Secretary Noem is DSU’s spring commencement speaker
April 23, 2025
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has been invited to serve as the spring commencement speaker at Dakota State University on May 10.
Dakota State extended an invitation to Noem while she was serving as governor of South Dakota. She was asked to share remarks with DSU’s graduates based on her distinguished and ground-breaking career in public service, and her many efforts to support the citizens of the state of South Dakota and the nation.
“It is an honor to be invited to speak at DSU’s commencement this year, and it is a joy to accept the invitation,” said Noem. “These students have put in years of hard work to get to this point and I’m looking forward to celebrating this incredibly special day with them and their families.”
During her time as governor, Noem was an unwavering champion of Dakota State programs and initiatives. She was able to see that cybersecurity had the potential to be the next big industry in South Dakota, and could bring an economic benefit to the state through its workforce development potential. With her support, DSU was able to develop, amplify, and implement our ideas about cybersecurity education, research, and workforce development into a $100 million cyber-research initiative, including $30 million from the state for program expansion. She was also a champion in our efforts to establish a Center of Quantum Information Science & Technology in partnership with South Dakota School of Mines.
The spring commencement ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, May 10, at 10:30 a.m. at the DSU Fieldhouse. A hooding ceremony for graduate students will take place at 8:30 a.m. in Dakota Prairie Playhouse.
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 more information are available on the DSU website, dsu.edu.