HONORS COLLEGEVAN D. AND BARBARA B. FISHBACK

South Dakota State UniversityAnnual Report 2014-2015

2014 -2015 A N N UA L R E P O R T 3

June 25, 2015

Dear Friends:

So, there we were -- watching the sunrise over the Acropolis of Athens; a few days earlier we had been on an island throwing rocks into the Mediterranean Sea, all as part of our first Honors odyssey to Greece in May – certainly one of the year’s most memorable Honors events, and indeed, one of the highlights of my professional career.

This year’s annual report includes more highlights from the 2014-2015 year in the Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College at South Dakota State University. I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to share some of these people, numbers, and images to tell the story of our year in Honors.

Herein you’ll find a report on progress toward our IMPACT 2018 strategic goals, which include record-breaking numbers of Honors students enrolling in our courses and graduating with Fishback Honors College distinction. Thanks to our faculty, this year we’ve also introduced a host of first-time Honors offerings, including Introduction to Global Studies and colloquia on Energy, Sport and Society, and Ways of Healing, just to name a few examples. We were also fortunate to send record delegations of students and faculty presenting at regional and national honors conferences and back home on campus celebrating Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Day. Our Honors College student organization won its second consecutive award for academic excellence from the South Dakota Board of Regents and went on a spring break service trip to Milwaukee. On the fund-raising front, we secured a $138,500 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture for teaching, learning, research and outreach experiences aimed at ‘meeting the grand challenges’, and importantly, gained sponsors for all 58 of our students’ medallions this spring.

The new development, with perhaps the greatest potential to make a difference in our students’ Honors experience, is (thanks to endowment earnings and institutional strategic reinvestment support) the addition of another full-time Honors staff member, Hanna Larsen, who will serve as our advisor/student services specialist. As I write this letter, Hanna is ‘in the trenches’ advising at New Student Orientation. Her commitment, professionalism, and passion for Honors has, is and will continue to make a difference. While we welcome Hanna, we bid farewell, with our heartfelt thanks, to another Honors difference-maker, Dr. Woodard, who retires this spring after four decades of distinguished service to our university.

That beautiful morning on the beach back on the island of Samos, knowledge, wisdom, confidence, relationships, inspiration, vigor and vision were among the concepts our students said they hoped to bring back with them from our time together in Greece. These same concepts have been brought to life this year through the kindness, good work, and generosity of members of the Honors family. I’m more grateful, proud and hopeful than ever about the transformative present impacts and exciting future possibilities for the Fishback Honors College at South Dakota State University. Read on, and you’ll see why.

Sincerely,

Timothy J. NicholsDean

David Cartrette, Associate Professor and Assistant Department Head in Chemistry and Biochemistry, was voted by students as the 2014-2015 Fishback Honors College Teacher of the Year.  He was also presented with the Honors medallion during the medallion ceremony in May.

Cartrette’s contributions in Honors include developing and teaching the acclaimed Honors Chemistry sequence, serving on the Honors Committee and Schultz-Werth Committee, contributing to colloquia and assisting with coordination of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and the Creative Activity Day.

During the presentation of his faculty medallion, Dean Nichols commented that Cartrette’s leadership and advocacy for Honors across campus was particularly noteworthy; Nichols added that Cartrette was a wonderful role model for students of a leading edge scientist who fully embraces multidisciplinary perspectives and the values of a liberal education.

Cartrette Named 2014-2015 Fishback Honors College Teacher of the Year

2015 Medallion CeremonyThe 2015 Medallion Ceremony saw a record 58 students graduating with Fishback Honors College distinction.  In addition, Dr. David Cartrette, Honors Teacher of the Year, was presented with the Honors Medallion.  Family members, friends, faculty, and Honors supporters from across campus and the community packed SDSU’s Performing Arts Center for the May 8 event.  In what has become an Honors tradition, each graduate had the opportunity to recognize a faculty

member who had made a particularly important contribution to that students’ undergraduate experience.

Kyla Behnken and Mackenzie Klinkhammer served as student

speakers at the ceremony.  Kyla challenged her fellow graduates to ‘be present, take advantage of every

opportunity, and be you.’  Mackenzie shared woyaksape (words of wisdom and encouragement) and reflected on her experiences, challenging her fellow graduates to ‘never forget how truly

blessed you are.’

