Nucor Endows Steel Professorship at South Dakota School of Mines
01/24/2008 - Nucor will donate $1 million to endow a professorship in metallurgical and steelmaking technologies at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
Nucor Corp. announced its donation of $1 million to create the "Nucor Endowed Professorship for Metallurgical and Steelmaking Technologies" in the Materials and Metallurgical Engineering Department at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
"Nucor understands the critical need to continually develop new technologies that support the steel industry's next generation of improvements in productivity and environmental performance," said Dan DiMicco, Nucor's Chairman, President and CEO. "Early adoption of breakthrough technologies and development of a cutting-edge work force are critical elements that have fueled our growth over the past 40 years. We are proud to announce this investment to support tomorrow's breakthroughs."
Nucor said the new chair will help to ensure the continuation of higher education in the field of steelmaking research. The endowment, which supplements state-budgeted funds, will be used to support graduate and undergraduate students working with the named faculty. Funds could also help to support travel, dues, professional enrichment and other necessary research and teaching expenditures.
The company’s donation highlights a long-term relationship between Nucor and the School of Mines. Nucor has hired the university's metallurgical engineering graduates and supported the department for years.
"Nucor has been a valued partner with the School of Mines for many years," said Charles Ruch, President of the School of Mines. "Nucor appreciates our unique commitment to providing a traditional metallurgical engineering program that produces future leaders for the steel industry."
Nucor’s donation—one of the largest corporate cash donations in the school's history—is actually Nucor’s second such endowment. In May 2006, Nucor announced it would endow the "F. Kenneth Iverson" chair in the Materials and Metallurgical Engineering Department at the University of Missouri-Rolla.
Nucor and affiliates manufacture steel products, with operating facilities primarily in the U.S. and Canada. Products include carbon and alloy steel bars, beams, sheet and plate; steel joists and joist girders; steel deck; fabricated concrete reinforcing steel; cold finished steel; steel fasteners; metal building systems; light gauge steel framing; steel grating and expanded metal; and wire and wire mesh. Nucor is North America's largest recycler.
A state-supported university located in Rapid City with about 2,100 full- and part-time students, the School of Mines has enjoyed an extraordinary nationwide reputation for excellence in engineering, the physical sciences and technology for more than 100 years. Its Materials and Metallurgical Engineering Department has five full-time faculty positions. The School of Mines plans to have the endowed professorship in place for the start of the 2008-09 academic year.
