Black Hills State University students, alumni, faculty and staff achieve amazing successes. There are many reasons to take pride in BHSU. Here are some recent accomplishments: 

• Black Hills State University transforms lives through innovative high-quality academic programs and a dynamic learning community.
• BHSU has the highest percentage of undergraduate adult students among the six state universities.
• For the third consecutive year, BHSU was named to the national President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. This designation, by the Corporation for National and Community Service, recognizes BHSU for its exemplary community service efforts. Throughout the year, students participate in variety of community service projects. BHSU contributes over 9,000 hours per year to community service in the area. Read more...
• Dr. Kay Schallenkamp, BHSU president, is the 2008-2009 chair of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) Board of Directors. AACTE is a national voluntary association of higher education institutions and other organizations and is dedicated to ensuring the highest quality preparation and continuing professional development for teachers and school leaders in order to enhance preschool through high school student learning.
• During the 2008-2009 school year at BHSU, more than 550 students graduated.  For the first time in BHSU’s history the May 2009 commencement ceremony was broadcast live via the internet. Read more...
• Black Hills State University’s proximity to the Sanford Laboratory at Homestake combined with a high level of interest among faculty and staff has created numerous collaborative projects not only in science but also in science education and across the disciplines, giving students the opportunity to participate in ground-breaking research. Read more...
• Black Hills State University has been awarded a $499,844 grant by the National Science Foundation to study plants of this region and neighboring states. Read more...

• The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) selected BHSU as a member of the NAIA Champions of Character program.
• BHSU finished 17th in the 2007-08 U.S. Sports Academy Director’s Cup standings.  The award is presented annually by the National Association of College Directors of Athletics, the United States Sports Academy and USA Today to the best overall collegiate athletic programs in NCAA Division I, II and III and the NAIA.
• Two professors at BHSU participate in the Olympics. Dr. Dan Durben, associate professor, who was a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic rifle team and head coach of the 2000 U.S. Olympic rifle team, coached the 2004 U.S. Paralympics in Athens, Greece; and Dr. Christian Nsiah, assistant professor of accounting and economics and assistant track and field coach, competed in the Olympic games in 1996, 2000 and 2004.
• BHSU was the winner of the 2007-2008 Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) Commissioner’s Cup All Sports Award. The award is given to the school that collectively has the best performance in all sports in which they participate. This season was the first time BHSU received this honor. Read more...
• The BHSU women’s track team placed first for the fourth consecutive season at the 2009 Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) championship. The men’s team placed second for the third consecutive year. Read more...
• The Yellow Jacket men’s rodeo team earned fifth place in the nation at the 2009 College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) in Casper. BHSU rodeo coach, Glen Lammers, was named the 2009 Rodeo Coach of the Year in his first year of coaching for the team. Last year, Chuck Schmidt, BHSU history major from Keldron, won the 2008 Saddle Bronc Championship at the CNFR. Read more...
• The 1978 Baseball Team was inducted into the BHSU Hall of Fame in 2009. SDIC Champions in 1978 with a 11-5 record (lead conference with a team .344 batting average) - won league by four games. There were seven players from the team that were selected All-Conference and three were selected Honorable Mention All-Conference.

• Tyler Raad, theatre and vocal music major from Spearfish, will be directing the BHSU music department’s first-ever full opera, Dido and Aeneas. Radd, who will also be playing the role of Aeneas, is also designing and making both the set and the costumes and has hired the conductor and the orchestra for the production. Dido and Aeneas will be performed March 19 and 20 in the Clare & Josef Meier Recital Hall at BHSU.
• Tyson Karn, Rapid City, earned one of the 2010 NASPE Outstanding Major of the Year designations. That marks three years in a row that BHSU students have received this recognition. The Outstanding Major of the Year Award is given to honor exemplary students majoring in physical education, sport management, athletic training, and the sub-disciplines of kinesiology from across the country through the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE).