This year all of the graduates’ medallions were sponsored with Honors foundation gifts from faculty and supporters of the college.  Dean Nichols said, “We are extremely grateful for the incredible support of our donors that help make this such a memorable celebration. The medallion ceremony is the signature event of the Fishback Honors College; it’s wonderful for our students to have the strong support of the Honors family as they begin the exciting next chapters in their lives.”

‘be present, take advantage of every

opportunity, and be you.’

LARGEST EVER CLASS OF HONORS GRADUATES

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STRATEGIC GOAL 1: Provide academic excellence through quality programs, engaged learners and an innovative teaching and learning environment.Key accomplishments:

• Honors course enrollment: 825• Student pursuing graduation with Honors College distinction (Fall, 2014): 678• Honors College courses offered: 62. This included first time offerings in Introduction to Global Studies, and the

following Honors Colloquia: Energy: Present Realities, Future Possibilities; Paris: Global City of Light; Ways of Healing; Sport and Society; and God, Love and Global Conflict – Paranormal Romance in the 21st Century.

• Graduates with Honors College distinction (Spring, 2015): 58• Fully furnished and functional Honors classroom, used as model space for Classroom Enhancement Initiative.• Honors Hall filled to 90 percent plus capacity. • Fall/Spring Honors retention 96 percent.• Honors College Student Organization recognized with the 2014-2015 South Dakota Board of Regents

Student Organization Award for Academic Excellence.

STRATEGIC GOAL 2: Generate new knowledge, encourage innovations, promote artistic and creative works that contribute to the public good and result in social, cultural, or economic development for South Dakota, the region, nation, and world.Key accomplishments:

• Approximately 50 Fishback Honors College students received undergraduate research funding.• More than 125 students presented at Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Day.• 51 students and faculty attended and presented at 2015 Upper Midwest Honors Conference.• 42 students and faculty attended and presented at 2014 National Collegiate Honors Council meeting

in Denver, Colorado.• Publication of Honors student essay collection, Love:  It’s Enough, debut of original student choral

composition, I Once Saw…• First ever Honors student-curated exhibit at South Dakota Art Museum

STRATEGIC GOAL 3: Extend the reach and depth of the university by developing strategic programs and collaborations.Key accomplishments:

• Strengthened collaboration with academic colleges; including finalized advising sheets for all majors and programs, and a new structured pathway for Honors College students in the College of Nursing.

• Developed Honors advising resources, including major-specific academic guide sheets, and the second edition of the Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College Student Handbook; a supplement for the college handbook for students in Pharmacy was completed this spring.

• Successfully implemented campus/community common reading program featuring The Good Food Revolution (Allen, 2012). More than 2000 students and community members participated, including strong collaboration from the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Black Student Alliance, and Brookings Human Rights and Sustainability Committees. Facilitated collaborative Honors service learning/spring-break trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, home of Will Allen’s organization, Growing Power, Inc.

• Led two cohorts of sophomores through LEADSTATE – a targeted leadership development program built around Strengths-Based Leadership and The Social Change Model for Leadership Development. Program components include a retreat, small group service projects, and individualized leadership coaching. Partners included Lost and Found (suicide prevention organization), Habitat for Humanity, SDSU Armed Forces Association, and agencies including United Way, Boys and Girls Club, and Brookings County Youth Mentoring Program.

• Partnered with Office of International Affairs to facilitate Exploring the Ethos of Honors:  An Odyssey to the Origins of Western Civilization.  Twenty students, two Honors faculty and Dean Nichols participated.

