Monday Message, April 7
SDSU Community,
As we begin a new week there is a sense that more springlike weather may be coming our way with some warmer temperatures.
As many of you know, several of us had the opportunity to attend the South 啵啵直播秀 Board of Regents meeting last week in Aberdeen. It was a productive and insightful meeting, one that provided a chance to engage in open and honest discussions about the state of higher education, both here in South 啵啵直播秀 and across the nation. These conversations are essential as we navigate the ever-changing landscape and work to ensure that our institutions remain resilient and adaptable.
One of the outcomes from the meeting was the approval of a 2.9% tuition increase at nearly all the South 啵啵直播秀 public universities for the upcoming academic year. After five years of holding tuition relatively flat, this increase was necessary to ensure that our institutions have the resources needed to continue providing high-quality education, support faculty development and invest in initiatives that promote student success.
This tuition increase was carefully considered with the goal of minimizing the financial impact on our students while ensuring that we continue to offer a premier education. I assure you that even with this adjustment, South 啵啵直播秀 State University will continue to be one of the best values in the region when you combine the excellent academic opportunities against the cost of attendance. While neighboring institutions have raised their tuition and fees by double digits in recent years, our commitment remains to keeping education affordable and accessible to as many students as possible.
Just a reminder that this Thursday, we will host Board of Regents Executive Director Nathan Lukkes on campus. Mr. Lukkes' presentation will begin at 5 p.m. in the University Student Union Hobo Day Gallery. He will share an update on the work of the South 啵啵直播秀 Board of Regents and the progress we鈥檝e made in partnership with the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. Together, we have been exploring ways to improve efficiencies and highlight opportunities for growth within the state鈥檚 public university system.
Additionally, Mr. Lukkes will provide an overview of the recently concluded 100th session of the South 啵啵直播秀 Legislature. As you may know, the legislative session was particularly significant for our public universities, and he will discuss both the challenges and successes we encountered.
I encourage anyone that is available to join us for this important discussion. It鈥檚 an opportunity to engage directly with the leadership of the Board of Regents and gain insight into the future direction of higher education in South 啵啵直播秀.
Thank you for all that you do, I sincerely appreciate it! Have a wonderful week, and let鈥檚 keep working together to finish this semester strong.
Go Jacks!
Barry H. Dunn
President, South 啵啵直播秀 State University
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.
SDSU is home to over 250 student organizations. Each gives students the opportunity to develop leadership skills and build community across campus. This week we feature a student leader whose involvement has made an impact.
Serving as the 鈥渧oice of students,鈥 Trinity Peterson is the outgoing president of the SDSU Students鈥 Association.
Students鈥 Association is the student government at SDSU with student senators elected from each of the academic colleges.
As president, Peterson鈥檚 task was to lead the weekly senate meetings and represent student interests on campus, in the community and beyond.
The senior from Willow Lake is studying political science and agricultural leadership.
Peterson said students involved in the organization have the opportunity to meet with leaders and advocate for their education. This includes SDSU administration, city of Brookings leadership and legislators in Pierre.
Peterson鈥檚 leadership journey began when she ran for a senate seat in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. It was never her goal to pursue a leadership role within the organization, but conversations with her peers lead her down that path.
Peterson is finishing her second term as president.
Being the leader of the student body came with some challenges. Peterson said her biggest was accepting how slow things can sometimes move.
Looking back on her years at SDSU, Peterson said Bum-A-Meal tops the list of favorite events. Bum-A-Meal is a Hobo Day tradition where students are invited to have a home-cooked meal at a community member鈥檚 home.
While it was affordability that initially brought Peterson to State, she said the people are what make SDSU special.
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.
Wokini Challenge Grant
A reminder that the Wokini Challenge Grant is now open for applications. The grant supports innovative projects and/or research that align with the goals and mission of the Wokini Initiative.
It is an opportunity to develop leadership opportunities for Indigenous students, develop relationships with Indigenous staff and faculty at SDSU, and enhance cultural understanding and community engagement through projects that uplift Indigenous perspectives and knowledge.
Important Dates:
- Discussion with Wokini program coordinator deadline: April 11,
- Application deadline: May 30 by 5 p.m. CST
We look forward to receiving your applications and supporting impactful projects 鈥 .
