Jack the Jackrabbit mascot

During the NCAA tournament in March, Fox Sports named South Dakota State University’s mascot the best of the year’s tournament. In 2009, the Jackrabbit was selected one of 12 finalists in the Capital One All-America Mascot Team and was featured in the contest’s media blitz. With his national identity building, Jack is in need of some new clothes and we’re asking you to help Back Jack!

Mobridge has an opportunity to reinvent itself now that the historical rail yards are gone and Main Street can be extended to the banks of the Missouri River.  Each student in the Architecture program at SDSU will be taken to Mobridge and assigned a building to draw, model and work with.  The process will give the community a chance to see what the project can do for the city.

SDSU is home to South Dakota’s first and only professional architecture program. It is the only new school of architecture in the region in the last 100 years. SDSU’s architecture students hail from 24 cities in South Dakota, six states and the country of Honduras.

The demand for SDSU architecture graduates is significant, Rex says. “By the time this first class of architects graduates, 75 percent of the architects practicing in the state of South Dakota will be of retirement age,” he says.

The architecture program at SDSU is one of many success stories of It Starts with STATE: A Campaign for South Dakota State University. While the program relies on students’ tuition and fees to grow toward its sixth year and financial stability, the state’s architectural community stepped forward, pledging to raise $1.8 million for the program as well as providing in-kind, adjunct teaching services.

The founders group includes four Sioux Falls architecture firms: Architecture Incorporated, Koch Hazard Architects, Perspective Inc., and TSP. The group also includes SDSU alumnus Jerry Lohr, president of J. Lohr Properties and J. Lohr Winery of San Jose, Calif.

It Starts with STATE: A Campaign for South Dakota State University represents the largest investment of private dollars to higher education in South Dakota history. Gifts to the campaign already are impacting the University, with new academic programs, such as architecture, nearly 600 new scholarships and more than one dozen new buildings or major restorations. To join the more than 20,500 alumni and friends who have given to the campaign, click here.

Commencement ceremonies, which are open to the public, will be held on campus at Frost Arena at 10 a.m. for undergraduates and 2:30 p.m. for graduate students. At the morning ceremony, the student processional will start at 9:20 so audience members are asked to be in their seats by 9:15.

Laurie Fulton	Kristi Noem	Scott Munsterman

The morning ceremony can be seen on Mediacom Channel 2. Overflow seating will be available for the morning ceremony at The Market in the University Student Union west of Frost Arena.

The SDSU Brass Choir under the direction of Eric Peterson and the SDSU Chamber Choir under the direction of Steven Grives will provide music for the undergraduate ceremony. A short pre-commencement concert before the afternoon ceremony will be provided by David Reynolds on the trumpet and John Brawand on the organ. The SDSU Chamber Choir will also perform.

U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Laurie Fulton, a former Brookings resident and SDSU student, will provide the commencement address, “A Life of Choices and No Regrets,” at the undergraduate ceremony. U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem, who will receive her Bachelor of Science degree in political science, will speak on behalf of the students.

Graduate students will hear from former Brookings mayor and State Rep. Scott Munsterman. His topic is “Today and Tomorrow.”

Honorary marshals for the undergraduate ceremony will be Gail Tidemann, dean of continuing and extended education, and Gordon Tolle, professor of history and political science. Honorary marshals at the graduate ceremony will be Delvin DeBoer, professor of civil engineering and director of the of the Water and Environmental Engineering Research Center, and Mylo Hellickson, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering.

SDSU President David L. Chicoine and the college deans will confer the degrees and present the diplomas. Also taking part in the commencement programs are Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Laurie Nichols; Lt. Col. Carleton Hirschel, Air Force ROTC; Monte Mason, chairman of the SDSU Alumni Association; Jack Warner, executive director and CEO of the South Dakota Board of Regents; Bob Watrel, president of the SDSU Faculty Senate and professor of geography; and Mary Kay Helling, interim dean of the Graduate School.

Contact the office of Academic Affairs at 605-688-5264 for more information about the day’s events.

