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The �ձ�av��Ƶ College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences has announced interim roles for several �ձ�av��Ƶ Extension leadership positions.

�ձ�av��Ƶ welcomes two new leaders to its ROTC programs this fall. Lt. Col. Gary Priest joins as commander of Air Force ROTC Detachment 780, and Lt. Col. Heath Abraham as professor of military science for Army ROTC.

�ձ�av��Ƶ President Barry Dunn has bestowed a Presidential Medallion upon SDState alum and supporter Jim Woster.

Michelle Rook has been named the 2025 recipient of the �ձ�av��Ƶ Friend of the Beef Industry award for her contributions to the South Dakota beef industry.

�ձ�av��Ƶ Klingbeil Endowed Department Head of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Kasiviswanathan “Muthu” Muthukumarappan was awarded the International Food Security Award in honor of Bor S. Luh by the Institute of Food Technologists.

As the daughter of two disabled veterans, �ձ�av��Ƶ sophomore Anna Atkinson is uniquely connected to and offers unwavering support for members of the military.

Jackrabbits in all 50 states and across 12 countries united to tackle historic philanthropy on Sept. 4 during One Day for STATE. In 24 hours, 6,126 donors united to raise $3,207,938 from 7,824 gifts to transform lives at SDState.

�ձ�av��Ƶ announced today that its total headcount for the fall 2025 semester is 12,139 students, the university’s largest enrollment since 2017.

�ձ�av��Ƶ Archives and Special Collections has announced a new effort to preserve and share a powerful piece of South Dakota’s history. Thanks to a grant from the Mary Chilton Daughters of the American Revolution Foundation, SDState Archives will be able to digitize and publicly disseminate 35 rare 16mm films from the collection of Ben Reifel — South Dakota’s only Native American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and the first Lakota member of Congress.

Liam Murray, an engineering doctoral student at �ձ�av��Ƶ, is one of 28 people nationwide selected for a yearlong professional development program. Murray, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering at �ձ�av��Ƶ in 2023 and this May, is in the second cohort of NobleReach Fellows. Murray, originally of Omaha, Nebraska, was chosen from among 1,200 applicants. The cohort will have five in-person training sessions as well as monthly remote individual mentoring.