SDSU fall ceremony will confer diplomas to 705 graduates
American Indian educator Karen Gayton Comeau will deliver the keynote address during the fall commencement ceremony at South Dakota State University on Saturday, Dec. 12.
Diplomas will be conferred on 705 graduates in a ceremony that is set to begin at 10 a.m. in Frost Arena. SDSU President David L. Chicoine, assisted by college deans, will confer the degrees and present diplomas to the graduates.
The ceremony’s procession will be led by honorary marshals Dan Kemp, professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, and Harriet Svec, associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Kemp joined the SDSU faculty in 1976 as an assistant professor and has been a full professor since 1986. He received the College of Engineering Teacher of the Year award in 1979 and was the recipient of the Edward Patrick Hogan Excellence in Teaching award in 2009.
Kemp has served as an advisor to mathematics majors and general studies students for more than 30 years. In 2007, he was recognized as Academic Advisor of the Year by the College of Engineering. He has also been an advisor for several campus organizations, including the Golden Key National Honor Society.
Svec began her service at SDSU in the College of Engineering in 1994. Prior to that, she lived in the Twin Cities, where she worked in the private sector in the computer department of a financial organization and taught computer science courses in the public school system.
In 2007, Svec accepted a part-time position as an administrative associate with the SDSU coordinating team to assist in the Higher Learning Commission, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools self-study for reaccreditation. The HLC site visit in November 2009 resulted in a successful and positive evaluation for reaccreditation.
The commencement speaker, Comeau, views her address “The Value of Values” as an opportunity to “affirm, broaden and enlighten” students’ perceptions about American Indians and Alaska Natives, calling them “this country’s indigenous peoples.”
“I plan to talk about American Indians and Alaska Natives and the special relationship we have with the United States government,” she said.
“I also will share some information about tribal colleges and universities as well as the values that have guided my life as an Indian person and educator,” Comeau added.
Comeau was born, raised and educated through high school on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota. A member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, she received her elementary education degree in 1964 and her master’s degree in educational administration in 1974 from Northern State University.
She taught in public schools in Minnesota and South Dakota, as well as in a school operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs on her home reservation, where she also served as elementary principal.
Comeau, who earned her doctorate in educational administration from the University of North Dakota in 1981, served as president of Haskell Indian Nations University for seven years, retiring in 2006. Prior to serving as president, she was the school’s chief academic officer following a position as chair of the teacher education department.
The SDSU Concert Band under the direction of Jim Coull and the Women’s Choir under the direction of Laura Diddle-Hildebrant will provide the commencement music.
Others participating in the ceremony include: Laurie Stenberg Nichols, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs; Maj. Kory Knight of Army ROTC and LTC. Dana Nielsen of Air Force ROTC; Rusty Antonen, chairman of the Alumni Association; Harvey Jewett of the South Dakota Board of Regents; Larry Rogers, Chairman of the Academic Senate; and Kevin Kephart, dean of the Graduate School.