RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The Hardrock Club, the primary fundraising entity for the South Dakota Mines Athletic Department has received a significant donation earmarked for the men's and women's basketball programs.
 
This unprecedented and generous gift was donated by alum, and former Hardrocker men's basketball player, Dean Schauer. Schauer has pledged to donate $50,000 annually, split between the men's and women's basketball programs. All told, the donation is equal to $1,000,000 and will provide athletic scholarships to men's and women's basketball student-athletes over the next two decades.
 
"We cannot thank Dean enough for his dedication to changing the lives of our student-athletes," said Executive Director of the Hardrock Club, Maria Cadwallader. "We continually strive to elevate the experience of our student-athletes and could not achieve this without the generous support of individuals like Dean."
 
Schauer graduated from South Dakota Mines in 1989 as a metallurgical engineering major and has worked his way up throughout his career to being the current President & CEO of Confluent Medical Technologies.
 
"Had it not been for the basketball program at South Dakota Mines, I would have likely not graduated, and as a result, would not have been able to have the life experiences I have been able blessed to have," said Schauer.
 
A member of the Hardrocker men's basketball team from 1984-1988, Schauer was a part of two SDIC conference championship teams and was a captain in his senior year with the program, his best as a 'Rocker. In his senior season, he averaged 14.8 points per game, on 46.1 percent shooting.
 
As for the motivation to donate, Schauer stated, "I wanted to support the South Dakota Mines basketball teams as my four years playing basketball had the most impact on me and what my future became." Schauer continued, "my family and I wanted to have a meaningful impact on at least two student-athletes per year for at least 20 years."
 
This is one of the largest gifts in South Dakota Mines history, and it is groundbreaking in terms of what it will do, not just for the basketball programs, but the future of the athletic department.
 
South Dakota Mines Athletic Director, Joel Lueken stated, "thank you to Dean for this incredible gift, and we are unbelievably grateful for this generous donation." Lueken continued, "Dean understands our need for sustained annual giving and he trusts that we will utilize his contribution by giving opportunities to young women and men to obtain a degree in science and engineering while living out their dream to play competitive college basketball."
 

 
About South Dakota Mines
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II offering 11 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 members, as well as four associate members, located in the states of California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.