Dear Alumni and Friends,
I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer and enjoying the warm weather months we cherish in South Dakota. It has certainly been a busy summer on our campus as many of us are preparing for the arrival of a new class of Jackrabbits and the return of thousands of students who are coming back for another year.
The summer has also been an important time as we begin the process of launching our university’s next strategic plan. The plan is our “Pathway to Premier” and a continued commitment to our mission of providing a rich academic experience and our vision to be a premier land-grant university recognized for high value, innovation and bold impact. I’m happy to report that it was approved by the Board of Regents at its June meeting.
We have committed to maintain and continue to live our core values of being people-centered, expanding knowledge through creativity and exploration, acting with organizational and personal integrity and being committed to diversity of community and ideas.
The new plan will continue to challenge us in key areas and drive us to meet very strategic and bold goals. Under Imagine 2023, we exceeded our goals in critical areas like the number of accredited and certified programs, unprecedented retention of first-time, full-time students exceeding 80%, and survey indicators that show a higher level of job satisfaction among our employees.
We also continued to expand our research capabilities and drive new innovations that are impacting our state, region and the world. By strengthening our community engagement opportunities, especially in Sioux Falls, we are providing a greater impact for SDSU in supporting businesses and new industries that are vital to South Dakota.
Each of these areas will be critical as we move into Pathway to Premier. But the new plan is an opportunity for us to reflect on the areas we can improve in the continually changing landscape of higher education and dynamic world in which we live. We understand that we must remain committed to being nimbler and more adaptive by teaching and educating our students in different ways. We must be willing to change quickly to meet the needs of industry and the citizens of South Dakota.
Being a premier land-grant university doesn’t limit us to the same path, but rather requires us to chart new paths and build new roads that directly and positively impact our stakeholders. We are committed to the charge and look forward to the responsibility of making all of you proud of our great institution.
In the coming weeks and months there will be many opportunities for you to learn about our new strategic plan, and I encourage you to do so.
Thank you for being an important part of South Dakota State University. I hope to see you on campus soon.
Sincerely,
Barry H. Dunn
President