• PJ Painter, BHSU Rodeo Team member, was awarded a scholarship at the College National Finals Rodeo for his 3.8 grade point average (GPA); he had the third highest GPA of the contestants entered at the CNFR.
• Riston Haugen from Baltic, was one of only 10 students awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) travel scholarship based on the scientific merits of their work at the Ecological Genomics Symposium. The title of Haugen’s presentation was “Determination of the genetic basis of pseudoflower formation in Boechera holboellii.” Cynthia Anderson, co-director of BHSU’s DNA core facility, was a co-author of the presentation. Read more...
• Six BHSU music students received honors at the state-wide, sponsored by the South Dakota Music Teachers Association. Tyler Raad, junior from Spearfish, placed second in the vocal division at the competition. Jamie Williams, senior from Gillette, Wyo., received an honorable mention in the same division. Pianist Jessica Finch, senior from Rapid City, received an honorable mention in the collegiate piano division. Ashton VandenHoek, senior from Jamestown, Mich., received an honorable mention in her vocal division. Read more...
• Kelsey Hohn, sophomore mass communication major from Huron, exhibited several photography pieces at the Spearfish Arts Center Gallery, her show is entitled, Butterfly Kisses. Read more...
• Kristin M. Engle, BHSU senior physical education and wellness management major, received the Outstanding Major of the Year Award, by the National American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance award (AAHPERD). Read more...
• Peter Lemke, mathematics major from Sturgis, presented his paper "Schwarzschild Like Solutions To the Einstein Manifold" at both the Pikes Peak Regional Undergraduate Mathematics Conference and the Regional conference for the Mathematical Association for America. Only a handful of undergraduates present at these conferences.
• Several of our accounting graduates have passed all four sections of the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam on the first attempt. Only about one in ten candidates nationwide pass all four parts in one attempt.
• Megan Allen, outdoor education major from Meeteetse, Wyo., was selected for a competitive national scholarship to the National Association of Interpretation's (NAI) workshop.
• BHSU student Charlotte Walling and Dr. Andy Johnson, associate director of CAMSE, presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers.
• Jessica Juhrend, speech communication major from Spearfish, won the Blank Theatre Company’s Nationwide Young Playwright’s Competition. Juhrend’s play, Blood, was produced with professional actors in Los Angeles in June 2009 as a part of the Blank Theatre Company’s Young Playwright’s Festival. Juhrend traveled to Los Angeles to be a part of the rehearsal process. Read more...
• Research by 27 Black Hills State University students and one faculty member was accepted this year for presentation at the 23rd National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR). Read more...
• BHSU students demonstrated their commitment to sustainability by joining with more than 12,000 college students from across the nation this spring taking part in Power Shift 2009, a national youth summit in Washington, D.C. Read more...
• Several BHSU students received the Gates Millennium Scholarship this year. Students who received the scholarship award were: Dallas Nelson, junior American Indian studies major from Red Cloud; Kaylynn Two Bulls, sophomore education major from Red Cloud; Mary Jo May, sophomore from Martin; Kaitlyn Dupris, sophomore business major from Dupree; and Gunner Krogman, freshman business major from Mission. The prestigious scholarship funds 10 years of education through the Gates Scholarship Foundation. Students are selected based on a rigorous application and review process including essays, community service during high school year, academic achievement, and leadership activities. Read more...
• BHSU business students recently won the Idea Creation competition at Launch ’09, an entrepreneurship education event which included college participants from across the state. Read more...
• Keely Krolikowski, freshman chemistry major from Martin, was awarded with the highly competitive Davis-Bahcall Scholarship, a one-of-a-kind opportunity for South Dakota students interested in science. Recipients study at the Sanford Lab at Homestake in Lead, the Gran Sasso National Underground Laboratory in Italy, and Princeton University in New Jersey. Ten students were chosen to receive the scholarship that covers tuition, room and board, and travel for the summer-study program.
• Polly Hall, senior pre-medicine major from Sheridan, Wyo., won first place in the poster competition at the South Dakota Academy of Science.
