President Kay Schallenkamp - September 24, 2010
Welcome to Black Hills State University. It is an honor and privilege to have you on campus for this meeting of the National Science Board. I have committed my comments to writing since I have a tendency to lose track of time when talking about BHSU.
Black Hills State University enrolls over 4,500 students representing every county in South Dakota, 48 states, and 22 countries.
Founded in 1883 as a Normal School, the University and its academic programs have evolved throughout our history. Today we are classified as a comprehensive, liberal arts university with graduate degrees in education, business, leadership, and integrative genomics. Our largest program is business which has a special niche in entrepreneurship, tourism, and small business management.
Consistent with our original mission, teacher preparation continues to be one of our crown jewels with the largest number of graduates in the state. The program is responsive to state and national needs and emerging trends. Along with our Center for the Advancement of Math and Science Education, the College was recognized by US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan this past year during a speech at Columbia University for our innovative efforts to close the achievement gap in mathematics for Native American students enrolled in the Rapid City public schools.
You will be pleased to know our third largest major is in the sciences with nearly a 300% increase in majors during the past decade. You may have noticed our nearly completed new science building as you arrived on campus this morning. The building will be open this spring and will provide state of the art learning and research facilities for this premier program. The science faculty has been engaged in research for many years. However, with the advent of the Deep Underground Lab just 17 miles from campus, our faculty have actively pursued grants and research opportunities to support and complement this project. We have collaborative research projects with Universities across the nation including the University of North Carolina, University of Tennessee, Princeton, Berkeley, University of Minnesota and others. Recently, we were included in a grant proposal submitted by Yale. We also are engaged in activities with other science labs such as Fermi, Brookhaven, Gran Sasso, and SNO. We are the only regional university to be a member of QuarkNet, a national physics education group focused on K-12 education outreach. During the past summer 6 South Dakota physics teachers participated in a seminar which produced cosmic ray detectors. These detectors are being used by their high school students to collect data which is uploaded to the Fermilab Data Base and accessed by researchers worldwide. This practical application of science has energized students and connected them with other students and scientists around the world.
Just as our positioning statement notes that BHSU transforms the lives of our students, so too has funding from the National Science Foundation transformed our science program. As of midnight, BHSU has received 7 grants in excess of $2.5 million from NSF this year. This past year BHSU received $6.2 million in external grant funding which is nearly as much as we receive from the state’s general fund. One of our graduates from the past spring received a $25,000 fellowship from the NSF to pursue her master’s degree in Ecohydrology at the University of Idaho. Another student received a $5,000 NASA grant stipend for his research and one of our integrative genomics graduate students was highlighted at a National Institute of Health meeting in Washington for his research. 76% of our science graduates pursue professional or graduate degrees upon completing their baccalaureate degrees at BHSU. Every student in the sciences has the opportunity to engage in undergraduate research. Many are published before they receive their baccalaureate degree. Each year we have one of the largest number of students presenting their research at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research.
The Deep Underground Lab is having a profound impact on BHSU. One of our guiding principles is to take advantage of every opportunity to position the University to be an active participant in this significant venture. During the past year, 11 of our 15 departments have been involved in some aspect of the lab ranging from research activities to photography and videography to the economic impact study of DUSEL. Furthermore, you heard Governor Rounds express his and Philanthropist Denny Sanford’s vision that the science education center at the Lab will transform the way science is taught. The faculty and staff at BHSU have embraced this challenge and we are well positioned to accomplish this goal.
At an institution of our size, we don’t function in silos. Our science and education faculty know each other. Our deans of Education and Arts and Sciences work collaboratively and will attend the annual meeting of The Renaissance Group next week in Washington. The Renaissance Group is a consortium of 35 universities nationwide committed to the preparation of teachers as an institution wide responsibility. Our Center for the Advancement for Math and Science Education and the Center for the Conservation of Biological Resources are integrally involved in assisting the faculty in science and education to develop cutting edge programs. The faculty, staff, and Deans from these units are working with Dr. Ben Saylor, the Director of Education for the Underground Lab, to not only address science education at the secondary level but also to examine the science curriculum for elementary and middle school teachers to ensure that every teacher completing our programs will be confident and competent teaching science. We recognize that elementary children must have a solid foundation in the sciences to be successful in high school and college courses. We have the commitment from our education and our science programs to achieve the vision of the Governor and Mr. Sanford.
As you can see, BHSU is a vibrant University that embraces every opportunity to meet the needs of the state and the nation.
Thank you for your commitment to the sciences and science education. Your work to ensure this great nation remains a leader in scientific research is greatly appreciated.