STRATEGIC GOAL 4: Secure human and fiscal resources to ensure high performance through enhanced financial, management and government systems.Key accomplishments:

• Secured FTE for first part-time Honors College graduate assistant.• Successful search for Honors Advisor/Student Services Specialist.• Approximately 25 undergraduate students engaged as undergraduate teaching assistants.• Secured $136,500 in funding for Meeting the Grand Challenges grant from the United States Department of

Agriculture’s Higher Education Challenge Grants Program.• Secured sponsorships for (71) Honors medallions, and additional private gifts in excess of $10,000.

progress reportIMPACT 2018 STRATEGIC PLAN

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2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Students Pursuing Graduation with Honors College Distinction

82

144

257

459

573

678

by the numbersFISHBACK HONORS COLLEGE Honors Enrollment by Degree-Granting College

Agriculture and Biological Sciences

180 students 25%

Arts and Sciences 164 students

23%

Education and Human Sciences

52 students 7%

Jerome J. Lohr College of

Engineering 139 students

20%

Nursing 41 students

6%

Pharmacy 123 students

17%

University College 17 students

2%

Honors Course Enrollment

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

301

435

507

600

793825

Honors Course Enrollment

(27)

2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014

(31)

(27)

(50)

(57)

(62)

2014-2015

Number of Honors Sections

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sunrises and sunsets.

Students and faculty drew inspiration from the ancient Greeks in crafting their own personal ‘Ethos of Honors’ statements. Passionate, humble, balanced, committed to excellence, engaged citizens -- all were among the themes that emerged, but each student captured the ethos of honors in a unique way, crediting the trip with helping them come to new levels of understanding of what it means to be honorable. One student wrote:

Had it not been for the insights and opportunities afforded to me by delving deeply into the culture and values of Greece, I don’t think I would have been able to make the realizations and connections that have allowed me to form a foundation from which I can continue to develop into an honorable citizen of not only my immediate surroundings but of the world.

Students and faculty met six times during the preceding semester and read a wide range of classic and contemporary literature including The Odyssey, Antigone, Pericles’ Funeral Oration, Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, Galatians, and Ephesians, and Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers, by Kwame Appiah. They also presented on contemporary news items from Greece, sampled Greek cuisine and hosted a variety of guest speakers before departing. Group reunions featuring Brookings’ finest Greek food from George’s are being planned. Sally Gillman, Study Abroad coordinator in the Office of International Affairs, helped coordinate the trip’s logistics which were developed in collaboration with Seminars, International.

EthosExploring the

ofHonors

Exploring the Ethos of Honors – an Odyssey to the Origins

of Western Civilization – was the theme of the first Fishback Honors College study abroad trip to Greece during May, 2015. Twenty students participated in the experience, which was led by Professors Barb Kleinjan, Greg Peterson and Dean Nichols.

Destinations on the trip included Athens (the Acropolis, the Agora, the Plaka), Delphi (the Oracle, temples and stadium), Corinth and the Acrocorinth castle, the monasteries of Meteora, the island of Samos (Hera Temple, home of Pythagorus, and Samos winery), and a boat trip to Turkey to visit the ancient Roman city of Ephesus.

Nichols commented, “The trip was really nothing short of amazing! It

far exceeded my high expectations. The history, sites, landscape, art and architecture were incredible throughout, as were the beaches, the weather and the food! Most especially, the people made the trip! Professors Kleinjan and Peterson were awesome, and our students responded to the intellectual, physical, social and gastronomic challenges of the course with energy and enthusiasm. Our guide for our time in Greece, Ms. Helen Premeti, was eminently knowledgeable, a fantastic teacher, and a lot of fun!”

Each day, teams of students led briefing and debriefing discussions, and upon returning home, posted photos and a narrative to the course blog on WordPress. Students also journaled in response to peer and instructor questions on a daily basis. Kleinjan commented that

an especially powerful part of her experience as an instructor was reading students’ journals and observing what she referred to as ‘transformational learning’ in action. Peterson, a scholar of philosophy, had the chance to facilitate a Socratic dialogue at the site of Aristotle’s Lyceum and Plato’s Academy.

The Ethos of Honors served as the trip’s organizing theme, and students engaged in research and conversation around the topic throughout their time in Greece and Turkey. This included unforgettable discussions, photo challenges and even games of charades by pools, on beaches and buses, in airports and hotel lobbies and on a hill overlooking the Acropolis of Athens. This became one of the group’s favorite gathering sites for

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NCHC 2014 Sees Largest-Ever Delegation from Fishback Honors College More than 40 students and faculty represented the Fishback Honors College at the National Collegiate Honors Council meeting in Denver, November 5-9, 2014. This year’s conference theme was ‘the thrill of the climb.’ Blind mountain climber Erik Weienmayer delivered the conference’s inspiring keynote address. The conference concluded with a banquet kicking off the 50th anniversary of NCHC.

