Resignation -
top
- Diane Bishop, senior secretary, Institutional Advancement
Five finalists chosen for
Black Hills State University president -
top
Five candidates are finalists to become the next
president at Black Hills State University, the South Dakota Board of
Regents’ search committee announced Thursday.
Regent James O. Hansen, who chairs the search process,
said the five finalists will visit the Spearfish campus next Thursday
and Friday (Jan. 19-20) for scheduled meetings with campus constituents.
A search has been under way since September to replace Tom Flickema, who
plans to retire as BHSU president July 1.
The finalists announced Thursday are:
- Ronald L. Applbaum
- Sandra M. Flake
- Brian Levin-Stankevich
- Richard Rafes
- Kay Schallenkamp
Information about the finalists is posted at
www.sdbor.edu/bhsu_finalists.
The Board of Regents will meet in executive session
with the finalists during their campus visits. No action will be taken
at these meetings.
Center for Tourism Research
releases findings of visitor survey -
top
The Center for Tourism Research (CTR) at Black Hills
State University has released key findings of a visitor intercept survey
conducted last summer in the Black Hills region.
The findings indicate that visitors to the Black Hills
area were positively influenced by a variety of advertising before
making their decision to visit the area. Additionally, visitors reported
that they planned their visit more than three months in advance.
According to Tom Dunn, director of the CTR, “The
results of this survey have many applications, including designing and
evaluating advertising campaigns, feasibility analyses, and economic
impact modeling.” He noted this information will be useful for the
tourism industry as they work with Governor Mike Round’s goal to double
visitor spending by the year 2010.
The results are based on data obtained from visitors
contacted at gas stations located throughout the Black Hills. Visitors
were asked to complete a questionnaire and mail it to the CTR after
their departure from the region. A total of 509, or 41 percent, of those
contacted responded.
Some key findings of the survey are listed below. Dunn
notes that the results pertain to independent travelers and do not
include group tours.
- Fifty-two percent reported having seen or heard
“ads promoting travel to the Black Hills” prior to leaving home. The
most frequently-cited types of Black Hills advertising that these
respondents had seen or heard were: magazine (23 percent), Web site
(21 percent), TV (18 percent), newspaper (11 percent), and newspaper
insert (7 percent). Sixty-seven percent of those exposed to such ads
said the ads influenced them to visit the Black Hills “to some
extent” or “a great deal.”
- On the average, visitors decided to take a trip
that involved visiting the Black Hills 113 days prior to their
departure.
- Seventy-three percent stated that “the Black
Hills or a place in the Black Hills” was “the main destination” of
their trip.
- The median total trip duration was seven nights
away from home.
- Ninety-eight percent of the visitors stayed
overnight at least one night. Of these overnight visitors, 94
percent spent one or more nights in the Black Hills. Among these
overnight visitors to the Black Hills, the median length of stay in
the Hills was three nights, and 64 percent spent at least one night
in a hotel or motel in the Hills.
- The average number of persons per party was 3.22.
Thirty-six percent of respondents traveled to the Black Hills with
children.
- Average expenditure in the Black Hills per party
was $949.
- Respondents were presented with a list of 16
attractions in the Black Hills and asked which, if any, they had
visited on their trip and which were their favorites. The most
frequently cited attractions visited and the percentage that visited
them were: Mt. Rushmore (87 percent), Custer State Park (79
percent), Crazy Horse Memorial (64 percent), Bear Country USA (35
percent), and Reptile Gardens (26 percent). Among respondents who
had visited all five of these attractions, those that most
frequently appeared on their “top three” lists were: Mt. Rushmore
(21 percent), Custer State Park (21 percent), Bear Country USA (16
percent), Crazy Horse Memorial (12 percent), and Reptile Gardens (11
percent).
- Survey respondents were from the following areas:
Minneapolis/St. Paul (12 percent); Denver (5 percent); Sioux Falls
(4 percent); North Suburban Chicago (2 percent); West Central
Minnesota (1 percent); Milwaukee (1 percent); Rochester, Minn. (1
percent); northwest Nebraska (1 percent); Longmont/Ft. Collins,
Colo. (1 percent); Casper, Wyo. (1 percent); and Albuquerque, N.M.
(1 percent).
- The average age of respondents was 48.7.
