Monday Message, Feb. 18
SDSU Community,
A cold Tuesday greets us after a long President鈥檚 Day weekend. I hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable time away from campus. While the temperatures may be frigid today, the end of the week looks promising with conditions that might just remind us of the early signs of spring.
Today is a very special day as we host our Celebration of Faculty Excellence. The events begin with the David Fee Memorial Lecture at 2 p.m. in the Hobo Day Gallery. This year, we are honored to feature Kristi Cammack, who will present "Sustainability 鈥 A Look Through the Lens of a Rancher." Kristi鈥檚 perspective on sustainability in agriculture is sure to be insightful and thought-provoking, and I encourage everyone to attend.
Following the lecture, the Sewrey Colloquium will take place at 3 p.m., featuring faculty members who will discuss a range of important topics. This colloquium serves as a platform to highlight the outstanding work and research happening across our university, and it is always inspiring to hear from our faculty experts.
The day of recognition will conclude with the Faculty 啵啵直播秀s program at 6 p.m. This is a time to honor and celebrate the dedication, scholarship and service of our exceptional faculty members. Their contributions are vital to the success of our students and the advancement of our academic mission. I encourage all of you to take a moment to express your appreciation for the faculty who make a difference in our university community every day.
In addition to celebrating our faculty, I want to take a moment to recognize the faculty, staff and others for an important achievement by the Ness School of Management and Economics. Last week, the school received its business accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International. This accreditation is a significant milestone, as AACSB is the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools and the largest business education network in the world. Achieving this recognition is a testament to the hard work, dedication and excellence of Ness School Director Joe Santos and the many faculty and staff members who contributed to this accomplishment. Congratulations to everyone involved in this success! And thank you for helping the university along its pathway to premier!
As we move through the week, let鈥檚 carry with us a sense of appreciation for the incredible work being done by our faculty, staff and students. SDSU continues to be a premier land-grant university because of the commitment and passion of our people.
Thank you all for everything you do to make SDSU such a wonderful place. I wish you a fantastic week ahead.
Go Jacks!
Sincerely,
Barry H. Dunn, President
Above and Beyond recognizes individuals and groups of South 啵啵直播秀 State University employees, faculty and students for individual and team efforts that go Above and Beyond to make the campus community a better place. This week we recognize the SDSU College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions for achieving a 100% pass rate on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination.
In 2024, 56 of the 59 Pharm.D. graduates took the NAPLEX exam, and all 56 passed on their first attempt.
The 100% mark improves on the college鈥檚 consistently strong first-time pass rates: 93.8% in 2023, 93.2% in 2022 and 97.3% in 2021.
The national average was 77.5% in 2024, up from 76.6% in 2023. Individual college statistics have not been released by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.
This achievement also places the pharmacy program as No. 1 in the U.S. for NAPLEX pass rates.
The NAPLEX is a 250-question, multiple-choice, computerized examination designed to determine whether candidates have the knowledge, judgment and skill necessary to practice pharmacy at entry-level competence.
Accomplishments like this are a team effort 鈥 faculty, staff, preceptors and students all play a huge part. Thank you to everyone who worked to achieve this impressive rate.
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.
Digital Marketing in Higher Education
Click Rain, the university鈥檚 digital marketing company, will host a presentation pertaining to marketing and recruitment of students in higher education, tomorrow from noon-1 p.m. in the Lewis and Clark Room at the University Student Union. All faculty and staff are invited to attend.
The presentation will include the foundational marketing campaigns from Admissions and the university鈥檚 brand campaign supported by University Marketing and Communications. In addition, Click Rain will provide insight into how it supports various departments.
.
2025 Distinguished Alumni Nominations
The SDSU Alumni Association is seeking nominations for the 2025 Distinguished Alumni awards. .
Summer Term Compensation Open Forums
Continuing and Distance Education along with the offices of Academic Affairs and Human Resources are hosting an open forum for departments, schools and faculty regarding summer term compensation.
Nine- and 10-month faculty who may be teaching, conducting research and providing service during the summer term are invited to join us to learn about summer term compensation, related processes and important dates.
Feb. 25 鈥 Summer term faculty open forum from 2-3 p.m., University Student Union Room 253, Pheasant and Crest (A,B and C).
March 19 鈥 Summer term faculty open forum from 1:30-2:30 p.m., University Student Union Room 169, Campanile and Hobo Day Gallery (A and B).
.
The Summit League Food Fight
The SDSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is collecting food and monetary donations as part of The Summit League Food Fight to help support Jack's Cupboard, Brookings County Food Pantry, Feeding Brookings and the Brookings Backpack Project.
A $1 donation equals five pounds of food. The committee is collecting donations until Feb. 28.
Individuals interested in donating may do so with:
- An
- A check made payable to Brookings County Food Pantry dropped off at First Bank & Trust Arena (Room 262) or mailed to: SDSU 鈥 Attn: SAAC Food Fight, Stanley J. Marshall HPER Center 251, Box 2820, Brookings, SD 57007.
Questions may be directed to Holly Van Vlymen.
