the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in February 1943.
In September 2012, SDSM&T made national news when Bloomberg announced that it had passed Harvard in the category of starting salaries for graduates. Tragically, on the 19th of September, just days after receiving the news, the President of Mines, Dr. Robert A. Wharton, passed away due to complications of cancer treatments. Since his passing, Duane C. Hrncir has been acting as interim President.
Read more about this topic: South Dakota School Of Mines And Technology
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)