Kecojevic named to prestigious SME Class of 2022 Fellows

An honor presented to only the best in the profession, Vladislav Kecojevic, the Robert E. Murray Chair and Professor of mining engineering in the Statler College, has received the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration’s prestigious Fellow Award.

Story by Olivia Miller, Communications Specialist
Photos by Paige Nesbit, Director of Marketing and Communications

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

SME presents its Fellow Award to a select few members who have made sustained and notable contributions to the society and industry. Only 1.8% of the more than 15,000 memberships spanning more than 100 countries receive this prestigious award.

“I am very honored to be elected as an SME Fellow,” Kecojevic said. “It is a distinct honor by my professional peers, and it brings a significant recognition to me personally, the Department of Mining Engineering and West Virginia University.”

SME Fellows are nominated by existing Fellows in recognition of their distinguished contributions to the profession. The committee may select four or fewer members to be elevated to the class of Fellows per year, and the committee’s selection of nominees is submitted to the SME Board of Directors for approval. 

The designation to the class of 2022 Fellow’s recognizes Kecojevic’s contributions and commitments to global engagement and service throughout his career.

A member of the Statler College faculty since 2010 and chair since 2018, he currently serves as the Secretary-General of the Society of Mining Professors (SOMP), where his tenure as President from 2015-2016 recorded an all-time high in memberships. Additionally, he currently serves as the President of West Virginia Coal Mining Institute and on the Board of Directors of the SME Pittsburgh Section.

Among the many honors he has received are the 2019 SME Coal and Energy Division Distinguished Service Award, the Medal of Honor by TH Georg Agricola University, Germany, and the 2017 Erskine Ramsay Medal Award by the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers.

A member of SME since 2001, he served as the chair of multiple committees including the 2015 SME program chair, 2013 SME Coal and Energy Division chair, Robert E. Murray Innovation Scholarship Committee chair and of the SME Distinguished Member Award Committee.

Kecojevic will be formally presented with the award at the 2022 SME MINEXCHANGE SME Annual Conference and Expo annual awards dinner in Salt Lake City, Utah, this March.

“I am very pleased that Dr. Vlad Kecojevic was selected as SME Fellow,” said Pedro Mago, Glen H. Hiner Dean of the Statler College. “Election to Fellow grade by an engineering society is the ultimate recognition by peers of exceptional technical achievement. We are proud to have Vlad as a member of the Statler College and as chair of our Mining Engineering Department. Vlad’s dedication to his students and his passion for the field ultimately made him deserving of this prestigious designation.”

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