- Fifty-five percent of the sample had 2004
household incomes of less than $75,000.
The CTR was established in July 2003 and is located on
the BHSU campus. The primary purpose of the center is to accelerate the
development of South Dakota’s tourism industry by providing actionable
marketing information so business owners can make informed investment,
planning and marketing decisions. For more information about the survey,
contact the CTR at (605) 642-6435.
Student financial services staff
members relocated to a centralized location in Woodburn Hall
- top
Staff members for student financial
services are now located in the northeast end of Woodburn Hall, Room
115. Their relocation, as well as ongoing remodeling in Woodburn Hall,
is part of a long-term plan to enhance student services. Staff members
located in the Woodburn 115 location include: front row, left to right,
Kim Nida, assistant director of financial aid, and coordinator of the
work-study program and veterans affairs; Cindy Ostert, senior secretary
of financial aid; Debby Schelske, cashier for student accounts; Cheryl
Leahy, senior secretary of financial aid; back row, left to right,
Hasina Ahmad, accounting assistant; Erin Richards, financial aid
counselor; Kanda Guthmiller, scholarship coordinator and administrator
of the emergency loan program; Deb Henriksen, director of financial aid;
and Pam Thomas (not pictured), accountant.
|
As students return to campus for the spring 2006
semester at Black Hills State University, they be able to address all
their financial needs in one location.
This is the first part of a long-term plan to enhance
services for students. All staff members who assist students with
financial concerns will now be located in a centralized location at the
northeast end of the lower level of Woodburn Hall. The remodeling of
this section was recently completed and now staff members for student
financial services are all accessible in Woodburn 115. Remodeling work
has already begun on the south end of the hallway which will house staff
members for the registrar’s office and admissions.
According to Kathy Johnson, vice president for finance
and administration, the remodeling in Woodburn and the grouping of staff
members will optimize services for students.
“When the first-floor renovation is complete, students
will have convenient access to many student-focused services including
all the services provided by the financial services, admissions and
registrar’s office. Our goal is to improve the services we give to
students and make it more convenient for them,” Johnson said.
Student financial services staff members are available
to assist students with university financial concerns including accounts
receivable, student billing, financial aid, emergency loans,
scholarships, monthly payment plans, and Perkin’s loans.
“Any needs students have about financial aid whether
it’s leaving a payment with a cashier, making a monthly payment, or
asking a question about work-study, a Perkin’s loans, the staff members
are now available in the new office area,” Deb Henriksen, director of
student financial services, said.
Student financial services staff members include:
- Hasina Ahmad, accounting assistant, who is
responsible for Perkin’s loans and the monthly payment plan;
- Kanda Guthmiller, scholarship coordinator, who
also serves as administrator of the emergency loan program;
- Deb Henriksen, director of financial aid;
- Cheryl Leahy, senior secretary of financial aid;
- Kim Nida, assistant director of financial aid,
who oversees the work-study program and veterans affairs;
- Cindy Ostert, senior secretary of financial aid;
- Erin Richards, financial aid counselor;
- Debby Schelske, cashier for student accounts; and
- Pam Thomas, accountant.
Regents to discuss Sioux Falls
higher education plan - top
The South Dakota Board of Regents will hold three
informational forums next week in Spearfish, Rapid City, and Aberdeen on
a proposal to acquire land in Sioux Falls to create a permanent location
for the state’s public university system.
“This plan will open up new opportunities for Black
Hills State University, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, and
Northern State University to offer programs or courses to people in the
Sioux Falls area,” Robert T. Tad Perry, the regents’ executive director,
said. Three other public universities—The University of South Dakota,
South Dakota State University, and Dakota State University—already offer
programming in Sioux Falls.
The informational forums are planned for:
- Spearfish – Wednesday, Jan. 18, 7:30 p.m. MST,
Meier Hall Room 128 on the BHSU campus
- Rapid City – Thursday, Jan. 19, 3 p.m. MST,
Surbeck Center Quartz and Garnet Room on the SDSM&T campus
- Aberdeen – Saturday, Jan. 21, 12 noon CST, Ramada
Inn
Gov. Mike Rounds and the South Dakota Board of Regents
have asked the 2006 Legislature to approve acquiring 263 acres in
northwest Sioux Falls to create a permanent instructional site, and to
appropriate $8 million for construction of a classroom building at the
location. Perry said these plans look to the future of public higher
education in Sioux Falls, and are a critical part of the state’s efforts
to develop South Dakota’s economy for this century.
