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 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...

• 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...
• Seven BHSU rodeo competitors qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) and will compete this summer in Casper, Wyo. 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...

• 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.
• 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 2003-2007are 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.
• 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.
• 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 will host the WLA Conference.
• 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...

• 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...

• 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 Eduction (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.