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The Ģ����ý College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences will soon have an endowed position focused on swine production. The Rick Wahlstrom Endowed Chair in Swine Production will help support a faculty member whose research and leadership will elevate scholarly research productivity and advance teaching efforts within swine production at SDSU.

Members of the Construction Management Club at Ģ����ý turned in impressive performances competing against their peers at the Minnesota Construction Association Leadership Training Academy April 23. Winning individual contests were Nick Jensen, a senior from Sioux Falls, in job interview and Ryan Hanson, a senior from Hastings, Minnesota, in table topics. Haley Srock, a sophomore from Brandon, finished in second in table topics.

Keegan Sigl is living testimony that saying yes and walking through doors of opportunity can lead to a whole new world of education. That’s one of many lessons the senior civil engineering major has learned at Ģ����ý this semester. Since late January he has been part of the Future Innovators of America program at the Lohr College of Engineering. This is the fourth year for Future Innovators of America Fellowships. Recipients are awarded $5,000 with $4,500 as a stipend and $500 to cover the cost of lab supplies or travel to disseminate the results of their projects. 

From playing with toy trains to creating game-playing robots, the blood of an engineer has been running through Mason Jes’ veins for years. Today the 20-year-old sophomore is project manager for the Vex Robotics team at Ģ����ý. On April 25-27, they competed against 121 teams from 15 countries at the Vex Robotics World Championships in Dallas. While the venue was much smaller Jan. 17-18, when SDSU hosted the first Carrot Cup, Jes said he found the experience extremely satisfying. Jes was the primary coordinator for the event, responsible for volunteers, scheduling, venue planning and overall event execution.

Ģ����ý is hosting its 140th commencement ceremonies May 9 at First Bank & Trust Arena. Community members should be aware of increased traffic flow and patterns throughout the weekend due to several campus activities.

“Thrill Me,” a fall production by the theatre and dance department at Ģ����ý, lived up to its name for all involved. The American College Theatre Festival honored it with four national awards and nine national commendations. The cast of “Thrill Me” was honored with the Distinguished Performance Ensemble award. Actor Jacob Stevens was honored with the Distinguished Performance in a Play award. Jamison Gross won the award for Distinguished Musical Direction. Professor W. James Wood was honored for Distinguished Direction in a Play or Musical. The awards are based on how the students performed at a regional conference of the American College Theatre Festival in Rochester, Minnesota, Jan. 20.

The Pride of the Dakotas Marching Band will join the Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade in fall 2026. More than 300 Jackrabbits will travel to the Windy City.

Bel Brands USA is making a major investment in Brookings, committing $200 million to expand its facility and double production of its iconic Babybel cheese. Production is increasing from about 1.5 million to 3 million cheeses per day — all made in Brookings, the only facility supplying Babybel cheese in the United States.

Marina Hendricks, associate professor in the Ģ����ý School of Communication and Journalism, was named a Faculty Champion by the Center for Community News at the University of Vermont. She is the first faculty member in the state to receive the honor.

Seven members of the professional staff at Ģ����ý will be honored for their quality work at the SDSU Professional Staff Advisory Council annual meeting May 13.