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South Dakota State University history
South Dakota State University company history timeline
The citizens of Brookings raised over $600 and purchased land that had belonged to Randi Petersen on October 10, 1881.
1881 – Dakota State University is located in the ancestral territory of the Oceti Sakowin, an alliance made up of the Isanti, Ihanktunwan, and Titunwan.
The first building, with funding from the territorial legislature, was built in 1883, six years before the State of South Dakota was formed.
1884 – Appropriations secured, and construction begins on first college building – 50 x 70 feet, three stories, wood-frame structure.
1885 – The first graduating class consisted of two students.
Brookings, SD: Student Association, 1885-. Variant titles: College Sheaves, Dakota Collegian, South Dakota Collegian, SDSU Collegian, Industrial Collegian, South Dakota State University Collegian. [Microfilm: 378.783 So8.43]
When South Dakota became a state in 1889, the college was renamed South Dakota Agricultural College and became the state’s Land Grant College.
1892 – “The Oyaka” was the first college paper (September 1892). The name was derived from the Dakota Indians, meaning, “messenger of herald.”
1895 – The three-year elementary course was extended to four years and the first-year elementary courses were extended to one and a half years of attendance.
Hilton M. Briggs Library. " South Dakota State University Library Biennial Report." Brookings, SD: The Library, 1900-. [Books, Archives: Z733.S729 A3r]
1901 – East Hall was built as a women’s dormitory in 1901.
"The Quirt." Brookings, SD: Junior Class, South Dakota Agricultural College, 1904. [Books, Archives: S537.S6 A52]
1905 – At this time, property, buildings, and equipment were valued at $140,000.
1905 – The first year the “Anemone” (college yearbook) was published.
1909 – The long-abandoned West Hall was torn down to make way for the Science Hall, now the Tunheim Classroom Building.
1910 – The Science Hall was built, including the gymnasium.
1912 – First year of inter-collegiate athletic competition.
Madison Community Hospital (Heston Hall) was opened to the public on August 1, 1920.
1922 – A student health service was organized with R.S. Westaby as the first school doctor.
After the school was reorganized in 1923, it consisted of divisions of agriculture, engineering, home economics, pharmacy, and general science.
1924 – The first Student Senate was organized in 1924-25, to offer a student voice in matters pertaining to student problems confronting the administration of the school.
1924 – The Farm Economics Department was formed, with fifteen courses offered in the department alongside a selection of classes taught by the Commercial Sciences Department.
United States "Address of President Coolidge Dedicating the Lincoln Memorial Library at the South Dakota State College, Brookings, S. Dak., Saturday, September 10, 1927." Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1927. [Archives: S537.S6 S60805 1927]
Powers, William Howard, ed. "A History of South Dakota State College." Brookings, SD: South Dakota State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, 1931. [Books, Archives, Reference: S537.S6 P6h]
1936 – Faculty member Gertrude Gill wrote a curriculum book titled “How to Teach Poetry.” The Karl Mundt Library has several copies, some available for checkout.
1937 – Statue of General W.H.H. Beadle erected on campus, a contribution from alumni, faculty, and friends.
Wiseman, Clinton Raymond. "Report to Rufus W. Stimson: Story of courses in agriculture of less than college grade at South Dakota State College." Brookings, SD: South Dakota State College, 1940.
South Dakota Dept. of Finance. "A Building Survey of South Dakota Institutions Under the Direction of the Regents of Education." Pierre, SD: 1950. [Books, SD Collection: LB3223.4.S63 S6]
1954 – The department was again renamed, this time to the Department of Economics.
1955 – East Wing was renamed Kennedy Hall in honor of C.B. Kennedy, the donor of the original 20-acre college site. “Kennedy Hall” sign donated as a memorial to Mr.
"South Dakota State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts Building Survey." Brookings, SD: The College, 1955. [Archives: S537.S6 S60911 1955]
1957 – 24.81 acres of additional land was purchased for expansion of the college, three blocks north of the present campus.
1958 – Lowry Hall (for men) was completed, named after former President V.A. Lowry.
