Judy Dittman is DSU’s fall commencement speaker
December 10, 2024
Dr. Judy Dittman knows all about following unexpected opportunities – her life has been filled with them. As the fall commencement speaker at Dakota State University, she will advise the 250 graduates to take a chance on these opportunities that will come up in their own lives.
During her 41 years at Dakota State, Dittman has applied for only two positions, but she has held 16 -- teacher, coach, athletics director, Dean of the College of Education, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences to name a few. She has taken that experience to the Board of Regents and now serves as a regent.
She will share about the twists and turns in her own life path and encourage the graduates to follow their own unexpected opportunities, to show up every day and do what needs to be done.
Because they are graduating from an institution that creates opportunity, fosters collaboration, and builds community, she knows that these graduates will be prepared to find solutions because, in today’s world, the only constant is change.
For some final advice, she will leave the graduates with a Top Ten list of lessons from her life and offer recommendations such as taking the initiative to get in the game, seeking out mentors, and being respectful, kind, and empathetic.
Dittman will also serve in her role with the South Dakota Board of Regents and confer the degrees.
Miller named honorary degree recipient
Tammy Miller, CEO of Madison Regional Health System, has spent her entire career serving the public in the Madison area. For her efforts, she is being recognized with an honorary degree of public service at this fall’s commencement.
Miller has spent over 40 years at MRHS and has been CEO since 1996. Her time has included overseeing an ambitious campaign to replace an outdated building with a state-of-the-art, 110,000 square-foot hospital and clinic. MRHS is now a 22-bed nonprofit, independent facility with 270 employees.
Under Miller’s leadership, MRHS has been recognized for its excellent service and is frequently named to the National Rural Health Association and Chartis Group’s list of Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals (2014, 2015, and 2022) for quality and patient satisfaction ratings. Also, in 2022 and 2024, MRHS received Performance Leadership Awards for excellence in quality. Miller has been recognized as well, named in 2017, 2018, 2023, and 2024 by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of the top Critical Access Hospital CEOs To Know.
In addition to this distinctive work with Madison Regional, Miller has served the community through her work on numerous healthcare and community boards, including the Lake Area Improvement Corporation board, the DSU Foundation Board, the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations, and the American Hospital Association Rural Health Council.
She is a Dakota State alumna and has been honored as an Outstanding Alumna for Professional Achievement. She has bachelor’s degrees in business education and in business administration, and a master’s degree in healthcare administration from the University of Minnesota.
Miller knows that Dakota State prepares students very well for the future, and her advice to the fall graduates is to be persistent. “You can do anything you put your mind to.”
Commencement Details
The fall commencement ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, December 14, at 10:30 a.m. at the DSU Fieldhouse.
Almost 250 fall graduates will receive associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees, and certificates. Angela Slattery will speak on behalf of the graduates. Regent Dittman will confer the degrees. Braxton Lacher, a fall 2024 graduate who will be the new alumni director at the DSU Foundation beginning in 2025, will induct himself and his fellow graduates into the Alumni Association.
A hooding ceremony for the 74 graduate students will take place prior to commencement at 8:30 a.m. in Dakota Prairie Playhouse. Dr. David De Jong, dean of the College of Education & Human Performance, will give the hooding commencement address.
Tickets are required for general admission bleacher seating in the Fieldhouse; overflow seating will be available in Dakota Prairie Playhouse. For those unable to attend in person, the hooding and commencement ceremonies will be livestreamed. These links and additional information are available on the DSU website.