The SDSU delegation traveled in a Harms’ charter bus to and from Brookings which enabled more students and faculty than ever to attend the national conference. All representatives from SDSU were featured on the conference program.

According to Dean Nichols, NCHC 2014 represented a wonderful opportunity to learn, to share our own stories, to network with attendees from across the country, and to strengthen bonds between students and faculty from the

Fishback Honors College. “We always come home from NCHC with new ideas and inspiration, but also affirmed in the strength of our people and programs.”

SDSU Presentations at the National Collegiate Honors Council Meeting included:

Master Class: Honors Speech Reader’s Theater• Barbara Kleinjan; Jacob Ailts;

Kaya Borg; Kelsey Butler; Tate DeJong; Keahna Fenwick; Danielle Jensen; Spenser Kavanaugh; Matilyn Kerr; Valerie Kleinjan; Terra Klima; Kyla Larsen; Caleb McKinley; Jordan Nichols, and Patrick Watchorn.

Roundtables• Mathematics in the Honors

Classroom. Daniel Kemp; Nick Arens, and Kole Kramer.

• Becoming an Honors Servant Leader. Hanna Larsen, and Ben Stout.

Idea Exchange• Honors Supplemental Guide

for Pharmacy Student Success.Terra Klima.

Student Poster Sessions• Synthesis of Indole-2

Carboxylic Acid Derrivatives as Antagonists of Mutant BRAF Receptors in Melanoma. Jeremiah Atkinson, and Lauren Kuschel.

• Aspirin-Induced Acetylation of Proteins in Caco-2 and HCT-116 Cancer Cell Lines. Samuel Smith.

• Determining Freshman Success in Honors Pre-Pharmacy Populations. Collin Townsend.

Faculty Poster Sessions• Projects in the Honors

Mathematics Classroom. Daniel Kemp; Nick Arens, and Kole Kramer.

• Love: A Transdisciplinary Honors Course Examining One

Honors Awarded Grant to Prepare Students for Meeting the Grand ChallengesIssues such as climate change, sustainable energy, obesity, food safety, and feeding the world’s rapidly growing population with limited resources have been identified as some of the grand challenges facing people and the planet today. Meeting these challenges will demand bright, creative, engaged thinkers skilled at complex problem solving; in other words students prepared with an education from the Fishback Honors College at SDSU.

Those ideas and approaches were compelling enough to reviewers for the United States Department of Agriculture’s Higher Education Challenge Grants program which awarded the Fishback College $138,500 over three years, beginning in fall 2014. The grant involves a wide range of students, faculty and community members. Honors Dean Nichols is principal investigator, Suzanne Stluka of SDSU Extension is co-investigator, and Deans Barry Dunn (Agriculture and Biological Sciences) and Jill Thorngren (Education and Human Sciences), are also helping to lead the collaborative project.

Focus areas for grant funding include support for developing and delivering new interdisciplinary Honors courses, supporting undergraduate research and community outreach efforts aimed at the grand challenges. A new colloquium on Energy: Present Realties, Future Possibilities was offered with great interest and success in fall 2014, and a second new Honors course

conceptualized broadly around the grand challenges theme will be offered in fall 2015. Additional colloquia will be developed and implemented throughout the grant, and integrated into a consistent series of Honors courses.

This summer, eight students are being supported with grant resources for undergraduate research. Projects range from examining nutrition and physical activity levels among college students to designing a renewable energy micro-grid and developing new treatment measures for common livestock diseases.

Next year, program staff will engage Honors students in educational outreach efforts to youth related to the grand challenges. Boys and Girls Clubs in Brookings, Flandreau, Yankton, and Wagner will participate.

Systems thinking serves as a conceptual foundation for the Honors approach to these grand challenges. Honors students and faculty participated in a three-day workshop in January to ground them in the tools of systems thinking, and to begin to engage in the collaborative problem-solving process.