• Jay Jacobs, senior biology major from Deadwood, was awarded second place in the poster competition at the South Dakota Academy of Science.
• Tyler Raad, junior speech communications major from Spearfish, won first place in the collegiate male division at the South Dakota competition for the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) that was held recently in Brookings.
• Ashton VandenHoek, senior vocal music major from Jamestown, Mich., won second place in the collegiate female division at the South Dakota competition for the NATS. VandenHoek also won first place last fall in the South Dakota Music Teachers Association collegiate voice competition.

College of Education

• The College of Education prepares competent, confident, and caring professionals.
• Project PRIME, was singled out by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan BHSU as an example of high-quality innovative teacher preparation programs. Read more...
• BHSU consistently produces the largest number of teacher education graduates in the State of South Dakota with an annual graduate rate of over 100 teachers. 253 BHSU graduates from 2003-2007 are teaching in South Dakota school districts.
• Students are encouraged to participate in study abroad programs. Current student teaching opportunities include teaching in Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and South America.
• BHSU has the largest Curriculum and Instruction master’s program (MSCI) in the state with many opportunities for online completion in technology and reading. The MSCI graduate program is comprised of local, regional, national and international students.
• Recently 100 percent of the BHSU teacher education students earned passing scores on their first attempt to take their content exams and the Principles of Learning and Teaching exam which is required for South Dakota licensing.
• Dr. James Hesson, professor of exercise science, is currently the only individual in the state of South Dakota that is dual certified with dual distinction. Hesson is certified in two NSCA specializations, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) through the year 2011. He also spent five weeks as a visiting sport physiologist at the United States Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo. Much of his work was to prepare Team USA athletes for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Read more...
• Dr. Gregory Cooch, associate professor of education, was invited to present his special education research at the National Transition Conference in North Carolina. Funding has been extended for his study, which began with a six-year $330,000 grant from the South Dakota Department of Education/Special Education to address performance outcomes of children receiving special education services once they exit the K-12 system.
• Dr. Lee Pearce, associate professor of education, presented the results of his research at the annual Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) summit in Albuquerque, N.M. Funding for Pearce’s research has been extended through the next academic year. He has also had his manuscript “Oral Reading Fluency as a Predictor of Reading Comprehension with American Indian and White Elementary Students” published in the School Psychology Review. Read more...
• Dr. Lee Pearce, associate professor of education, published his article in the Rural Educator entitled, “Helping Children with Emotional Difficulties: A Response to Intervention Investigation.” His article was a program evaluation that reviews the impact of a response to intervention (RtI) process on nine elementary children experiencing significant emotional and behavioral challenges within the school setting.
• Project SELECT was recognized at the National Day on the Hill, as one of five innovative educational partnerships in the nation that are making a positive impact on student learning.
• Chris McCart, instructor and coordinator of the outdoor education program at BHSU, was recently selected for a Bush Leadership Fellowship which will have a transformational effect on her career and her sphere of influence in the outdoor education field.
• Dr. Len Austin, associate professor of education; and Dr. John Alsup, professor of education, presented at the World Civic Forum at the United Nations Conference in Seoul, Korea. Austin presented, “Teaching People Not Content: Using Higher Education to Develop Humanitarian Skills.” Alsup’s presentation was titled, “Teaching Mathematics in Rural Tanzania.” Read more...

• The Johanna Meier Opera Theatre Institute, the only summer opera program in the region, attracts students and instructors from around the world.
• BHSU students will be doing increased genomics and biomedical research as a result of a multi-million dollar grant. Read more...
• BHSU Summer Theatre completed a successful run of its third season. One of the three productions was a musical “Wizard of Oz” which included BHSU students and as well as 35 students from the community.
• Dr. Brian Smith, professor of biology at BHSU, was recently elected to the Board of Trustees of The Herpetologists' League. Read more...