1960 – Memorial Gym and the Fieldhouse were completed, built in conjunction with the National Guard.
1961 – The Lake County Historical Museum was built on campus and donated to the State of South Dakota by George G. Smith and Lillian Zimmerman with a $75,000 initial donation, and $16,000 additional.
1963 – Campus School (Beadle High School) was destroyed by fire on January 19, leaving 350 students without a school.
1964 – Name of College changed to General Beadle State College.
When the University changed its name in 1964, the colleges were renamed Agriculture and Biological Sciences, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Home Economics, Nursing, Pharmacy, and the Graduate School.
1965 – Trojan Center and Higbee Hall were built.
South Dakota State University. "The President of South Dakota State University, Brookings Reports to the People of South Dakota." Brookings, SD: South Dakota State University, 19-- - 1965. [Books, Archives: S537.S6 A29]
South Dakota State University. "The President's Annual Report." Brookings, SD: South Dakota State University, 1966-.[Books, Archives: S537.S6 A29]
1968 – New Trojan Field was built north of the main campus.
1970 – Richardson Hall was built.
1971 – Heston Hall, the former Madison Hospital, was ready for use after renovation.
Schmeichel, Russel Lee. "The Historical Development of Intercollegiate Track and Field Athletics at South Dakota State University." Master's thesis, South Dakota State University, 1971. [Books, Archives: LB2385.Sch44]
South Dakota State University, Cooperative Extension Service. "History of Extension." Brookings, SD: South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service, 1973? [Archives: S537.S6 S6092 1973]
South Dakota State University, Lincoln Memorial Library. "Administrative memorandum." Brookings, SD: The Library, 1974-. Contains annual reports from each department.
In 1974, the College of General Registration (now the College of General Studies) was formed.
1975 – Health Information Management program began.
In 1975, the Division of Education was created.
Raney, Leon and Dave Martin. "South Dakota State University, H.M. Briggs Library." Brookings, SD: The Library, 1977? A booklet about the new building issued shortly after occupancy. [Archives: S537.S6 S6082 1977]
Williamson, Warren E. "Intramural Sports History, South Dakota State University." Brookings, SD?: Williamson, 1978. [Archives: GV710.S56]
1980 – KDSU broadcast system on campus began.
Holter, Ilverine and Genevieve Johnson. "History of the College of Nursing, South Dakota State University." Brookings, SD: South Dakota State University, 1981. [Books, Archives: S537.S6 H57 1981]
1983 – Kennedy Hall closed as a portion of the east wall was damaged by lightning.
Brown, Phillip L. "South Dakota State University's Library: A History." Brookings, SD: H.M. Briggs Library, South Dakota State University, 1987. [Books, Archives: S537.S6 S6081 1987]
"Class Souvenir." Brookings, SD: The College, 1989. [Books, Archives: S537.S6 A519]
Hengeweld, Derek W. "Comparison of the Performance of the H.M. Briggs Library's Cooling System with Manufacturer's rated Performance and a Common Mathematical Model." Master's thesis, South Dakota State University, 1998. [Books, Archives: LB2385.H3674]
South Dakota State University. "The Inaugural Celebration of Doctor Peggy Gordon Elliott." Brookings, SD: South Dakota State University, 1998.
An Honors College was formed in 1999.
2000 – YAHOO magazine recognized DSU as 9th in the nation for being wired.
2000 – Madison Community Center opened, a joint recreation building for use by campus and the Madison community.
South Dakota State University. "SDSU President's Faculty Committee: Two-year Report." Brookings, SD: South Dakota State University, Office of the President, 2000-. [Books, Archives: S537.S6 S60166]
South Dakota State University. "Doctor Hilton M. Briggs Memorial Service: November 28, 2001." Brookings, SD: South Dakota State University, 2001.
2001 – Eight-Plex housing built north of campus.
Videorecording. [SD Collection, Audio Visual: S537.S6 S60953 2001 Video]
2002 – DSU was named 3rd in US News & World Report Top Midwestern Public Comprehensive Colleges, and on the list of "Best Online Graduate Degree Programs."