The first year of the grant has been ‘great’ according to Dean Nichols. “We’re thrilled to have the impetus and resources to engage our students in these important challenges now, and to prepare them to meet these challenges in the future.”

of the Most Powerful Forces in Human Life. Timothy Nichols; Laurie Nichols; Jeremiah Atkinson; Allyson Lucht; Kaya Borg, and Allyson Helms.

General Sessions• Why Not Honors?

Understanding Retention Through an Enhanced Understanding of Why Honors Students Do Not Make the Climb. Jacob Ailts; Kuo-Liang Chang, and Timothy Nichols.

• Year Two: The South Dakota State University Honors Digital Communications Study. Are We Plugged In But Tuned Out? Barbara Kleinjan; Matilyn Kerr; Valerie Kleinjan; Kyla Larsen; Jordan Nichols, and Ben Stout.

• Using Readers’ Theater to Showcase Creativity and Lessen Performance Anxiety in Honors Students. Barbara Kleinjan; Jacob Ailts; Kaya Borg; Kelsey Butler; Tate DeJong; Keahna Fenwick; Danielle Jensen; Spenser Kavanaugh; Matilyn Kerr; Valerie Kleinjan; Terra Klima; Kyla Larsen; Caleb McKinley; Jordan Nichols, and Patrick Watchorn.

• Making Meaning in Honors. Timothy Nichols; Morgan Erickson; Allyson Lucht; Jonathan Mochel; Jordan Nichols; Owen Shay; Samuel Smith, and Patrick Watchorn.

• Honors-Led Common Read Engages Students, Builds Community. Nichols Timothy; Hanna Larsen; Kirstyn Fiala, and Owen Shay.

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Halle Halbkat, a senior biology, pre-professional honors student, is spending her summer researching and writing an undergraduate anatomy lab manual.

Last fall, Halbkat took an independent study course and wrote a dissection lab manual for anatomy. She worked with biology professor Scott Pedersen, who specializes in anatomy, biogeography and bats.

“Dr. Pedersen really inspired me to write the first lab manual,” said Halbkat, a student in the Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College. “He encouraged me to make it concise and write in terms everyone can understand.

“I wrote the manual as we were dissecting, so it was helpful because I would dissect one day in class, and write it down the next,” said Halbkat, originally from Huron.

Halbkat said the finished lab manual is specific to SDSU. “It discusses certain resources and tools used here,” Halbkat said. “So, when I finished the manual, many people asked if I was going to do more with it.”

After talking with Pedersen and graduate friends in the field, Halbkat decided to standardize the lab manual for other undergraduate dissection courses to use.

Many of the existing manuals are highly

technical, aimed at graduate and higher-level dissection, according to Halbkat. “At SDSU, our dissection process builds systematically throughout the body,” Halbkat said. “And, apparently, systematic dissection is not that common. Undergraduate dissection is just getting off the ground everywhere else.”

Halbkat began writing the manual fall 2014 and plans to finish the standardized version by fall 2015. With grant funding from the Joseph F. Nelson Undergraduate Research Mentorships, Halbkat plans to publish the manual.

Halbkat said her work this summer includes more

writing and publishing research rather than anatomical research. “I’m in the process of rewriting and making it more appealing to read,” Halbkat said. “I’m becoming versed in technical writing, and learning how and why things are done in that aspect.”

Faculty guidance, alongside being an anatomy teaching assistant as a junior, inspired Halbkat to become an anatomy professor. After she earns a bachelor’s degree in 2016, she will go on to earn a doctorate degree in anatomy.

“I really enjoy taking honors courses,” Halbkat said. “It’s fun for me to be in a smaller class with 25 other students who are just as motivated as I am. All of my teachers have been wonderful.”

Before coming to State, Halbkat planned on taking the pre-physical therapy route, with the goal of studying physical therapy after earning her bachelor’s degree, but her connection with honors professors inspired her change of direction.

“I’ve noticed in my honors classes the professors are more willing to deviate from the set syllabus,” Halbkat said. “I was taking an honors class this spring, and we got caught on the first topic and ended up discussing that for the three-hour period. It was an intense conversation between students and teachers. The courses feel personalized and relaxed, and that’s how I want to be as a professor.”

