March Newsletter

March 15, 2006

To the DSU Community:

I have just returned from two journeys out of South Dakota that have given me a chance to connect with alumni and also to learn about another higher education institution.

During the first part of March I had the opportunity to travel with our Athletic Director and our Development Director to Arizona. The trip was a bit delayed when we were stranded in Sioux Falls due to the significant blizzard that closed the airport. After finally arriving and getting our luggage at 1:30 AM and a very brief night of sleep we proceeded to Lake Havasu for a luncheon gathering of several alumni and friends of the university. We were also able to connect with alumni that live in Arizona permanently or just during the winter months.

While on our trip to Arizona we were able to catch a DSU Trojan’s baseball game in Chandler and a couple of our softball team’s games in Tucson. Both teams had terrific records while in Arizona. Our baseball team won all of their games and now has a record of 18-0 and is rated #17 nationally. The softball women went 8-4 while on their southern trip. This also gave me an opportunity to host both of these teams for dinner and a great chance to get to know these student athletes a bit more personally. What terrific representatives of our university.

My second trip took me to Denver. While in Colorado I made the journey to Windsor to visit with a alumni who graduated in 1962 and originally did his teacher education activities at the old Beadle school that was located on campus. I spent the rest of my time in Denver participating on a Higher Learning Commission accreditation visit to Metropolitan State University. These visits are a great opportunity to learn about different approaches to issues faced by all higher education institutions and to interact with education leaders from across the country.

It is great to be back home and out of hotel rooms and airports. I returned home to some very good news. DSU will host the SD Chamber of Commerce Youth Business Adventure during the period of 2008-2010. This means that over 100 of South Dakota’s best and brightest high school juniors will be on campus for a week during the three summers to study about business practices. This will give us the chance to highlight the university and our ACBSP accredited business programs. This is a big opportunity to host a program that has typically been hosted by USD.

While spring break started a bit earlier than anticipated (classes cancelled and the campus closed the Thursday and Friday before spring break due to the blizzard) not all students got to leave and I was very proud of our food service, our residence hall staff and our facilities staff for keeping our students comfortable while they “rode out” the storm. The students are back and are right in the middle of midterms.

In the middle of the trips out of state I helped host a President’s Summit on the topic of “Higher Education and Economic Development”. Together with the Forward Sioux Falls organization I was able to arrange a presentation by Dr. Richard Lester, from MIT. He is the nation’s foremost expert on how universities impact the economic development of the regions they serve. It was a very stimulating meeting of private and public institutions that serve the Sioux Falls region and representatives of the greater SF business community. Rob Oliver, the president of Augustana College and I will be following up to continue this initiative.

On February 28, Sharon and I hosted a dinner at the Girton House for three faculty and three students they invited. Each spring we have hosted a series of these dinners and they have been a great way to learn about our students and the kinds of faculty/student interactions that make DSU such a special place. Two of the students had transferred to DSU from other institutions and commented how much more friendly and personal our campus was when compared to these other universities.

Another highlight of the past couple weeks was our Spring Semester All Campus Convocation. Our DSU Student Senate organizes this event each semester and our theme for this convocation was “Rising Aspirations”. In addition to introducing students with academic accomplishments and our student athletes we also have a quest speaker. Our speaker this spring was a graduate of DSU, Jay Trenhaile. Dr. Trenhaile is currently the head of the counseling department at SDSU. He spoke about positive attitudes and how to use them to form appropriate career aspirations.

Earlier today I had the chance to attend a DSU symposium presentation on the topic of Global Warming that was delivered by a climatologist from SDSU. This was one topic in a series of presentations sponsored by our diversity office on campus.

I have to admit that while I am writing this newsletter I am listening to the Madison High School basketball team playing at the state tournament in Rapid City. As many of you know Sharon is the principal of the high school. If the Bulldogs win today I will be on my way to Rapid to join her tomorrow. Go Bulldogs! Go Trojans! So do I wear Maroon or Blue!

Enjoy the beginning of Spring in South Dakota.

Doug Knowlton

Reflections

For Trojan Times
March 10, 2007

Knowlton’s Notes: Reflections

I am writing this piece sitting at a desk on the fifteenth floor of a hotel in Denver. The view out the window is of a large city with the mountains in the back ground. Denver is a special place for me due to the fact that I did my undergraduate work at the University of Denver. There are lots of memories and lots of new experience in this place. I am here to connect with some alumni from DSU and to be part of an accreditation team at Metropolitan State University.

This morning I drove 50 miles north ( through bumper to bumper traffic – yes there are some draw backs to a city) to visit with a gentleman who graduated from Dakota State (then General Beadle) over 40 years ago. More than four decades and yet he continues to feel a tie to this place in Madison, South Dakota. What is it about our college experience that makes such an impact that 30-40 years later we continue to be connected?

This alum of our university remembers where he stayed, the General Beadle statue, his student teaching and above all else the individual who was so kind to him and helped him get through college. I believe that these connections are so strong because they occur at a time in our life when we are defining ourselves and reaching out to others to support that growth and development.

For me this person was an English teacher. I had the most intense and probably meaningful conversation of my college years with this professor. I was trying to get her to cancel class so we could all attend a Vietnam War protest. I can tell you exactly where the conversation occurred and how I felt when she explained to me that she would never cancel class or support closing the university because the university was crucial to the critical exchange of opposing viewpoints and discussion. To cancel class meant so much more to her than simply the 50 minutes we would spend in that class – it was a symbol.

Recently DSU has had a controversy centered on the tablet computer. I certainly would not imply that the tablet computer dilemma is on the scale of the Vietnam War but it offered an opportunity for dialogue, argument and discussion. Interesting in this day and age some of that conversation has been carried out electronically. I posted a viewpoint on my president’s blog and I am very excited to say that a number of people commented. Some agreed with me and congratulated me others disagreed and pointed out several issues they are concerned about. Yes – the major function of a university.

I am intrigued to think that perhaps this hour long conversation between this 20 year old college student and his English professor might have influenced thinking that led to a career and a position in higher education.

Tomorrow I will reengage with old college friends and we will remember all the things we went through together. Okay yes we will discuss some fun times!