South Dakota State University

On May 23, 2016 (formal inauguration held September 29, 2016), Barry H. Dunn became the 20th President of South Dakota State University. Dunn and his wife are alumni of SDSU, and prior to becoming president, Dunn was the Dean of SDSU's College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences.

Coolidge Sylvan Theatre

The Hilton M. Briggs Library consists of more than 635,000 bound volumes, 315,000 government documents, 79,000 maps, and 1,800 journal titles (with 28,000 additional titles available online). Within the Briggs Library is the Daschle Research Library dedicated to former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (SDSU BA 1969), which houses his Congressional papers.

The University Student Union is at the center of campus and houses many amenities for both students and the public.[7] The Union is the home to numerous meeting rooms, a ballroom, The Hobo Day Committee (homecoming committee), the University Program Council,[8] Greek life[9] the Students' Association,[10] The Collegian[11] student newspaper, Student Legal Services, KSDJ 90.7 FM, Dining Services, four eating facilities, the University Bookstore, Card Services, and International Student Affairs.

The 73,000-square-foot (6,800 m²) SDSU Wellness Center opened in the fall of 2008. The building lightens up space in the HPER Center, allowing that to be used exclusively by athletes, while the Wellness Center is used only by students and the public. Student memberships are free and Brookings community members may purchase memberships. Numerous group exercise programs and classes are offered, along with personal training. The building houses a rock climbing wall, a track, three basketball courts, a competition-size swimming pool, and numerous weights and cardiovascular equipment. It is also the home of Student Health, which includes a full pharmacy for students.

Avera Health Sciences Center on the west side of campus

The Coughlin Campanile, formerly used as the campus bell tower, is a familiar sight around campus. The campus also has two museums, the South Dakota Art Museum (featuring works by Harvey Dunn and Oscar Howe, among others), and the South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum. The art museum is home to over 7,000 works of art, while the agricultural museum is home to over 100,000 objects. Both museums are open free to the public. The university operates its own dairy plant, processing 10,000 lb (4.5 t) of milk weekly into cheese and ice cream, operates a cattle and sheep breeding operation, has an on-campus meat processing facility, and has a student-operated pharmacy.

McCrory Gardens and South Dakota Arboretum on the east side of campus

Also close to campus are the McCrory Gardens and South Dakota Arboretum. These gardens include a 20-acre (8.1 ha) public display and a 45-acre (18 ha) arboretum. The gardens are open daily to the public. SDSU is also home to State University Theatre and Prairie Repertory Theatre, which produce numerous plays and musicals during the school year and summer breaks.

For 2021, U.S. News & World Report rated South Dakota State University as tied for the 144th best public university in the United States and tied as the 284th best university overall.[17]

Awards and Rankings. South Dakota State University.

Political Science Alumni

U.S. Senate Majority Leader
Tom Daschle

U.S. Senator
Mike Rounds

U.S. Governor
Kristi Noem

A member of South Dakota's current Congressional delegation, the former U.S. Senate Majority Leader, and the current Governor of South Dakota are among the university's alumni.

SDSU's Department of Political Science has been successful at producing many of the state's current and past congressional delegations. Currently, two of South Dakota's three congressional members are alumni in U.S. Senator Mike Rounds and Governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem. Noem completed her political science degree while she was in Congress. Perhaps the most notable of the program is former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. Former U.S. Representative Stephanie Herseth has served as a professor of the program. The department produced two Truman Scholars in 2004 and 2006 respectively, including Tony Venhuizen.[18]

The Department of Military Science commissions officers into the military. The department's cadets complete the requirements for a bachelor's or graduate degree and are then commissioned as second lieutenants.

The department has been successful in producing many U.S. Generals including William E. DePuy, Jake Krull, Raymond W. Carpenter, Franklin J. Blaisdell, Mark A. Clark, as well as Medal of Honor recipients Leo K. Thorsness and Willibald C. Bianchi.

Military Alumni

Medal of Honor recipient
Leo Thorsness

Medal of Honor recipient
Willibald C. Bianchi

U.S. General
William E. DePuy

The Department has produced two Medal of Honor recipients as well as a plethora of U.S. Generals.

