SDSU Community –
The last week of classes before spring break also brings with it the Summit League men’s and women’s basketball tournament in Sioux Falls at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. Both the Jackrabbits men’s and women’s teams will enter the weekend as the No. 1 seeds and play their first game on Saturday.
The men will play at 6 p.m. and face the winner of Friday’s game between No. 8 Oral Roberts and No. 9 South Dakota, while the women will play at 3 p.m. and meet the team that advances between No. 8 Kansas City and No. 9 Omaha. Best of luck to both our teams as they look to punch their trips to the NCAA tournament.
Also, thank you to everyone who helped make Saturday’s final game and event in Frost Arena memorable. The facility will complete its final renovations during the spring and summer, becoming First Bank & Trust Arena next fall. It was a memorable day as the women’s team recognized its senior and completed its second consecutive undefeated conference season, becoming the first team in conference history to finish back-to-back years unbeaten in conference play. Congratulations to Coach Johnston and his team.
This week also marks the last week of the South Dakota legislative session. The consideration of another tuition freeze for our students will be discussed and possibly voted on this week. If the freeze passes, it will be the third consecutive year our students have not faced a tuition increase. This helps to keep the cost of higher education in South Dakota affordable.
While the tuition freeze is critically important to our students, it does also present the need for the South Dakota Board of Regents to account for employee salary increases, cost of inflation and other increased expenses covered by tuition funds that naturally occur from year to year. The BOR, in its FY25 budget request, did include a $12.8 million in its base budget request to assist with the tuition freeze and provide additional maintenance and repair dollars.
It will be an important week in Pierre, and we will keep you informed of any important items.
Last week Gov. Noem granted and the South Dakota Board of Regents supported administrative leave for eligible employees March 29 and April 1 during the holiday weekend. I hope everyone can enjoy time with family and friends during the time away from campus. It will be a nice break for our students, faculty and staff.
Finally, just a reminder about the campus construction Zoom presentation scheduled this Thursday and the upcoming dates for our campus master planning process. These are two separate, but equally important, items.
Thursday’s presentation will discuss the different projects that will take place this spring and summer, including the Campanile project.
The campus master planning process will include presentations to the campus community and include themes and next steps. I hope everyone can take part in the presentations. Additional information can be found below.
Thank you for everything you do to make SDSU a special place. I hope you have a wonderful week.
Go Jacks!
Sincerely,
Barry H. Dunn, President
The campus community is invited to join an SDSU campus projects presentation via Zoom (meeting ID 677 668 0507), Thursday at 10 a.m. Facilities and Services will share the project map and discuss the ongoing and upcoming construction projects around campus.
Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions via the “chat” function during the presentation. Participants can also contact Facilities and Services with any questions before or after the presentation.
The presentation is a good opportunity to hear more about work around campus, impacts in and around buildings, road closures, as well as other interesting and impactful project-related information.
International Women's Day is a global holiday where the campus community can celebrate the achievements of women. The Office of Multicultural Affairs and Accessibility, Office of International Affairs, the Brookings Multicultural Center, and the Committee for International Women's Day are hosting an open house celebration with coffee, tea and international treats for everyone, Friday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Multicultural Center in room 271 of the University Student Union.
The Office of Multicultural Affairs and Accessibility is hosting its next CommUNITY Meeting March 20 that will include interventional training to empower attendees to advocate for others by being equipped with skills to safely and realistically disrupt situations involving discrimination.
The meeting will be held in the University Student Union, room 262 from 3-4:30 p.m. or 6-7:30 p.m.
SDSU employees will have free access to the Miller Wellness Center recreation and fitness areas during spring break, March 10-16.
LeadState is a semester-long program for sophomore students that will take place during the fall 2024 semester. The program helps students identify and build on their leadership strengths, identify and lead with values, be a catalyst for social change, connect with campus and community leaders, and engage in community service.
Faculty and staff from across campus coordinate the program. Each student who participates will work with a group of peers throughout the semester alongside professionals from the facilitation team, developing their leadership capacity while working on a shared serve project.
Any student who will be a second-year student during the 2024-2025 academic year is eligible for the program. Faculty and staff are encouraged to identify current first-year students (traditional students or nontraditional students) who they think would be benefit from this leadership development program.
If you have students you would like to nominate for LeadState, please send each student’s name, student ID number and email address to Seth Daughters by April 4.
Additional information about LeadState can be found on sdstate.edu.