Honors student-researcher to publish anatomy lab manual

Larsen Named New Honors Advisor, Student Services Specialist

“I am very honored and humbled to have been selected for this position. Being part of the Honors College had an incredibly positive impact on my time as a student at SDSU, and I am thrilled to have this opportunity to

give back to the College and the people who helped me so much.” -Hanna Larsen

Hanna Larsen has been hired as the new Advisor/Student Services Specialist for the Fishback Honors College. She began in the position May 28.

“We are thrilled to have Hanna on board in this new professional position!” said Dean Nichols. He continued, “Hanna’s strong record of service, years of experience in Honors, and deep commitment to student success will enable her to make strong, positive impacts on our students and programs immediately. She’s a team player who brings a broad skill set to this position, and, perhaps best of all, she’s passionate about Honors!”

Most recently, Larsen served in a graduate assistantship split between Honors and Communication Studies and Theater. In this capacity she taught Honors (and non-Honors) speech sections, a section of Honors Orientation, and Honors 290: Leadership and Service, a course she helped develop. This spring she won the Central States Communication Association’s Cooper Award as the outstanding speech teaching assistant

in the region. She has served on SDSU’s Common Read committee, as a member of the LEADSTATE team, and on the Brookings Human Rights Committee. She helped lead the Honors spring break trip to Milwaukee this

spring and was also presented with the Honors ‘Above and Beyond’ award at Convocation.

Matching funds to support Larsen’s position were awarded from the university’s strategic reinvestment fund, in recognition of the rapid growth in the number of Honors students at SDSU. “It’s critical as we grow in Honors that we maintain the highest quality, personalized academic experience for our students; Hanna’s role will help ensure that we continue to deliver on the promise of Honors to our expanding Honors student body,” Nichols said.

Larsen is an Honors graduate from SDSU (2013) with a degree in Psychology. As an undergraduate she helped host the regional Honors conference and was social chair and president of the Honors College Student Organization, winning the convocation award for leadership and being named SDSU’s NCHC Student of the Year. She has presented at numerous regional and national Honors conferences, participated in

Favorite Honors course: Senior Seminar

Best Honors memory: Medallion Ceremony

Favorite thing about Honors: The interdisciplinary community—meeting people who are involved across campus in different academic programs and extracurricular activities, but who also share a love of learning and a desire to make the most of their time at SDSU

Other favorities Food: Grilled Cheese

Color: Yellow

Book: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle

Movie: Little Miss Sunshine

Quote: “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” –Maria Robinson

ABOUT HANNA

the First Lady’s Literary Circle, and served as a Community Assistant on the Honors floor in Mathews Hall and as an Orientation Leader and Admissions Ambassador.

Larsen graduated from Groton High School and was a National Merit Scholar. She is the daughter of Scott and Kristi Larsen of Brookings. Her younger sister Kyla graduated with Fishback Honors College distinction this spring and, like Hanna, was an HCSO President and NCHC Student of the Year nominee. Hanna will marry Tyler Holmquist, an Economics graduate student at SDSU, in the Black Hills this August.

By Karissa Kuhle

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Charles Woodard, Distinguished Professor of English and Fishback Honors faculty member for 40 years, retired this spring from South Dakota State University.

Dr. Woodard has inspired students from all different majors to find and make meaning through transformative courses such as Honors Composition II, Literature of the West, and American Indian Literature of the Present and Past.  Dr. Woodard was

the inspiration behind the First Lady’s Literary Circle, and the American Indian Cultural Immersion experience on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.  A long-time advocate for tribal communities, he founded the Oak Lake Tribal Writer’s Society, which last year celebrated its 20th anniversary.  A Vietnam-era combat veteran, he has also developed ‘literature as medicine’ outreach programs through the Sioux Falls Veteran’s Administration Hospital.

Dr. Woodard has won virtually every award the university offers, including the Fishback Honors College Distinguished Service Award and the Honors Medallion; earlier in his career he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize; and he has served as author and editor of numerous publciations.

