Greetings Fellow Jackrabbits –Â
When I think back to one year ago, our university was in the midst of preparing for a fall semester on campus in a way we had never experienced in 140-plus years. The COVID-19 pandemic was upon us and, while we were committed to our in-person class experience for students and faculty, there was a level of uncertainty in terms of how it would unfold. 
After hundreds of hours of planning and preparation, we achieved our goal of staying on campus for a full academic year, culminating with our commencement ceremonies on the Campus Green. As I reflect and look at the photo on the cover of this edition of STATE Magazine, I am filled with pride and gratefulness to the thousands of employees and students that worked tirelessly for months to make that day possible.
Being a premier land-grant university takes on many forms. We pride ourselves in our world-class academics and research, our ability to educate and train students to support the communities of South Dakota and beyond, and to meeting the workforce needs of our state and region. But achieving premier status is also found in our ability to adapt and adjust to the challenges we face.Â
We are a university that is BETTER and STRONGER for what we have accomplished during this past year. We will benefit from the experience as we look to the future and how SDSU will be a leader in higher education. The collaboration and partnerships we developed during this past academic year will carry on for years to come and will be the cornerstone
of our future successes.
We are all looking forward to the fall semester and a return to more familiar in-class experiences for students and faculty, larger events, as well as a campus where our student union is vibrant again and our students are engaged in the activities we most cherish. I look forward to seeing many of you at a football game, Hobo Day, a choir performance or while you may be visiting a son or daughter. We will continue to monitor any changes with COVID-19 and adjust, if necessary, but we are optimistic with how the numbers are declining and the impact vaccines are having in our community.
Thank you for your continued support of SDSU and your commitment to being a Jackrabbit. Please enjoy the rest of your summer. I look forward to seeing you soon.
Go Jacks!
Sincerely,Â
Barry H. Dunn
President