Warrior Wellness Week
Warrior Wellness Week is a university event that brings together student leaders, campus partners and community organizations to promote overall well-being. Each day during the week features a different dimension of wellness with programs designed to empower participants to be proactive in caring for themselves and others. During this week, faculty/staff also have free access to the Miller Wellness Center.
Events during Warrior Week include:
- Feb. 24 鈥 Physical and environmental wellness
- Feb. 25 鈥 Financial wellness
- Feb. 26 鈥 Emotional wellness
- Feb. 27 鈥 Digital and occupational wellness
- Feb. 28 鈥 Social and mindful wellness
Additional information about Wellness Week is available on sdstate.edu.
Theatre and Dance presents 鈥楾he Turn of the Screw鈥
SDSU Theatre and Dance will present 鈥淭he Turn of the Screw鈥 by Jeffrey Hatcher, based on the novel by Henry James, in the Fishback Studio Theatre at the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center.
In this classic ghost story, a young woman is hired to care for two recently orphaned children in a lovely secluded English manner in 1872. As time goes by, the woman begins to see the specters or ghosts of the former governess and her lover. Are these ghosts in her mind, or are they appearing to haunt the children? As the governess attempts to stop the fiends from taking the children away, the underlying question is: Are the sightings real or only in the woman鈥檚 mind?
Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
, at the box office in the lobby of the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center or by calling 605-688-6045.
Eastern Science and Engineering Fair Judges
The Eastern South 啵啵直播秀 Science and Engineering Fair will be held March 25 in Club 71 at the Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. The event invites middle and high school students to campus to showcase their research. The success of the event depends on a group of judges helping interview students for a variety of awards and prizes.
.
The majority of the judging occurs from 9-11:30 a.m., with a judges training starting at 8:15 a.m. Some judges are also need for the Grand 啵啵直播秀s from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. If you are interested in serving as a Grand 啵啵直播秀s judge, please email Brad Blaha. Grand 啵啵直播秀s judges generally have judging experience and an interest in a broad range of subjects.
Faculty who work with undergraduate students that may be interested in helping serve as volunteers . Colleges and departments interested in sponsoring an award should email Brad Blaha.
Soul Food Luncheon
Celebrate Black History Month by experiencing southern cuisine with the Soul Food Luncheon, sponsored the Black Students Alliance, Office of Multicultural Affairs and Accessibility and Sodexo.
The event will be held Feb. 28 in the Multicultural Center, Room 271 in the University Student Union, at 11:30 a.m.
Jacks Virtual 5K
The South 啵啵直播秀 State Alumni Association will host the Jacks Virtual 5K to benefit Jack鈥檚 Cupboard, SDSU's free on-campus food pantry for students experiencing food insecurity, during the month of April. A virtual 5K is a race that can be run or walked from any location, any day or any time that you choose during the month of April. Additional information about the event and how to enter is available on the .
Freedom Writers Film Screening
In conjunction with the Griffith Honors Forum Lecture, the Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College will host a free film screening of the hit movie 鈥淔reedom Writers,鈥 inspired by Erin Gruwell鈥檚 novel 鈥淭he Freedom Writers Diary,鈥 Saturday at Brookings Cinema 8. Doors will open at 9:15 a.m., and the movie will begin at 10 a.m. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis, and concessions will be available for purchase.
REDCap Training
The Division of Research and Economic Development is hosting a three-part series of trainings on REDCap, delivered by staff at the Avera Research Institute.
REDCap stands for Research Electronic Data Capture and is a HIPAA-compliant, secure platform for building and managing online surveys and databases, often used in clinical trials and similar uses.
Information about each session and how to register is available on sdstate.edu. Sessions will be recorded and made available on the division鈥檚 Events and Training page.
Undergraduate Research Funding Application
Applications are 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. 啵啵直播秀s 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. March 1.
Schultz-Werth 啵啵直播秀 Competition Application
The application portal for the Schultz-Werth 啵啵直播秀 Competition is open. Faculty and staff should encourage senior undergraduate students from all disciplines to submit their scholarly or creative projects for consideration. 啵啵直播秀s up to $2,500 per winning student will be awarded at the end of the academic year. The deadline to submit a paper for the Schultz-Werth award is March 1. More information can be found on sdstate.edu.
Griffith Honors Forum Lecture
The 2025 Griffith Honors Forum Lecture will take place in the Larson Memorial Concert Hall of the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. The Griffith Lecture is historically one of the largest campus events every year, often drawing more than 900 attendees. This year the speaker is Erin Gruwell, author of the 鈥淭he Freedom Writers Diary.鈥 Tickets are available online.
IDS Spring 2025 Training Schedule
Instructional Design Services will host training seminars during the spring 2025 semester.
The trainings will include online community building, accessible eLearning and teaching in the generative AI era. Some featured workshops include the D2L accessibility checker (Panorama) and the newly added D2L gradebook feature allowing instructors to publish grades directly to Banner.
These workshops, eLearning applications, weekly webinars and the Online Teaching Certification Program will help prepare for successful teaching in spring 2025.
All SDSU faculty, academic staff and graduate teaching assistants are encouraged to attend these training sessions. .
Updated Policies
New and updated university policies continue to be adopted and published. For the most recent updates, visit the New and Recently Revised Policies page on sdstate.edu.