2003 – DSU Champion Scholarships were first offered.
2004 – The NSA and DHS designate DSU as a Center of Academic Excellence in computer security.
2004 – Doctor Jerald Tunheim retired after 17 years as President and was succeeded by Doctor Doug Knowlton.
2005 – DSU installed the Walk of Honor on the west edge of campus to honor donors.
2006 – DSU celebrated its 125th year with a series of celebrations throughout the year.
2006 – The certificate program in Entrepreneurial Studies was created.
South Dakota State University, Office of University Relations. "Woodbine Cottage." Brookings, SD: South Dakota State University, Office of University Relations, 2006. [Books, Archives, SD Collection: S537.S6 W66 2006]
2009 – The Tunheim Classroom Building was dedicated in September.
2009 – DSU established the Center for the Advancement of Health Information Technology (CAHIT).
2009 – The Entrepreneurial Studies program joined the Department of Economics and expands to a major.
Two colleges and seven departments combined in 2009 to create the College of Education and Human Sciences.
2010 – DSU’s Doug Knowlton become the first president of a public university in South Dakota to have an active Twitter account.
2013 – DSU received a $5 million gift from alumnus Miles Beacom and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford.
2014 – DSU receives a $5 million gift from Miles Beacom and T. Denny Sanford.
2015 – Doctor José-Marie Griffiths become the 23rd DSU President.
On May 23, 2016 (formal inauguration held September 29, 2016), Barry H. Dunn became the 20th President of South Dakota State University.
2017 – Miles and Lisa Beacom and T. Denny Sanford announced a $30 million gift to Dakota State that will be used to construct the Madison Cyber Labs, or MadLabs®, provide for scholarships and faculty and staff development, and develop programs.
2017 – Hope Juntunen was named a Goldwater Scholar, the first DSU student so honored.
2018 – President Griffiths was invited to attend a first-of-its-kind State-Federal Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education Summit hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
2018 – Lowry Hall was demolished to make room for the new Madison Cyber Labs construction.
2019 – DSU carries out their first “DSU Giving Day” on March 22.
2019 – Campus Watch was created to increase a campus security presence during the evening hours with employees each evening providing safe chaperone services for students, staff, and faculty members.
2019 – Doctor Ashley Podhradsky was selected as one of 125 IF/THEN Ambassadors with the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
2019 – Dakota State joined the collegiate world of esports.
2019 – First PREMIER Bank/PREMIER Bankcard, along with Miles and Lisa Beacom, made a lead gift of $10 million towards the Trojans Unite Capital Campaign.
2019 – The Karl Mundt Library celebrated the 50th anniversary of its dedication.
2019 – Dakota State introduced two new telepresence robots, Dewey and Cosmo.
2020 – After spring break, the DSU campus moved to all online classes for the spring semester, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020 - DSU’s Health Information Technology program celebrated 45 years since the creation of the program’s first associate degree.
2021 –DSU launched “Cyberology” podcast, about all things cyber and technology.
2021 – Four Dakota students and alumni have been named to the first-ever US Cyber Games team.
2022 – Dakota State was named to the US Cyber Command Academic Engagement Network.
2022 – A grant from AT&T allowed CybHER to take cyber education outreach to the South Dakota reservations.
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| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern State University | 1901 | $71.6M | 120 | - |
| Dakota State University | 1881 | $30.5M | 200 | 3 |
| University of Wyoming | 1886 | $261.3M | 4,323 | 417 |
| Black Hills State University | 1883 | $5.0M | 595 | - |
| University of Maine | 1865 | $16.0M | 750 | 260 |
| Prairie View A&M University | 1876 | $50.0M | 2,357 | 197 |
| University of Central Oklahoma | 1890 | $127.7M | 2,000 | 329 |
| Washburn University | 1865 | $43.8M | 1,415 | 127 |
| Montana Tech | - | $63.9M | 618 | 36 |
| UW-La Crosse | 1909 | $24.0M | 2,407 | - |
South Dakota State University history FAQs
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