SPIN
The Division of Research and Economic Development will host a presentation, April 16 from 1-2:30 p.m. about SPINPlus, a funding search database available to faculty, staff and students. .
The presentation will cover:
- Public (federal and state government) and private (foundations) funding opportunities.
- Results are returned to the user in relevancy ranked format, and can be further sorted, grouped or filtered.
- Searches can be saved for future use.
- Searches can be set up to send daily or weekly notification alerts.
The webinar will also cover designing searches, utilizing filters for narrowing results and activating automated email notifications of grants. During the presentation, questions are welcome. This session will not be recorded.
SPARC RFP
The Division of Research and Economic Development invites applications for an internal competitive planning grant to support the development of large, complex project proposals for external funding.
Proposing teams must represent at least two substantively different disciplines and projects must align with one of SDSU鈥檚 priority research themes.
Applications may request up to $15,000 and must be submitted via InfoReady by May 30.
Lightning Talk: Course Deliver Methods
Join Continuing and Distance Education, Academic Affairs and Records and Registration as we highlight course delivery methods in a short 30-minute lightning talk.
Online synchronous vs asynchronous, April 24 from 10-10:30 a.m. .
Prairie Repertory Theatre Season Tickets
. This year marks PRT鈥檚 54th season.
SDSU faculty and staff receive a discount on all tickets purchased.
2025 Distinguished Alumni Nominations
The SDSU Alumni Association is seeking nominations for the 2025 Distinguished Alumni awards. Information about the awards and the nominating process can be found on the .
Spring Dance Concert: Be
SDSU Theatre and Dance will present the annual Spring Dance Concert 鈥淏e鈥 in the Oscar Larson Theatre at the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center.
Through the development of original choreography, students work with the dance ensemble director to develop work that communicates with intention and purpose. Choreographers are free to imagine how the theme 鈥淏e鈥 inspires dance composition and provides opportunity for creativity and intellectual discourse.
Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday 13 at 2 p.m.
, at the box office in the lobby of the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center or by calling 605-688-6045.
Summer IDS eLearning Academies
Instructional Design will host 2025 Summer eLearning Academy in May. The academy will focus on empowering faculty to leverage the potential of generative artificial intelligence within the D2L learning environment.
Additional information and how to register is available on sdstate.edu.
Professional Staff Annual Celebration
The Professional Staff Advisory Council will host its annual celebration and award ceremony May 14 at 2:30 p.m. in Woster Celebration Hall at the SDSU Alumni Center. A social will begin at 2:30 p.m., followed by the awards at 3 p.m.
The Rising Star and Presidential 啵啵直播秀 of Excellence recipients will be announced, and those in attendance will have a chance at door prizes.
A Zoom link will be made available for those who cannot attend in person.
Jumpstart Your Wellness
SDSU students, alumni and friends are invited to join the SDSU Alumni Association for the third annual Jumpstart Your Wellness event. The event includes three educational presentations to help you take the next step in a wellness journey.
The event will be held Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Woster Celebration Hall.
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Go Big, Give Blue: A Month of Impact for SDSU Student Organizations
For the next four weeks, SDSU student organizations will come together for a campuswide giving challenge designed to support their initiatives, foster a culture of philanthropy and strengthen the Jackrabbits community.
Through Friday, student clubs and organizations will showcase their missions, rally support from peers, alumni and the SDSU community, and raise funds for the projects that matter most.
Through digital storytelling, collaboration and engaging challenges, participating groups will tap into the power of philanthropy one small action at a time.
Various events include the Go Big Rally kickoff event that includes a video workshop where students get guidance and feedback for creating campaign content and a digital scavenger hunt to kickstart engagement and participation.
Weekly themes will guide clubs through creative storytelling, collaboration, action-based challenges and impact reflection. Incentives and prizes will reward student groups for engagement, participation and fundraising success.
Open to all SDSU-affiliated clubs, organizations and student-focused initiatives, each group can actively promote their fundraising efforts or support other participating organizations throughout the challenge.
The Jackrabbits Philanthropy Center is here to help. There are resources and support to provide tools, visibility and guidance to help student groups make the most of this opportunity.
Interested student organizations should contact Heidi Hopewell at the SDSU Foundation.
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.
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Updated Policies
New and updated university policies continue to be adopted and published. For the most recent updates, visit New and Recently Revised Policies.