About South Dakota State University
Founded in 1881, South Dakota State University is the state’s Morrill Act land-grant institution as well as its largest, most comprehensive school of higher education. SDSU confers degrees from eight different colleges representing more than 175 majors, minors and specializations. The institution also offers 29 master’s degree programs, 12 Ph.D. and two professional programs.

The work of the university is carried out on a residential campus in Brookings, at sites in Sioux Falls, Pierre and Rapid City, and through Cooperative Extension offices and Agricultural Experiment Station research sites across the state.

The South Dakota State University campus community invites the public to come “Look What We’re Doing” as it celebrates three dedications over a two-day period beginning today (Thursday, April 26).

Avera Health and Science Center

The ceremonies kick off Thursday with the 3 p.m. dedication of the Laughrey Lecture Halls in the Avera Health and Science Center.  The lecture halls are named in honor of Brookings native Bruce Laughrey, a longtime loyal supporter of SDSU. Laughrey graduated from the College of Pharmacy at South Dakota State College in 1963. The Laughrey Lecture Halls provide cutting-edge tools to enrich the teaching and learning experience for SDSU students.

On Friday, the newly named Daktronics Engineering Hall on Eight Street will be dedicated at a 3 p.m. ceremony. The event will take place on the south side of the building. In the case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be in the Volstorff Ballroom in the Student Union.

With the completion of the west addition of the two-phase project, the building will be home to physics, electrical engineering and computer science. Phase I of the project was dedicated in spring 2009.

Daktronics Engineering Hall

In recognition of more than $5 million in gifts from Daktronics Inc. and its top officers (Brookings residents Jim Morgan, Al Kurtenbach and Duane Sander), the state Board of Regents approved naming Phase I and Phase II of the Electrical Engineeing and Computer Science Building as Daktronics Engineering Hall. With Friday’s dedication, nearly 200,000 square feet of new and renovated space has been created for the College of Engineering within the past 12 years.

The final dedication is for the Jerome J. Lohr Building at the corner of Eighth Street and Medary Avenue. The building is home to the SDSU Foundation. The dedication ceremony will begin at 4:30 p.m. outside the main entrance; an open house will follow at 5 p.m. In the case of inclement weather, the ceremony will occur in a conference room on the top floor of the building.

Jerome J. Lohr Building

Lohr, a 1958 civil engineering graduate, is owner of J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines in Califonrnia. He is a co-chair of the university’s comprehensive campaign, It Starts with STATE: A Campaign for South Dakota State University. He also chaired the university’s previous successful comprehensive campaign, Visions for the Future.  

“The Foundation building was recently renamed to honor Lohr’s role in creating the culture of giving that exists at SDSU, based on his fundraising efforts and his leadership in the university’s only two comprehensive campaigns,” said Steve Erpenbach, president and CEO of the Foundation.

The Laughrey Lecture Halls and Daktronics Engineering Hall are two of many projects being funded by gifts and pledges made to the SDSU Foundation in support of It Starts with STATE: A Campaign for South Dakota State University. The campaign aims to raise $200 million by the end of 2012. Nearly $184 million in gifts and pledges has been raised to date. Funds raised will increase scholarships for students, strengthen faculty excellence, support expanded research opportunities, build and revitalize facilities, and invest in athletics, museums, the arts and international experiences. To learn more, visit www.ItStartswithState.org or call the SDSU Foundation toll-free at 1-888-747-7378.

The ceremony, which is open to the public, will take place southeast of the University Student Union between the Union and Matthews Hall. In the event of rain, the ceremony will be held in The Market at the Union.

“Students have been an integral part of the planning for the new southeast residence hall neighborhood,” said Marysz Rames, vice president for student affairs. Rames will serve as master of ceremonies at the event. “At every stage of the development of this neighborhood, we’ve turned to students for their ideas.”

Joining Rames and SDSU President David L. Chicoine on the program will be Ben Stout, a junior plant science major from Kadoka who serves on the University Food Service Advisory Committee; Tyler Luckhurst, a junior political science major from Huron who serves on the Student Union Advisory Committee; Molly Fischer, a sophomore health and nutrition major from Le Mars, Iowa, who serves in the Residence Hall Association; and Mark York, a senior math and agronomy major from Lake Wilson, Minn., the 2011-12 president of the Students’ Association.

