Alumni Spotlight - Cullen Family

Family legacy lives on at South Dakota Mines

Many students who attend South Dakota Mines leave behind a family legacy of attending the school. Generations of family members often walk across campus, all with their own story and legacy. This holds true for the Cullen family. Bill Cullen (Csc 87) and his father Dennis Cullen (ChE 62) both attended and graduated from South Dakota Mines, and while she didn’t graduate, Bill’s mother, Dianne Duffy (Cullen) also attended the school as a math major. 

With each generation that passes through the campus, more and more change takes place, both on campus and within each family. The Cullen family have seen many changes take place on campus. When Dennis attended school, the Surbeck Center did not exist yet; when Bill attended Mines, the Mineral Industries building wasn’t even a thought yet. When Dennis attended school, tuition cost $198 and his starting salary was $5,600. Now, in 2024, tuition for in state residents is $10,500 and starting salary is around $74,000. 

The one thing that has not changed, over the years, however, is the quality of education received at Mines and the doors of opportunity that it opens.

“I had a really good time,” Dennis said. 

From school Dennis went to work for Dow Chemical in Midland, MI. By 1969, he went to work for General Mills Chemical Division, which eventually was purchased by Henkel Corp. in 1978, where he continued to work, eventually becoming the President of Henkel’s subsidiary in Japan in 1981. The whole family moved to Japan where they stayed for three years. 

Bill, however, returned to the states after two years to attend South Dakota Mines and study computer science. At the time he was drawn to the school because of the family history there and because he fell in love with computing while in high school, stating it was a fun game for him. 

After leaving school, he went to work for Cray Research in Eagen, MN for 12 years, but the whole time he was there, he was drawn to real estate and made a career shift, eventually owning his own business, First Select. While not directly related to his degree, Bill said his education at Mines is still crucial to what he does today.

“What I learned in college was how to learn, rather than what to learn,” he said. “I welcome change.” Bill added he is continuing his education by going back to school to learn how to adapt AI for his current business. 

Both Dennis and Bill have been generous supporters of the South Dakota Mines campus. Dennis set up a scholarship fund for freshmen coming to the school out of Chamberlain, SD and both father and son supported the Surbeck expansion. Both agreed that the quality education at Mines is what led them to want to give back. 

“I always believed in a good education,” Dennis said. “You can get a good education at South Dakota Mines.”

Bill agreed, stating that he always got a valuable education here.

“It was intense, it was hard, it was accurate, and I’ve always benefited a lot from it. I grew a lot in those four years. It changed my entire trajectory, and I wasn’t disappointed when I showed up on the doorsteps.”

As students prepare to reenter campus for the new school year, both Dennis and Bill agreed on their best piece of advice. Find a good balance between the five F’s: faith, family, friends, finances, and fun. 

Bill is hoping to continue the family legacy at South Dakota Mines and have his son attend as well.