News at SDState

The South Dakota State University College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences will soon have an endowed position focused on swine production. The Rick Wahlstrom Endowed Chair in Swine Production will help support a faculty member whose research and leadership will elevate scholarly research productivity and advance teaching efforts within swine production at SDSU.

How much is enough? That depends on the subject. When John D. Rockefeller, the world’s first billionaire, was asked, “How much is enough?” he famously answered, “Just a little bit more.” When it comes to sampling and statistics, the answer usually involves what Rockefeller was well known for — money. “Collecting data can be very expensive,” said assistant professor Felix Gnettner, who just planted his roots in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at South Dakota State University in January. He arrived after completing one year of postdoctoral work at Colorado State University.

When Laura Diddle arrived at South Dakota State University in 2003, she stepped into a role that would allow her to bring together her talents in teaching, conducting and mentorship. Over the next two decades, that role would grow into something greater, shaping not only a choral program, but generations of SDSU students and the musical life of the region.

SDSU's growing teacher education program — including a newly designed elementary education degree — is preparing future educators through early hands-on classroom experiences and a curriculum built to meet today’s varied student needs.

South Dakota State University's Oceti Sakowin language minor is the only such program in the South Dakota Board of Regents system, but it is one of many language revitalization programs nationwide.

Despite being the recipient of numerous awards over the years, including this year’s F.O. Butler Award for Excellence in Teaching, Tadd Hellwig, a professor of pharmacy practice in SDSU’s College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, didn’t always picture himself as an educator.

Graduate students make up about 10% of the student population across more than 100 master’s degree and Ph.D. programs and specializations and 23 graduate certificate programs offered at South Dakota State University. Each graduate student is immersed in research and scholarship with the support of their advisor and the Graduate School staff. April 6-10 is Graduate Student Appreciation Week, a great opportunity to highlight a few graduate students at SDSU and the work they are accomplishing.

Elias Gerstman, an electrical engineering major from Maryland, enjoys a bite of chocolate cream pie March 12. The Department of Mathematics and Statistics got a bit of a jump on Pi Day (March 14) because the official date fell on a Saturday at the start of spring break. Gerstman wears the department’s official Pi Day T-shirt, an annual design contest which he won in 2026. He depicts a unit circle on top of a pie with a lattice top crust. In more detail, it shows a unit circle with angle measurements depicted in terms of pi radians.

The South Dakota Space Design Competition welcomed students from across the Upper Midwest for the camp’s third year at South Dakota State University.  High school students from South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota were invited to explore space design and different areas of science, technology, engineering and math at the March 14-15 event, which was in person March 14 and virtual March 15 due to an incoming blizzard. Participants were given industry-specific challenges and tasked with delivering real-world solutions. 

Thanks to a series of grants, South Dakota State University offers a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling with tuition, fees and books all covered — meaning these counselors could get a graduate degree debt-free.