Greetings Fellow Jackrabbits –
While writing for his college newspaper at Morehouse College, Martin Luther King Jr. stated; “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.â€
King, as a college student, was challenging traditional thought that higher education’s responsibility was to simply improve the intelligence of students by transferring knowledge. He added character development and critical thinking to the mix of experiences and skill sets needed to be gained during college. Today, character and critical thinking are referred to as ‘power skills’ to be gained in a wide range of classes and experiences at SDSU. The past few months, as we faced the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been challenged to critically evaluate a mountain of information in unfamiliar terms and concepts. And it has certainly tested our character!
Since March, when South Dakota State University moved its academic classes online and asked employees to work remotely, we have experienced many different emotions. We sadly watched our students leave campus without being able to say goodbye, knowing their safety was critical. We proudly observed our faculty and staff nimbly pivot and, in a matter of days, redesign literally hundreds of courses to be delivered in online formats. We were amazed as our advisers, counselors and tutors found creative ways to stay connected to over 11,500 students, providing them guidance and encouragement. And during the first week of May, we proudly awarded over 2,600 degrees in a virtual commencement celebration to a wonderful group of graduates who had exhibited grit, persistence and courage during a time of great uncertainty. In short, our students, faculty and staff exhibited outstanding character, and I am extremely proud of them.
Many of the articles in this edition of STATE Magazine capture those stories of character: alumni whose efforts positively impacted people and businesses affected by this pandemic;Â faculty who are conducting COVID-19 related research; and examples of how our students transitioned to online learning and the success of our virtual graduation ceremony.
For me personally, graduation was a bittersweet day. I am proud of the accomplishments of our students and how they persevered during their final semester to reach graduation. They enter a new world of challenges and uncertainty, but their character, combined with their intelligence, will open the doors to successful and rewarding futures.
This graduating class was the first freshman class I met as president. In August 2016, on the sidewalks of our university, the students pulled up with family members on move-in day to embark on their college journey with me. The greatest honor I have as president is shaking a student’s hand on graduation day. While I was not able to do that this year, I am extremely proud
of their accomplishments and will remember them fondly.
As we look to the fall semester, the summer months will be critical for our university as we continue to monitor and plan for a campus that will include students, faculty and staff operating in a new normal that will be quite different than before. Our JacksRBack Task Force is developing and implementing plans with the health and safety of everyone in mind. It is a challenging time, but because of our character and with our intelligence, next fall we will have a campus where our students and faculty can think critically together and thrive.
Thank you for your support of our university and especially your support during these changing times. I look forward to the day when we are together again!
Sincerely,
Barry H. Dunn
