Dakota State University

Josh Pauley '22

Business Marketing (BBA)

Growing up in a business family and an interest in innovative industries inspired Josh Pauley to major in business marketing.

“What I’ve enjoyed most about the marketing program is the knowledge I keep building semester after semester,” Pauley said.

The senior from Flandreau, SD, appreciates all that Asst. Professor Deb Tech and Instructor Wendy Simmermon have taught him.

He also likes the collaborative part of marketing, noting some of his best experiences in the program have been working on group projects and networking.

Beyond working together, the marketing courses at DSU have exposed Pauley to a variety of software that is used in the industry. He’s gained experience in QuickBooks, Microsoft Office, OneNote, HootSuite, and Google Garage, even earning certification in some.

He took a marketing research class this past summer where he was able to experiment with Tableau software.

“This software can pretty much put together any analytics you have and project it in one picture,” Pauley explained.

He’s been able to utilize Tableau at his management marketing internship with Ramsdell F&M, a private, family-owned co-op in Flandreau. Pauley worked there throughout the summer and is working part-time this fall. His role with the business includes running marketing campaigns on social media, updating the website, and connecting with print publications for advertising.

Through his work with Ramsdell F&M, he’s learned a lot about graphic design, gaining experience in Adobe Elements to create advertisements. Additionally, he worked on creating videos to showcase the different agricultural elements to the business, highlighting crop scouting, crop spraying, and a crop day event.

DSU prepared Pauley for the internship through the teaching of ethics, understanding community, and being able to read numbers for accounting and business statistics.

Pauley’s advice for fellow and future marketing majors is to be innovative and work hard. “Don’t sit back and let opportunity pass you by.”

Business Marketing (BBA)

Marie Johnson

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Marie Johnson is a True Trojan, quite literally. She was honored with a True Trojan Hexagon Award this fall, as the 2021 Career Service Association Outstanding Contributor.

Nomination letters said Johnson “embraces and accepts the opportunity to continue to grow and help out.”

That is Johnson’s goal at DSU. “My main thing is customer service, no matter who the customer is, so when anybody comes in, it’s ‘How may I help you?’”

This should be a goal for all employees, she said, “to make the university a place where people want to work and come to school. Then, if you like your job, that makes you a True Trojan, so be proud of what you do and where you work.”

She has kept this goal through several roles at DSU. Johnson started in the President’s Office in 2001, then moved to Student Affairs in 2014, and added duties at the Counseling Center to her job in 2020. There are some differences between the various offices.

“Things are more formal in the President’s Office, and Student Affairs is a little more relaxed, but there are more similarities than differences,” she said, because no matter the office, “there has to be a sense of professionalism.”

“Whether it’s a Board of Regents’ member who has come to see the President, or helping a student who needs to talk with someone about an academic or personal issue, they all get the same professional courtesy and customer service.”

Johnson worked in bookkeeping before coming to DSU, but likes higher education. “Things are always changing, and that’s who we are as a university – we’re always looking for the next step.” That keeps her day interesting, and she is always learning something new.

Johnson also learns new things through travel. “It’s good to know there’s a bigger world than what’s right here in South Dakota.” She has been on several DSU-sponsored trips, to locations including Cuba and Iceland.

Throughout her travels, “I’ve found that people are people wherever you go, and we probably have more in common than not, because we all want to live lives that are full and productive, and to care for family and friends.”

A native of Madison, S.D., Johnson studied accounting and bookkeeping at a community college in Sioux Falls. She didn’t even consider a four-year college but wants prospective students – especially first-time students – to know that there is help for everyone, to remove any financial, academic, or personal obstacles. “There are so many resources to help you.”

“You may think you’re limited on what you can do, but until you try, you really don’t know, so don’t sell yourself short and try. You don’t have anything to lose.”

Jan Brue Enright

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DSU Library Director Jan Brue Enright has been named South Dakota Library Association (SDLA) Librarian of the Year for 2021.

“It means a lot to me because it's a recognition from my colleagues and peers,” Enright said. “I think that's what makes it extra meaningful for me, and it feels like it's a recognition for a 25-year career.”

According to SDLA, the award was created in 1972 to recognize librarians who have made significant contributions to effective and improved library service in South Dakota.

From her beginnings as an assistant to her current role as library director, Enright has been working in the library industry since 1995 at university libraries. In her time at DSU as library director, Enright helped the Karl E. Mundt Library celebrate 50 years with a year of programming and special events. While COVID-19 limited what could be offered at the library the last year and a half, she’s been busy working on events and programming for the fall and spring.

Enright was celebrated with a small event where she learned of and received her award at the end of September.

During the award presentation, Enright was described as a mentor, “the recipient has worked with many young librarians and helped guide them through what it means to be a librarian – all with a welcoming smile.”

Beyond offering mentorship, her ability to overcome budget cuts and staff shortages during a global COVID pandemic, while maintaining and emphasizing the importance of services to her campus and her community, was also highlighted.

Her nominator shared that “one of the problems I faced when putting together this nomination was narrowing down who I should request letters of nomination from.”

Whether Enright is recommending a book to patrons or justifying the budget to stakeholders, she is invested in the Karl Mundt Library and the broader community.

Karl Mundt Library

Alumni Randy (’84) and Theresa (’89) Schaefer

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Randy and Theresa Schaefer know Dakota State University well.

Both are alumni – Randy graduating in 1984 with a degree in Physical Education, and history and health minors; Theresa with an applications programming degree in 1989.

They have spent the majority of their married life living and working in Madison, attending Dakota State events, and supporting the university in a number of ways.