South Dakota State University currently ranks among the Midwest's top research universities, notably in the fields of agricultural science, biological science, and engineering.[19] It is consistently listed in U.S. News & World Report's "Top 200 National Universities" in its college and university rankings.[19] The campus is also home to the Geospatial Sciences Center of Excellence, a research and educational collaboration with United States Geological Survey Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science.[20][21] The GSCE focuses on basic and applied research in terrestrial remote sensing.[22] SDSU was recognized in 2017 by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy as the seventh most productive university in the US (and 27th globally) for remote sensing research for the period 2011–2015.[23]

The university operates the South Dakota state agricultural research stations around the state, such as the Antelope Range and Livestock Research Station near Buffalo. The Great Plains Writers Conference is a venue for significant regional authors or writers interested in the Great Plains. It was instituted at SDSU in 1976 for writing scholarship.[24]

• Notable research achievements by alumni include:
• 
  Stephen Foster Briggs '07 invented the Briggs & Stratton engine while a student at SDSU in 1906.
• 
  Gene Amdahl '48 was the chief architect of the IBM 360 computer in 1964.
• 
  The first ethanol production facility in the United States was established at SDSU in 1979.

Alumni from the university's research community notable for scientific achievements include:

• Stephen Foster Briggs, B.S. 1907, invented the Briggs & Stratton internal-combustion engine[25]
• Theodore Schultz, B.S. Economics & Agriculture 1928, received the 1979 Nobel Prize in Economics
• Paul Middaugh, B.S., established the nation's first on-campus research facility for ethanol fuel production in 1979[26]
• Gene Amdahl, B.S. Engineering & Physics, 1948, developed the IBM 360 computer and later the IBM 704, IBM 709 computers, and Amdahl's Law[27]
• Aelred Kurtenbach and Duane Sander, electrical engineering professors, founded Daktronics, Inc.[28]
• Carrie Buthe, B.S. Civil Engineering, served as a design engineer for the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System.[29]

SDSU offers a variety of online programs. The university offers associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and certificate programs that students can complete online.[30]

Roughly a dozen fraternities and sororities exist at SDSU.

Frost Arena, the venerable home of South Dakota State basketball

The Jackrabbits were Division II national champions in 1963; they have sinced joined the ranks of Division I.

Head coach Aaron Johnston took over the program in 2000. After becoming the first school transitioning to Division I to earn a postseason bid, playing in the WNIT in both 2007 and 2008, SDSU turned its focus to dominating the Summit League. The Jacks have won nine of the 13 conference tournaments they have played in. The program has played in ten NCAA Division I Tournaments, winning four games, highlighted by a trip to the Sweet Sixteen in 2018. The program also won first-round games in 2009 and 2015.

As of December 10, 2022, the Jackrabbits have appeared in the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs 12 times with an overall record of 16-11. They were in the Championship game May 20, 2021, losing 23–21 to Sam Houston State. The Jackrabbits were semifinalists in 2017, 2018, and 2021. SDSU has an active streak of 11 consecutive postseason appearances at the FCS level, including the appearance in 2022. All of this was accomplished by John Stiegelmeier, the school's winningest head coach, after the program managed only one Division II playoff appearance (1979). Zach Zenner became the first Division I football player to record three consecutive seasons of 2,000 rushing yards (2012–14). The program's national standing persuaded ESPN's College Gameday television show to come to the Brookings campus for a live broadcast of its show on October 26, 2019. The Jackrabbits won their first FCS National Championship following the 2022 season.

Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium

A 19,340-capacity stadium opened in the fall of 2016. It is considered among the premier FCS Division I stadiums.

The Dykhouse Student-Athlete Center, located on the north end of the Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, is the home of Jackrabbit football. It opened prior to the 2010 football season and houses an academic center equipped with study areas, computers, tutors and other educational aids for all South Dakota State teams. The Sanford Jackrabbit Athlete Complex, a state-of-the-art indoor practice and competition facility, opened October 11, 2014. It is immediately north of and attached to the Dykhouse Student-Athlete Center. The SJAC has bleacher seating for up to 1,000 spectators and can be used for track practice and track meets, football practice, softball and baseball practice, golf practice and other events within the SDSU athletic department. It includes 149,284-square foot facility and features an eight-lane, 300-meter track, one of only five collegiate indoor tracks of that size in the nation.