Dean Nichols said, “Throughout Chuck’s extraordinary life and career, he has been an exemplar of what it means to live a life with honor.  He has challenged and supported me to be the best man I could be and to make my work matter.  His presence on our campus has been a source of progressive thinking, high scholarly and ethical standards, and passionate outreach and service. He has been a

role model of SDSU at its best. We are a better, wiser institution because of Dr. Woodard.”

In February 2015, at Nichols’ request, Woodard delivered his “Last Lecture,” an honorary guest-speaking appearance as part of the annual Honors College

Convocation. Woodard discussed topics important to the development of SDSU students. He started with a brief story about reading books with his grandson, Jack, proceeded through highlights from a handful of his experiences in Brookings and concluded with lessons learned throughout his journey as a Jackrabbit.

The “Last Lecture” was yet another highlight of what has been a storied career and provides a tangible example of how Woodard has been able to improve the organization that he has been a part of for the past 40 years.  Copies of Dr. Woodard’s remarks Not Letting the Pigeon Drive the Bus were bound and distributed at the spring medallion ceremony and at a happy hour celebration of Chuck’s retirement at the Nichols’ home in May.  He was also presented with a Lakota star quilt made be retired faculty member, friend (and 2014 Honors Convocation speaker), Doris Giago.

The fourth annual Fishback Honors College convocation was a night of inspiration and celebration of all things Honors. Dr. Charles Woodard, Distinguished Professor of English delivered his unforgettable last lecture, entitled Not Letting the Pigeon Drive the Bus. Al and Carole Johnson were named Friends of the Honors College, David Cartrette of Chemistry and Biochemistry was announced as Teacher of the Year and Kyla Behnken was awarded NCHC Student of the Year.

The evening began with a reception in the South Dakota Art Museum and a performance from an Honors Speech

Readers Theater group. President Chicoine and Provost Nichols assisted with awards presentations;, and Honors juniors Joe Schartz and Jordan Nichols were masters of ceremonies.

A complete list of this year’s student and faculty awards is below:

Friends of the Fishback Honors College: • Al and Carole Johnson

Faculty Awards:• Teacher of the Year: David Cartrette• Above and Beyond Awards: Kuo-Liang Chang, Dan

Kemp, Barb Kleinjan, Hanna Larsen• Excellence in Faculty Engagement: Shelly

Brandenburger

Student Awards:• National Collegiate Honors Council Student of the

Year: Kyla Behnken• Honors Ethic Award: Samuel Smith• Academic Excellence: Stephanie Demers, Katherine

Kondratuk, Allyson Lucht• Excellence in Leadership: Jacob Ailts, Terra Klima• Excellence in Service: Casey Goodmund, Owen Shay• Community Builder: Jonathan Mochel• Campus Champion: Nicole Buchele, Tyler Hajek,

Matilyn Kerr, Mackenzie Klinkhammer• Professional Excellence: Rachel Felber, Amy Full,

Frankie Lux, Collin Townsend• Land Grant Student Excellence: Loretta Bartosh• Research Excellence: Jeremiah Atkinson• Global Impact: Deidre Beck, Emily Endres• Renaissance Woman: Samantha Wagner• Excellence in Creativity: Morgan Erickson• Excellence in the Arts: Louise Perrion• Excellence in Athletics: Diana Potterveld, Jessie

Hendricks• Academic Achievement in Honors: Gabriel Sexton• HCSO Award of Excellence: Kaya Borg, Sarah Reiner

CONTACT US:Timothy J. Nichols, Ph.D.Dean, Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors CollegeSouth Dakota State UniversitySHON Box 2705A, Honors Hall 119Brookings, SD 57007(605)-688-5268Timothy.Nichols@sdstate.edu

Keith MahlumVice President for DevelopmentSouth Dakota State University FoundationLohr Building815 Medary Ave.Brookings, SD 57006(605)-697-7475Keith.Mahlum@SDStateFoundation.org

Honors Convocation is Evening of Celebration and Inspiration

Woodard retires after four decades of service

“Throughout Chuck’s extraordinary life and career,

he has been an exemplar of what it means to live a

life with honor.”

Lisa OttersonDevelopment Director for University ProgramsSouth Dakota State University FoundationLohr Building815 Medary Ave.Brookings, SD 57006(605)-697-7475Lisa.Otterson@SDStateFoundation.org