The new residence halls, known as Jackrabbit Grove, as well as the Union dining expansion, are key elements in SDSU’s strategic plan and Student Success Model. By grouping the buildings close to other residence halls, a neighborhood will be created for traditional freshmen and sophomore students.

“Throughout the development process, students told us they want to be associated with other students who are at the same stage of their academic careers,” Rames said. “This plan will give younger students a greater sense of community in a location that’s close to academic facilities, the Union and the Wellness Center.”

Research shows that students who live on campus, no matter what stage they’re at in their academic career, are more likely to do better academically, graduate on time and have greater satisfaction with their college experience. Jackrabbit Grove will create a neighborhood for freshmen and sophomores on the southeast side of campus while opening up more room for juniors, seniors, transfer students and graduate students on the northwest side of campus.

Even with the creation of the 412-resident Jackrabbit Village in 2010, SDSU still projects that demand for space on campus for freshmen and sophomores will exceed supply by 671 beds by 2013.

“The addition of these new facilities will address the need for space for freshmen and sophomores as well as open up space across campus for upper-division students,” Rames said.

The four new residence halls will be:

• Southwest with four floors, 66,000 square feet for 256 residents.
• Southeast with three floors, 44,000 square feet for 190 residents.
• Northeast with four floors, 43,000 square feet for 157 residents.
• Honors with three floors, 49,000 square feet for 198 residents.

The residence hall project has an approximate cost of $45.7 million that will be paid for by student rental fees. The halls will have amenities similar to those found in Jackrabbit Village but with more average square footage in the living space.

With more hungry students in the southeast neighborhood, the Union will expand its dining options with the addition of three new venues in approximately 19,000 square feet with additional seating for 300. Three nationally branded food service sites will occupy the newly created dining space. The expected cost of the project is $8.3 million and will be paid by student dining services meal plans.

All of the construction is slated to be complete by August 2013. For a map of southeast neighborhood, go to http://www.sdstate.edu/campus/expansion/index.cfm.

About South Dakota State University

Founded in 1881, South Dakota State University is the state’s Morrill Act land-grant institution as well as its largest, most comprehensive school of higher education. SDSU confers degrees from eight different colleges representing more than 175 majors, minors and specializations. The institution also offers 29 master’s degree programs, 12 Ph.D. and two professional programs.

The work of the university is carried out on a residential campus in Brookings, at sites in Sioux Falls, Pierre and Rapid City, and through Cooperative Extension offices and Agricultural Experiment Station research sites across the state.

To register, contact Lucy Forman by May 7, 2012.

South Dakota State University christened the newly renovated Erv Huether Field prior to the Jacks baseball game against Minnesota on Wednesday, April 11. Dave Lane and his wife, Shari, the lead donors to the project – were on hand to help dedicate the facility.

David and Shari, both 1986 State graduates, made a lead gift of $200,000 to allow SDSU to move forward with construction of a 600-seat grandstand with press boxes at the on-campus baseball facility. The seating project features both chairback and bleacher seats.

David Lane was a standout shortstop for the Jacks in the mid-1980s. Shari, a Brookings native, is a former Jackrabbit volleyball player. The couple met at State. They now live in Canada, where David is managing principal for Edward Jones.

As part of the dedication ceremony, Jackrabbit team captains Eric Cain and Andrew Phelan presented to the Lanes a plaque with a home plate signed by the team. Athletic Director Justin Sell and President David L. Chicoine participated in the dedication. David Lane then threw the ceremonial first pitch.

The Jackrabbits went on to beat the Gophers 3-1. It was the Jacks second home game of the season. SDSU has reached the Summit League championship each spring for the past three seasons.

“We’re just privileged and honored to be able to help in a small way,” David says about their gift. “We’re excited for the coaching staff and the players. …We’ve got a heck of a program going on at State.” David, a Minnesota native who was inducted into the Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame in 2011, had earlier established a baseball endowment in his father’s name.