• Dr. Ahrar Ahmad, professor of political science, who was named Carnegie Professor of the Year for South Dakota, received a Fulbright Scholarship senior teaching and research fellowship for the 2007-08 school year. While on sabbatical from BHSU, Dr. Ahmad taught upper division courses in political science at the International University in Bangladesh.
• During it’s 35th anniversary, KBHU, the only 24-hour student-run college radio station in the five-state region, recently expanded its coverage area of a 60 mile radius with a new station KJKT-FM (K-Jacket) on 90.7 .
• Photographs by 22 Black Hills State University mass communication students were chosen as finalists for the 29th Annual College Photographers Competition by Photographers Forum magazine. Read more...
• All language classes, beginning with first year, are taught in the target language and all faculty members are fluent in the language and have spent considerable time abroad.
• Dr. David Cremean, associate professor of humanities, is the active president for the Western Literature Association (WLA). In September 2009 BHSU hosted the WLA Conference. Cremean, also presented his essay “The Bipolar Jesse James: The Film Version of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” on a Film and Fiction panel at the 2009 Southwest Popular Culture Conference in Albuquerque, N.M.. Read more...
• Dr. David Siemens, associate professor of biology, recently published two articles in national journals. “Ontogenetic Switches from Resistance to Tolerance: Minimizing Costs with Age?” was published in Ecology Letters, with colleagues from Stanford and Trinity Universities.
• The Jacket Journal, BHSU student newspaper, received a first place overall award in the American Scholastic Press Association’s annual newspaper competition. Read more...
• Daluss Siewert, associate professor of mathematics, was elected Chairperson of the Rocky Mountain Section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). The MAA is the largest professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Read more...
• Dr. Holly Downing, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, gave a presentation as part of a panel entitled "Pipeline Issues in the STEM Disciplines" at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences held in Baltimore, Md. Downing, has also been selected to be a member for the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences (CCAS) standing committee for comprehensive institutions. Read more...
• Deaver Traywick, assistant professor of English and director of the Writing Center, was recently elected president of the Midwest Writing Center Association (MWCA). Traywick served as the conference chair at the annual conference held in Rapid City. Read more...
• Kent Meyers, associate professor and writer-in-residence, has just published his fifth book, Twisted Tree, which received excellent reviews from the Washington Post, the New York Times and Publishers Weekly. Read more...
• Dr. Nicholas Wallerstein, professor of English, delivered a paper titled "The Art of Glossing King Lear" at the 17th Annual Conference on Early British Literature, held at St. John's University. Read more...
• Dr. David Wolff, associate professor history and social science, was recently elected vice-president/president-elect of the Mining History Association, an international organization that explores all aspects of mining and metallurgical history. Wolff is also serving as president of the board of directors for the Adams Museum and House in Deadwood. Read more...
• Dr. Mary Caton-Rosser, assistant professor of mass communication, had her paper entitled “Blogging for politics: A cacophony of voices during the 2008 presidential election” published in The International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society. Caton-Rosser was assisted with her research by Dee Sleep, graduate student research assistant; Caylen Groen-Jones, Rapid City, and Heather Smith, Belle Fourche, who both recently graduated from BHSU, and LiTing Sun, a sophomore mass communication student from Rapid; Odessa Backen, a sophomore art major from Spearfish; and Alicia McNeary, a freshman English major from Spearfish.
• Dr. Kara Keeter, assistant professor of physics, along with other BHSU faculty, worked with two high school physics teachers on an improved technique for determining low levels of contaminants in the noble gases needed for some of the detectors planned for Deep Underground Science and Engineering Lab (DUSEL). This rare opportunity arose through BHSU’s participation in Quarknet. Read more...
• Dr. Kara Keeter, assistant professor of physics and chair of the Northwest Section of the American Physical Society (APS), represented BHSU at the APS Unit Convocation and Congressional Visit in Washington, D.C.
• Steve Babbitt, professor of mass communication, was featured in the Black and White exhibition at the Center for Fine Art Photography is Fort Collins, Colo. Babbitt was chosen as one of 52 photographers representing, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, France, United Kingdom and the United States to exhibit their work at the Center. In addition, Babbitt was recently featured by the Dakota Day blog for his photographic artwork on exhibit at the APEX gallery at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Read more... 
