School of Mines cuts ribbon on downtown building

RAPID CITY, S.D. -- The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is cutting the ribbon Friday on its new downtown campus building in Rapid City.

The 18,000-square-foot building is housing the university's industrial engineering department and a four-room conference center for community use.

The industrial engineering program and its nearly 150 students have operated out of the top two floors of the building for the past year while renovations continued on the main floor and basement.

The university is expanding into downtown is two-fold to connect with Rapid City's economic development plans and expand its campus to accommodate growth.