Alumni Spotlight - Jim Rankin (EE 78)

Leaving a legacy of philanthropy and community

Take a stroll across campus and it is very clear the impact that former President Jim Rankin (EE 78) had on South Dakota Mines. The footprint of the campus alone is different thanks to his six years of leadership in the head office. With the addition of the Nucor Mineral Industries building, the renovation of the Devereaux Library, and countless other accomplishments, he recently retired with his eyes on a new goal: travel a lot and spend time with family. 

After graduating from South Dakota Mines with an electrical engineering degree in 1978, Dr. Rankin went on to work in industry and also worked to obtain a masters and doctorate degree, both from Iowa State University. After working in industry, he thought maybe it was time to try teaching, so he worked his way into higher education, eventually serving as the vice provost for research and economic development at the University of Arkansas. He has also served within leadership roles at Ohio State University, as a professor at St. Cloud State University, and as an engineer at Rockwell-Collins. 

Dr. Rankin echoed what many alumni have said over the years, that the community and relationships that are made at the South Dakota Mines campus is what makes it a special school. 

“We’re such a small school, you make a lot of friends,” he said. Dr. Rankin was part of the Theta Tau fraternity while on campus as a student, which helped him build closer relationships. “You make a lot of strong friendships when you’re in a fraternity.”

Dr. Rankin served at the helm of the school for six years and in those six years made a lot of long lasting changes and improvements to the school. In addition to the Nucor Mineral Industries building and library renovation, he was able to expand research space with the purchase of the former Ascent Innovation building, secured the largest individual and corporate gift to the school in its history, and helped to double the funds raised by the Center for Alumni Relations & Advancement. 

Of all his time at South Dakota Mines, he said his biggest accomplishment was securing the funding for the MI building and seeing all the changes take place on campus. 

“We’ve always had a beautiful campus, it’ll continue to be a beautiful campus,” he said. “In some ways, seeing these new buildings go up, it’s fun to see. The library went from a place that hardly anybody went into, to not ordering enough chairs for it.”

Rankin said his favorite memory as president has been watching the many commencement ceremonies that he’s been part of; he truly enjoys watching students go across the stage and see the parents’ proud faces as their kids graduate. 

If he had to pick something else, he said a close second would be getting to travel and visit with alumni throughout the country and hearing their stories and feeling their pride in graduating from the prestigious school. 

“To succeed here, if you got in, you’ve got the grades and the aptitude to succeed here,” he said when asked what advice he’d give students. “Find a group you can study with, take advantage of the mentoring and tutoring we have, look for opportunities.” 

So what’s next on Dr. Rankin’s schedule? It’s time to hit the road! Dr. Rankin, along with his wife Wendy, plan to get a RV they can store the motorcycle in, call North Carolina their home base, and hit the road to spend time with their family.

“Six years were gone in a hurry. It’s been a lot of fun. The faculty and staff here are so good, it makes it an easy job.”