• Dr. Andy Johnson, associate director of the Center for Advancement of Math & Science Education and assistant professor of mathematics, taught “The Physics of Light and Color” at the Ox-Bow Art Institute on the shore of Lake Michigan. Johnson also presented “Energy Trends and their Implication for the U.S. and the World At Large” to the South Dakota State University economics department. Johnson’s presentation focused on petroleum prices, and supply and demand.
• Ann Porter, assistant professor of art, had several pieces of her stained and painted glass art work featured in the March/April 2009 issue of Glass Art.
• Dr. Andrey Reznikov, associate professor of English, had his research paper, “From mochit to koshmarit: Some Observations about Russian Political Language, 1999-2008,” published in The Proverbial ‘Pied Piper’: A Festschrift Volume of Essays on the Occasion of Wolfgang Mieder’s 65th Birthday.
• Holly Stillson, instructor of mathematics, and Dr. Parthasarathi Nag, assistant professor of mathematics, presented at the Twenty-First International Conference on Technology in Collegiate Mathematics.
• Erin Writer, researcher for the Center for the Conservation of Biological Resources (CCBR), presented her research poster “Predictive GIS Modeling of Rare Plant Occurrence” at the 2009 Geological Society of America Rocky Mountain Section Meeting in May at Orem, Utah.

• BHSU has one of the largest business schools in South Dakota with over 600 students enrolled in business programs.
• BHSU accounting students, supervised by accounting faculty Liz Diers offer free income tax return assistance every spring as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program in cooperation with the IRS.
• BHSU business students, who take the Major Field Test exit exam before graduation, outperformed the national average in 8 of 9 subject areas.
• Dr. Priscilla Romkema, dean of the College of Business and Technology, ran in the 113th Boston Marathon. Romkema qualified for the Boston Marathon during the Leading Ladies’ Marathon and is currently one of 22 South Dakota residents who will be participating. This was the sixth Boston Marathon Romkema has qualified to run.
• BHSU College of Business and Technology offers one of the few Tourism and Hospitality Management programs in the region.
• College of Business and Technology in part with the South Dakota Office of Tourism launched the only online customer training program in the state. Read more...
• Dr. Christian Nsiah, associate professor of economics, had a journal article entitled "The Academic Cost of Being Overweight: Rural vs. Urban Area Differences - A Quantile Regression Approach" accepted for publication by the Research In Higher Education Journal. Nsiah also had a manuscript entitled "The Impact of Remittances on Economic Growth and Development in Africa" accepted for publication by the American Economist. Nsiah, along with two co-authors, also had their article published entitled, “Impact of tourism on economic growth and development in Africa,” in the December issue of Tourism Economics.
• Dr. Dan Spencer, associate professor of tourism, recently had his paper entitled “Facilitating Public Participation in Tourism Planning on American Indian Reservations: A Case Study Involving the Nominal Group Technique” accepted for publication in Tourism Management. Spencer’s paper entitled “Segmenting Special Interest Visitors to a Destination Region Based on the Volume of Their Expenditures: An Application to Rail-Trail Users” was also accepted for publication in the Journal of Vacation Marketing. Read more...
• Dr. Annette Ryerson, assistant professor of marketing, Dr. Ken Schallenkamp, associate professor of business, and Dr. Ron DeBeaumont, associate professor of economics, had their paper entitled “Weight and Sales Worker Compensation” accepted for publication in the International Journal of Business and Economics Perspectives. Read more...
• Dr. Bobbi Looney, instructor of business communications, will present her paper entitled “Bridging the Generational Divide: Working Together to Teach Millennial Students” at a conference in Minneapolis, Minn., organized by the Collaboration for the Advancement of College Teaching & Learning. Read more...
