Monday Message, Jan. 21
SDSU Community 鈥
Welcome back from the long weekend and the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. I hope you all had a restful time away and are ready to embrace the opportunities and challenges of the new week.
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated in and organized the Martin Luther King Jr. Rally and Marade yesterday at the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex. Seeing so many of you come together to honor Dr. King's legacy was inspiring. I was grateful to be part of this significant event and appreciate the opportunity to participate.
Today marks an exciting milestone for our university as we officially launched the new and updated sdstate.edu website. This launch brings to a close an 18-month process of careful planning, selection, design and development. I want to especially thank Michelle Watkins, Jennifer Meiners, Terry Molengraaf and Niki Youmans for their leadership and guidance throughout this project. Their hard work and commitment have resulted in a website that not only reflects the university's vibrant spirit but also enhances our digital presence and accessibility. I know the team is enthusiastic about the post-launch work and is ready to assist with any questions or feedback you might have.
Looking ahead, tomorrow many of us will be heading to Pierre for Brookings/SDSU Day at the Capitol. This event is an opportunity for us to showcase the outstanding achievements and initiatives happening at SDSU and to engage with South Dakota鈥檚 leaders during what promises to be a busy legislative session. Our presence in Pierre underscores our commitment to being an integral part of the state's educational and economic landscape. Thank you to everyone who is taking part in the day and using this as opportunity to highlight the incredible work being done at our university.
This weekend, our campus will be abuzz with activity as the Office of Admissions, along with many others, will host our annual Scholars Weekend. This special event will welcome over 50 of the brightest and most talented students from South Dakota and the surrounding region. They will have the chance to meet with deans, faculty and representatives from various programs that align with their academic interests. Scholars Weekend is crucial for us as we seek to attract the next generation of leaders and innovators. I extend my sincere thanks to everyone who is working diligently to make this weekend a resounding success.
I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead. Let鈥檚 keep up the great work and continue to show the world the spirit of the Jackrabbits.
Go Jacks!
Sincerely,
Barry H. Dunn, President
Above and Beyond recognizes individuals and groups of SDSU 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 staff and volunteers at McCrory Gardens for their efforts in another successful year of Garden Glow.
In the 10 years of Garden Glow, the event has grown, both in its footprint and the excitement generated for the event.
Over 13,600 individuals attended the holiday display this year. For perspective, 51 individuals visited Garden Glow鈥檚 first year.
This year, Garden Glow included 350,000 lights, which covered five acers of the garden. This impressive display took 1,000 hours to set up and an additional 500 hours to keep up and running.
This year Garden Glow added a new feature named 鈥淲innie Lane,鈥 which included a 275-foot paver path with an 80-foot lighted tunnel that was synchronized to music.
Thank you to all who worked to make this year鈥檚 Garden Glow special including McCrory Gardens staff, volunteers and sponsors of the event.
Specifically, thank you to Christopher Schlenker, Lisa Marotz, Lori Puetz Amy Knofczynski, Aly Swanson, Sidonia Trio, Hannah Stolt, Cady Olson, Cristian Cuevas-Panza Ramsbottom, Montana Kack, Rose Nett, Nick Barrett, Brad Chambers, Jeffrey Hein, Bill Vitetta, Catherine Jones, Kathryn Rausch, Kayla Schmidt, Shayla Rundberg, Sophie Pavelka, Varlika Ahirekar and Carson Hunsley.
An additional thank you to the households, businesses and organizations who sponsored trees and other attractions, as well as others on campus for supporting this magical event.
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.
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.
Faculty Excellence
President Dunn, Provost Hedge and the Faculty Senate invite you to attend the annual Celebration of Faculty Excellence event Feb. 18. An afternoon of lectures and faculty displays showcase the unique and excellent work of SDSU鈥檚 faculty.
- 2 p.m. 鈥 David Fee Memorial Lecture
- 3 p.m. 鈥 Sewrey Colloquium
- 2-5:30 p.m. 鈥 Faculty Showcase
- 4:30 p.m. 鈥 Reception and small plates
- 6 p.m. 鈥 Awards program
An RSVP for the evening is appreciated and can be found on sdstate.edu.
2025 Orientation Leaders
New Student Orientation (NSO) is seeking outstanding and motivated students to become members of the 2025 Orientation Leader Team. Orientation leaders are a vital part of the NSO program as orientation participants meet and connect with fellow Jackrabbits.
Faculty and staff are encouraged to nominate outstanding students who might successfully fulfill the role. Nominations can be submitted by emailing Cody Burggraff by 8 a.m. Feb. 3. Please include the student鈥檚 name, Jacks email address, major (if known) and a reason or two why the candidate would be a good orientation leader.
As nominees are received, we will forward them the position information, instructions for applying, and your name and nomination statement.
Concept Proposals for Research
The Division of Research and Economic Development has launched a Call for Equipment Concept Proposals for Research. To enable SDSU to implement a strategic plan for infrastructure development, faculty and staff with interest in applying for funding to support research equipment are asked to submit a concept proposal to the Division of Research for review and feedback by the director of core research support facilities.
This opportunity invites concepts for equipment with a budget of $75,000 or greater. Selected proposals may be invited to present at a meeting of the University Research Council. This is a great opportunity to receive feedback and to find new equipment users prior to a published call from a sponsor.
The Division of Research will hold an informational webinar at 10 a.m. Jan. 27 .
. Contact Jose Gonzalez, director of core facilities at SDSU, with any questions.
Professional Staff Awards
The Professional Staff Advisory Council is now accepting nominations for the 2024-25 award cycle for the Presidential Awards of Excellence and the Rising Star Award.
Six award recipients will be selected for the Presidential Awards of Excellence, one in each category of the professional staff classifications. Each recipient will be provided with a plaque and a monetary award of $3,000 courtesy of the Office of the President. The categories include academics, athletics, business administration and facility management, Extension and outreach, research and student affairs.
For the Rising Star Award鈥, one recipient will be selected. It includes a monetary award of $1,500 supported by the Offices of the Provost and Vice President for Student Affairs.
The deadline for submission is Jan. 31. .
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. .
FY26 RSCA Challenge Fund
The Office of Academic Affairs and the Division of Research and Economic Development jointly invite proposals to the RSCA Challenge Fund for fiscal year 2026. This seed grant supports the growth of sponsored research, scholarship and creative activity (RSCA) at 葫芦影业. SDSU faculty and professional staff are eligible to apply individually or in teams. The full request for applications is available on the RSCA Committee page on InsideState. Additional information is available on sdstate.edu.
Applications must be electronically routed in Cayuse for institutional approval. Per SDSU policy, requests for sponsored funding must be routed no later than seven working days prior to the submission deadline. Please work with your college's grant specialist.
Submit proposals through the InfoReady portal. You must sign in using SDSU credentials (SSO) and ensure your InfoReady profile identifies SDSU, or a unit of SDSU, as your primary organization.
Proposals are due Feb. 3 at 5 p.m. CST.