“I credit DSU with all the good things that have happened to me, including, finding and marrying my wife,” Randy said.

Professionally, “It’s fair to say that our experiences at DSU opened up doors,” Randy said. For Theresa, her Dakota State degree provided the pathway to work at East River for 19 years; since 2014 she has been Director of Human Resources at Heartland Consumers Power District. Randy taught for a couple of years, then worked at a trucking company in Madison for 11 years; he has been a State Farm Insurance agent since 1999.

He also served 12 years on the state Board of Regents. He was honored in 2021 for his work, including two years as board president.

Serving as a regent was more than he had envisioned, “more reading, more studying, more thoughtful

mental engagement than I ever could have expected.”

He said, “I feel like I was challenged and grew as a person while I served on the board, and I’m thankful to have had that experience.”

Theresa said he met and worked with a lot of people through that experience, people at the university campuses, the board office, and in the private sector. They were “the best people our state has to offer,” Randy said.

“What I found is that the talent we have in our state doesn’t take a back seat to anybody. It’s as good or better than talent in any other state.”

Theresa said that during the two years he was president, the extra work was “nonstop,” but it was all for the greater good. “I could see how challenged and engaged he was, and how important it was, as he was accountable to the whole state,” she said. “That’s why he was so driven to work so hard and make those decisions because at the end of the day he would answer to the people.”

Both are excited by Dakota State’s trajectory for the future. Theresa said, “One of the largest issues in the whole world is security, and DSU is at the heart of those solutions.”

Randy said that what’s happening here and now is going to secure DSU’s place within our public university systems, and in the state and in the country. For example, changes to the athletics facilities are beginning to move forward. “If we’re going to be a viable university, these are new facilities we must-have for recruiting,” he said.

While DSU hasn’t done anything like this before, “we are about to make these changes, and that’s what excites me,” Randy said.

From education to research to athletics, Randy said, “DSU has a secure place in the nation, and is now being recognized for the work they’re doing. It’s the likes we’ve never seen before, and we can’t grasp what it will look like in 10 years.”

Natalie Van Wyhe '20

Exercise Science (BS)

A lifelong long dream of becoming a firefighter has come true for Natalie Van Wyhe. A May 2020 graduate, Van Wyhe was inspired by her father, who served as a volunteer fireman in her hometown of Canton, SD.

“When I walked into Dakota State, I told them right away what my plans were and they were very helpful getting me there,” Van Wyhe said.

She completed her exercise science degree in just three years so she could get on the 2020 hiring schedule for firefighters in Sioux Falls, SD.

Van Wyhe appreciated the small program size, which allowed her to form close relationships with her professors. Exercise Science faculty members Kari Hall and Dr. Scott Staiger both had a positive impact on Van Wyhe.

Hall helps students pair up with tutors if they’re struggling with science classes, and encourages students to find what they are good at and capitalize that throughout the program, Van Wyhe explained.

Staiger helped her get an internship at the Madison Community Center, where she worked as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor.

Hall and Staiger also let Van Wyhe build assignments and projects around her goal of becoming a firefighter. This let her have a more individualized plan, while many of her classmates focused on athletic training and physical therapy career goals.

“Both of the professors have been good about checking in on me and where I’m at with my dream,” she said.

Additionally, Career and Professional Development assisted her with building her résumé and creating cover letters.

“Dakota State has been a huge asset in getting me hired and feeling more comfortable even just with interviews,” she shared. Her education at DSU prepared her for the process of becoming a firefighter.

The application process for firefighters opened in July 2020, followed by a civil service exam. After Van Wyhe passed the exam, she moved on to the interviewing process, followed by the physical ability test, which is done to make sure that the applicant is physically ready for the demands of the job. Next, she had to complete drug testing, a background check, and a medical exam. Finally, Van Wyhe got the offer in November 2020 and attended a 16-week training academy.

In mid-May, she graduated from the program and immediately began working – taking medical calls, fire calls, whatever comes in.

In addition to her job as a firefighter, Van Wyhe coaches cross country for Canton High School and has a personal training business, Tenacious Training. Her degree and internship helped prepare her to run her own business and work with clients.

Exercise Science (BS)

Alexis Kulm '23

Cyber Operations (BS)

DSU’s GenCyber camp piqued Alexis Kulm’s interest in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) so much so that she decided to attend Dakota State University and major in cyber operations. In the future, she hopes to work in digital forensics at a private company.

Kulm, a junior from Sioux Falls, SD, chose cyber operations because the major sounded the most interesting. “I was excited to learn all things ‘cyber.’”

The professors at DSU have made learning all things cyber enjoyable for Kulm. The small campus environment and helpful faculty have made a difference for her. This has also taught her to always ask for help.

She is particularly thankful for her relationship with Dr. Ashley Podhradsky, who has made quite the impact.

“She has been a wonderful mentor and is always willing to do everything she can to help,” she said.

Outside of the classroom, Kulm recommends students get involved with clubs and organizations on campus. Each year Student Affairs sponsors an activity fair, where clubs can introduce themselves to students.

“Being involved can give you a sense of community and involvement with the campus, and you can make new friends,” she said.

She is a member of CybHER, which is dedicated to empowering, motivating, educating, and changing the perception of girls and women in cybersecurity.

Other advice Kulm has for current and future students is to go to campus-held events, which are free and fun.

“If you’re an incoming freshman keep your door open the first couple of days,” she added. “It’s a good way to meet people since they can introduce themselves to you and get conversations started.”

Cyber Operations (BS)