• Don Altmyer, professor of business, won the 2009 Professional Disc Golf Advanced Senior Men Putting Event and the Advanced Senior Men Mini Golf Event at the Disc Golf World Championships held in Kansas City, Kan. Read more...
• Dr. Pat Mackin, associate professor of business, had his article “An Interactive Search Method Based on User Preferences” published in the December 2008 issue of Decision Analysis.
• Dr. Annette Ryerson, assistant professor of marketing, had her article titled “Lake Area Tourism: Making the most of your day and overnight visitor” selected to be published in The Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge.

• Harvey Krautschun, Class of ‘72 and his wife Joy (Proctor) Krautschun, Class of ‘73, recently announced they are donating one million dollars to BHSU.
• Cary Roller, Class of '00, was awarded the 2008 Milken Educator Award by the Milken Family Foundation. Read more...
• John Lopez, Class of ‘97, was one of four honored by the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce with the Rushmore Honoree Award for his bronze sculpture work. Read more...
• Elaine Doll-Dunn, Class of ‘79, received the 2008 Spirit of Dakota Award for her contributions to preserving the heritage of women and for her leadership roles, which have made a significant impact on her community and state.
• BHSU recently received a $120,000 pledge for scholarships from Joe and Elaine Floyd from Sioux Falls. Elaine attended Black Hills Teachers College in 1953 and later worked for Black Hills State College as a recruiter in the 80s. Their travels for employment took them out of state for a time before returning to make an important impact not only on the business community throughout the state and region, but for supporting people that need it most in many ways.
• Louise Achenbach, Class of ‘70, was inducted into the California State Coaches Hall of Fame. Upon graduation from BHSU, she entered the coaching profession as a high school tennis coach. Her volleyball teams brought home 29 championships. She was the Volleyball League Coach of the Year 17 times.
• Several BHSU alumni were inducted into the Hall of Fame during Swarm Week 2009 inductees included: Mark Larscheid, Class of ‘73, posthumously for his achievements in track and football; Josh McNames, Class of ‘99, for his athletic accomplishments in men’s basketball; Bob Templeton, Class of ‘73, for his basketball and football achievements; and Mary Larscheid-Christensen, Class of ‘73, for her generous support in coordinating a golf tournament each summer in memory of her late husband Mark.
• Howard Owens, Class of '55, received the 2009 BHSU Special Service Award. Howard earned his degree from Black Hills Teachers College in education. After graduation he spent some time in the United States Naval Air Corps as an electronic technician. Howard currently owns and operates Owens Interstate Sales, Inc., in Sturgis with his son. Howard has served as a leader in numerous organizations. He has also served on several educational boards including roles as the South Dakota Board of Regents vice president, secretary, academic affairs chair; BHSU Foundation Board of Directors; and the Northern Hills Training Center Advisory Council.
• Carol (Braxter) Gee, Class of '80, received the 2009 BHSU Special Achievement Award. Carol is currently the editor in the Organization and Management Area at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. She performs research in support of teaching, and the writing of business and management journal articles.
• Dr. Michael (Mick) Dana, Class of '69, was awarded the 2009 BHSU Distinguished Alumnus Award. Mick received his bachelor's degree in science and education from Black Hills State College, where he was a member of the baseball and basketball team. Following graduation, he continued his education to earn a Doctorate of Dental Surgery. He returned to Spearfish where he established his dental practice, Dana Dental Arts and now continues to practice with several of his children. Read more...
• Kathy Christensen, Class of '73, has been teaching for 36 years; received the 2009 BHSU Excellence in Education Award. Kathy is currently a fourth-grade teacher at East Elementary in Spearfish. One of Kathy's primary goals as an educator is to create an atmosphere of warmth and safety in her classroom. Kathy has received numerous awards throughout her teaching career including the opportunity in 2000 to spend six weeks in Japan through the Fulbright Memorial Fund Master Teacher Program. Read more...