LeadState is a semester-long leadership development program designed for college sophomores. Students are nominated to participate by faculty and staff from across campus and can also self-nominate by sending an email to the LeadState account indicating their interest in the program. Around 50 students take part in LeadState each semester, and over 1,200 students have completed the program since its inaugural year in 2009.
The LeadState facilitation team comprises professional staff, faculty and administrators from across campus. Members organize leadership events, coordinate service opportunities, present leadership workshops and serve as leadership coaches who meet with students several times throughout the semester.
If you are interested in joining the LeadState team or would like additional information on one of SDSU’s signature leadership development programs, please contact Nathan Bylander. Additional information about LeadState can also be found online.
SDSU faculty and staff have access to Nature Masterclasses On-demand courses. The professional development courses comprise a range of topics including writing and publishing research papers, networking and collaboration, peer review, persuasive grant writing and data analysis.
The university has an institutional subscription to the on-demand courses through Jan. 30, 2025. This gives SDSU faculty and staff access to all available content on the platform (use SDSU single sign-on credentials). Visit the Division of Research’s Events and Training page for the list of courses and links to the platform.
The Coughlin Campanile will undergo a restoration process starting this spring. Work will include repair of the limestone, tuckpointing the brick masonry, and painting doors and window frames.
The last time this process occurred was in 2001. The project will go to bid this week, and the area around the Campanile will be roped off to limit pedestrian traffic immediately adjacent to the structure. The goal is to complete the work this fall, but the progress will be monitored, and the campus community will be updated as the schedule evolves.
Instructional Design Services will host its 2024 Summer eLearning Academy aimed to create, connect and support student success through online communities, fostering a positive and student success-centered eLearning environment.
The central theme of the academy is to emphasize the importance of creating a strong sense of presence and community in the online learning environment. By fostering high engagement with course content, peers, success resources and tutors, we can support and enhance the online learning experience for our learners.
The academy will take place May 9-10 via Zoom and offer two sessions each day from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Participants need to register by May 3. Space is limited, and registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Additional information about the academy is available on sdstate.edu.
Registration is now open for the Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Day. URSCAD encourages, promotes and recognizes student involvement in undergraduate research and creative activity at SDSU.
All undergraduate disciplines and years in school are encouraged to showcase their work. Top posters will be recognized during the program following the poster showcase.
Students should register by Friday for the April 2 event. More information, including the registration form, can be found on sdstate.edu.
Faculty and staff are encouraged to complete the Briggs Library survey in an effort to improve library services and resources. The survey is open until March 18 and can be accessed online.
The survey takes no more than 15 minutes. Responses are confidential, and only combined data is reported.
LibQUAL+ is a survey developed by the Association of Research Libraries to measure library service quality and identify best practices. Results from the 2024 survey will be compared with results from previously conducted surveys in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2020. Library staff will assess where they have made progress or if there are any widening gaps between campus expectations and what services and resources they can provide.<
Anyone having difficulty accessing or taking the survey should contact Kip Thorson, head of public services, at 605-688-5572.
Nominations are now open for SDSU’s Professional Advisor Awards. The awards include the Professional Advisor Award for Excellence in Advising or the Emerging Professional in Advising Award.
Any professional academic advisor or student success advisor who meets the criteria is eligible. Details about the award, including the nomination process, selection criteria and a link to the nomination form, can be found on the academic advising page on InsideState.
Nominations are due by 5 p.m. March 12. The recipient will be recognized at an awards ceremony in May. Questions may be directed to Jody Owen.
The Division of Research and Economic Development is hosting a training series to highlight some of the key federal funding agencies for research, scholarship and creative activity during the spring semester.
The informational sessions are to help faculty and staff learn more about the agencies and how to prepare for funding. Sessions started in February and run monthly into April. Dates, times and locations are available on sdstate.edu.
Applications are now open for select summer undergraduate research programs at SDSU. Students can submit one application for research support from a variety of different funding sources, including the Joseph F. Nelson Mentorship and the Honors College Undergraduate Research Fund.
Faculty and staff should encourage students from all disciplines to submit their research interests for possible funding. Awards will be competitive and based on the design of the proposed studies, quality of the application and potential for project success.
Completed applications, including a mentor assessment of the applicant, must be submitted by 11:59 p.m., tomorrow. More information, including the application, can be found on sdstate.edu.
The Monday Message appears weekly during the academic year and less frequently during the summer months and holiday breaks.
Information for the Monday Message, including nominations for Above and Beyond, can be submitted online through the submission form.