Other former baseball players have contributed to the baseball field project. The Erv Huether Field renovation project is a project of It Starts with STATE: A Campaign for South Dakota State University. Fundraising efforts for the baseball program and other SDSU Athletics programs continue. To learn how you can make a difference for our student-athletes, contact Mike Burgers, Associate Athletic Director for Development, at (605) 697-7475 or at Mike.Burgers@sdsufoundation.org. To give now, click here.

South Dakota State University will officially christen the newly renovated Erv Huether Field prior to today’s (Wednesday, April 11) baseball game against Minnesota.

The pre-game dedication ceremony is scheduled to begin at approximately 2:45 p.m., with first pitch slated for 3 p.m

Thanks to a lead gift from former Jackrabbit standout Dave Lane and his wife, Shari, a permanent grandstand and press box have been constructed behind home plate. The seating project, which features both chairback and bleacher seats, will accommodate nearly 600 fans.

Source: SDSU Sports Information

Soweto Gospel Choir

The Soweto Gospel Choir show will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center on the SDSU campus. To order tickets, call the SDSU Music Department at 605-688-5187; ask about discounts for students and groups. The show is presented by the Music Department and Woodbine Productions. All proceeds support competitive scholarships for music students.

Founded fewer than 10 years ago, the Soweto Gospel Choir already has earned two Grammy Awards and performed for such luminaries as Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. The group is currently in the early stages of a North American tour that will take them to 45 states and Canada. Brookings is the only city in the three-state region to serve as a performance venue.

David Reynolds, head of the SDSU Music Department, is eager to host the exceptional cultural event for the community. “There isn’t any better way to expand the worldview of our community and our students than bringing a musical ensemble of this caliber to campus and to Brookings. At SDSU alone, we are home to students from 21 African countries.  The Soweto Gospel Choir is comprised of some of Africa’s finest musicians representing traditional and gospel music. It is going to be a fabulous night!”

The 52-member choir, under the direction of Beverly Bryer, draws on the best talent from the many churches in and around Soweto. The choir is dedicated to sharing the joy of faith through music with audiences around the world. The 2012 tour, titled “African Grace,” bridges denominational, generational and demographic divides. The March 30 performance is perfect for church choirs, study groups and children of all ages.

The Soweto Gospel Choir is heralded as one of the most inspirational groups to emerge in recent years.  Through vibrant rhythm, movement, traditional wardrobes, and renowned vocal tapestry, the Choir performs songs of remembrance for the past, as well as songs of joy and praise for the future.  Several of their performances have gone “viral” on YouTube, receiving millions of hits.

Woodbine Productions is a project of the SDSU Foundation and is underwritten by an anonymous benefactor who is committed to bringing great performances and entertainment to Brookings and South Dakota, as well as helping the next generation of musicians. The series has presented an eclectic variety of entertainers, ranging from Frankie Avalon and Aaron Neville to the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra and violin virtuoso Mark O’Connor. Every dollar spent on tickets goes directly to benefit talent scholarships for SDSU music students.

Kelley Johnson (center) and husband Chet (right) are recognized during a women’s basketball game at Frost Arena in February. Kelley was the 20,000th donor to It Starts with STATE. Keith Mahlum of the SDSU Foundation congratulates the Johnsons. Photo by Robby Gallagher

Kelley and Chet Johnson graduated from SDSU in 2007, the year that It Starts with STATE was launched. They met in an animal science lab as freshmen; Chet proposed to Kelley in the parking lot of Coughlin-Alumni Stadium three years after that.

They both got jobs in state government and started a family. Their son, Croix, is now 2. Recently, they took a leap of faith to start a business in western North Dakota that will serve the booming oil industry. In the midst of it all, Kelley decided to make her first gift to the university that was responsible for the start of their life together.

Little did she know her gift would make her the 20,000^th donor to the campaign, a sign of the depth of support that alumni and friends have demonstrated.

A scholarship helped Kelley pay tuition costs that weren’t covered by financial aid. She understands the importance of giving back. “I really enjoyed my time at SDSU,” Kelley said. “I hope that the quality of the programs the Foundation is supporting will be upheld for future students, as I have a little future Jackrabbit!” READ MORE

If you’d like to join the now more than 20,400 donors to It Starts with STATE: A Campaign for South Dakota State University, click here to give now.