• U.S. Army Medical Corps Captain Brett J. Theeler, M.D., Class of '01, completed his neurology residency at Madigan Army Medical Center in Ft. Lewis, Wash. He and his wife, Stephanie (Trezona) Theeler, Class of '01 and their children, Braden and Allison, will move to El Paso, Texas, where Brett will serve as the staff neurologist at the Fort Bliss William Beaumont Army Medical Center. While at BHSU, Brett earned his bachelor of science degree in biology and Stephanie earned her degree in marketing.
• Travis Swartz, class of ’06, Rapid City, was named the Teacher of Distinction for the 2008-2009 school year at South Canyon Elementary School in Rapid City. Travis, who is in his second year of teaching fifth-grade at South Canyon, was nominated by his colleagues. Read more...
• Rebecca Skinner-Atkinson, class of '99, was awarded the 2009 BHSU Young Alumni Achievement Award. Rebecca works as an assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC). Read more...
• Jensen “Jen” (Morris) Moore, Class of ’99, Warren, Mich., joined the West Virginia University (WVU) faculty as the director of undergraduate online programs for the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism. She will help WVU enhance its online undergraduate program; develop new courses for the advertising, public relations, and mass communication curriculum; and promote the journalism program.
• David Mickelson, Class of ‘94, and Valerie Mickelson, Sioux Falls, along with his mother Linda Mickelson Graham, his brother Mark Mickelson, his sister Amy Brecht, and their families, donated $50,000 to establish the Mickelson Family Athletic Endowment. David was a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Honorable Mention and an All-American Offensive Tackle for the Yellow Jacket football team while attending BHSU. Read more...
• Dan Dryden, Class of ‘68 and Judy (Boydston) Dryden, Class of ‘70, have made a commitment of $25,000 to BHSU. Dan served in the Rapid City School System as an assistant superintendent for Business Affairs. Judy was the director of Special Services for the Rapid City School System. Judy serves on the BHSU Foundation Board. Read more...
• Monica Mills, Class of ’82, Washington, D.C., was named one of the top 30 grassroots lobbyists on Capitol Hill by The Hill newspaper, which is Capitol Hill’s largest publication. Monica is the director of government relations for Bread for the World, a collective Christian voice that urges the nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad.
• Jim Hood, Class of ‘69 and Kathleen (Donahue) Hood, Class of ‘77, have donated $50,000 to establish the Kathleen G. Hood Elementary Education Scholarship. The scholarship will be awarded to a junior or senior elementary education major. Jim is a long-time attorney in Spearfish and Kathleen is an elementary school principal in Sundance, Wyo. Read more...
• Gary Mule Deer, a Black Hills State University alum, was named to the 2009 South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Read more...
• Kathleen Engle, a 1980 graduate of Black Hills State University who now teaches physical education at the middle school in Newcastle, Wyo., was named to the National Teacher Hall of Fame.
• Lisa Pingrey, Class of ’95, received the 2008 American Star of Teaching Award for South Dakota. The award honors teachers who have made a significant impact on the lives of their students. Read more...
• Tara Buehner, Class of ’07, has been awarded the highly competitive Gaylord Ph.D. Fellowship from the University of Oklahoma, which pays all tuition, fees, and travel. The fellowship is awarded to one student each year with three or more years of professional experience in journalism and mass communication disciplines.
• Jared Larson, double major in biology and chemistry, has been accepted to two of the top pharmacy schools in the nation (Oregon State University and University of Minnesota)
• Jake Miller, biology and chemistry major, who completed his honors project on the relation of genetics to cancer research, was one of only four students accepted into the M.D./Ph.D. program at the University of South Dakota – Sanford School of Medicine
• Aubrey Baxter, psychology major and sociology minor, who was also a seven-time national champion in track and field and an Academic All-American, is enrolled in a master’s degree program for school counseling at South Dakota State University
• Sarah Olmstead, American Indian studies major and sociology minor, will be attending graduate school at the University of Massachusetts
• Anne Langdell, political science major with minors in international business and business administration, plans to earn both a master of business administration and a juris doctorate from USD
• Jay Jacobs, biology major and chemistry minor, is beginning the integrative genomics master’s degree program at BHSU studying the anti-bacterial properties of plants traditionally used by the Lakota people
• Amber Broderson, chemistry major and biology minor, has been accepted for the physician’s assistant program at USD
• Keelee Davis, double major in psychology and sociology, will be attending graduate school in Wichita, Kansas
• Jessica Potter, exercise science major and psychology minor, has been accepted into the occupational therapy graduate program at USD
• Mike Evenson, exercise science major, has been accepted into the physical therapy program at USD

BHSU Departments and Centers

• The Center for Advancement in Mathematics and Science Education (CAMSE) has been enhancing the preparation of future teachers, partnering with school districts, supporting teachers in the field, and enriching K-12 math and science instruction since 1997.