At the forums, representatives from the Board of
Regents will be on hand to discuss details of the Sioux Falls plan,
provide background information and maps on the proposed location, and
answer questions.
Three music
performances scheduled in January - top
The Black Hills State University Music Department will
host three concert performances in January.
Luminus, a piano/violin/cello trio from Minot State University, will
perform Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. The program will include music by
Haydn, Mendelssohn and Turina.
Amy Switzer, a senior instrumental music major from Gillette, Wyo., and
Janeen Larsen, BHSU music professor and chair of the Department of Fine
and Applied Arts, will present a flute and piano recital Sunday, Jan. 22
at 2:30 p.m. The recital will include the Claude Bolling suite for flute
and jazz piano as well as a variety of classical works.
Finally, Joshua Stanton, a senior music major from Miles City, Mont.,
will perform a variety of solo vocal music Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7:30
p.m. He will be accompanied by Priscilla Romkema, BHSU business
professor and director of the Center for Business and Entrepreneurship,
on piano.
All performances will be held in the recital hall in Clare and Josef
Meier Hall. There is no admission charge for any of the performances,
and the public is welcome to attend. For more information, contact
Larsen at 642-6241.
Kappa Delta Pi members build
reading loft for Little Jacket Learning Center - top
Members of the BHSU student group
Kappa Delta Pi, along with faculty members and others, gathered at the
child care center recently to build a reading loft. Those participating
in the construction were: left to right, Cliff Mills, Jodi Mills, a
junior from Rapid City; Michelle Hovland, assistant education professor;
Steve Hovland, and Dean Martin; Above, Nik Towne, a senior special
education major from Rapid City. Many other Kappa Delta Pi members
worked for several years to raise funds for the project.
|
Children at the Black Hills State University Little Jacket Learning
Center now have a custom built reading loft thanks to the dedication of
Kappa Delta Pi university students.
The university student group decided to build a reading loft several
years ago at the suggestion of Dr. Carol Hess, BHSU education professor
who served as advisor to the group. Since then the students have worked
to raise funds for the project. Recently the group gathered at the
center to build the reading loft.
“The kids and teachers at the childcare center are thrilled with the
new reading loft,” Diane Mabey, director of the Little Jacket Learning
Center, said. “We appreciate the dedication and hard work of the members
of Kappa Delta Pi.”
Kappa Delta Pi is a student group dedicated to promoting excellence
in education and recognizing outstanding contributions to education. The
group decided to build the loft because they felt it was a project which
would serve the community.
BHSU announces plans for Hall of
Fame Room at the Young Center - top
 Hall
of Fame inductees at Black Hills State University will soon have a room
dedicated to their recognition as the Hall of Fame Room in the Donald E.
Young Sports and Fitness Center is transformed with larger-than-life
images and individual plaques.
According to Steve Meeker, vice president of institutional
advancement, the room will include individual plaques to honor each of
the 133 Hall of Fame inductees as well as a mural wall with images of
legendary coaches throughout the history of BHSU. The individual plaques
will include a screened photograph of each inductee along with a brief
description of their accomplishments. A graphic montage border with
photographs of athletes in action and select team photos will also be
included.
According to Meeker, when the Young Center was built in 1990, it
included a Hall of Fame Room; however the room lacked any recognition
for the inductees. In an effort to recognize Hall of Famers, Meeker and
his staff began raising funds for this project in March of 2004 and
recently reached the $50,000 mark of the $96,000 fundraising goal. BHSU
is working with Murphy and Orr from Forest Park, Ga., one of the
nation's oldest exhibit producers, to design and produce the exhibits
for the room.
The room is scheduled to be completed by the end of February with the
exception of the display cases. According to Meeker, more money is
needed to purchase the display cases. To donate to this project contact
Meeker at 642-6228.
“The exhibit will finally give the Hall of Fame inductees the
recognition they deserve,” said Meeker, “I'm excited to see the end
project as Murphy and Orr is a great company that does quality work.”
The transformed Hall of Fame Room will be a site for gatherings and
meetings and will also be open to the public for viewing. An open house
is planned for this spring. For additional information contact Meeker at
642-6228.
|