• BHSU's Center for the Conservation of Biological Resources is a state-of-the-art genomics laboratory, the only such facility in the state and region. CCBR along with Westcore at BHSU recently signed the Wildlife Forensic Proficiency Testing Program Charter. CCBR is one of nine United States based laboratories to sign the charter and to consistently pass the proficiency exam twice a year. The mission of the charter is to provide a reliable method by which participating Wildlife Forensic Laboratories can verify their technical procedures are valid and the quality of their examiners’ work is being maintained. Read more...
• The University Bookstore was recently featured on the cover of Souvenirs, Gifts & Novelties. Read more...
• With our extensive Used Book Program, the BHSU Bookstore has saved students millions on their textbooks.
• Mike Jastorff, bookstore director, has earned the Certified Collegiate Retailer designation from the National Association of College Stores, an honor bestowed on only approximately 100 people in the nation.
• Grant and contract funding to BHSU has more than quadrupled over the past decade, from $1.3 million in 1999 to over $5 million in 2008.
• BHSU meets the needs of place-bound adult learners by providing a variety of course delivery options including internet and off-site classes at several locations in Rapid City and throughout the region.
• Dr. Warren Wilson, chief information officer and executive director of the South Dakota Library Network (SDLN), was appointed to the program committee for EDUCAUSE 2009.
• Jerry Swarts, director of University Support Services, has been selected to serve on the president’s advisory council for Blackboard.
• Dr. Kristi L. Pearce, BHSU associate vice president for Academic Affairs, recently authored a chapter in a higher education management and leadership publication. Read more...
• Dr. Rajeev Bukralia, dean of Educational Outreach & Libraries, has been appointed to the executive committee on distance learning for the University Continuing Education Association (UCEA). Bukralia was also appointed program chair of the distance learning community of practice for the 2010 UCEA annual conference in San Francisco. Read more...
• Arlene Holmes, director of the Career Center, was elected to the South Dakota Association of College Career Centers (SDACCC) Board of Directors during the organization’s recent annual meeting. Holmes will serve a two-year term as an At-Large Board Member. Read more...
• Myron Sullivan, director of Public Safety & Parking, was re-elected as the president of the South Dakota State Employees Organization. The South Dakota State Employee Organization is made up of members from all departments of state government and the Board of Regents Systems. Read more...
• Garrett Stevens, Technology Integration specialist, was recently re-elected to serve on the South Dakota State Employees Organization’s Executive Board for a three-year term. Stevens, who just completed his first term, was also awarded the “Outstanding Executive Board Member” of the year award, for his creative and innovative efforts to technologically advance the organization. Read more...
• The John T. Vucurevich Foundation recently donated an additional $72,500 for the scholarship program for math and science students at BHSU. Read more...
• Nancy Grassel, Human Resources director, presented about the successful move from a transactional processing department to a strategic and transformational human resources department at the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) National Conference and Expo in Las Vegas. Grassel presented with representatives from the South Dakota Board of Regents and other state universities.
• Black Hills State University has now established the South Dakota Center for Enterprise Opportunity (SD CEO), funded by a $750,000 Small Business Administration grant, that will provide management and technical assistance, comprehensive training, and counseling for entrepreneurs.