Dakota State University has enjoyed a long and proud history of leadership and service since its founding in 1881 as the first teacher education institution in the Dakota Territory.

For most of its history, DSU has been identified with teacher preparation, first as a normal school and later as a four-year public college. The University has had several different names, among them Madison Normal, Eastern Normal, and General Beadle State College.

The name, Dakota State College, was adopted in 1969. On July 1, 1989, Dakota State College became Dakota State University. The University title was conferred on the institution by the South Dakota legislature in order to better reflect its purpose in the total scheme of the state's higher education system. Prospective elementary and secondary teachers continue to be educated here. To this traditional emphasis, DSU added business and traditional arts and science programs in the 1960's and two health services programs, Health Information Management and Respiratory Care in the late 1970's.

The 1984 Legislature and the South Dakota Board of Regents turned to Dakota State University to educate leaders for the information age. In response to this need, Dakota State University developed leading-edge computer/information systems degree programs.

The graduates of these programs enjoy enviable status in the national marketplace. As a leader in computer and information systems program, DSU has pioneered the application of computer technology to traditional fields of academic endeavor. This thrust led to the development of unique degree programs at Dakota State University in biology, chemistry, English, mathematics and physics.

Don't let its size fool you.  Dakota State University may look like a small institution form the outside, but a closer inspection reveals a campus that is recognized nationally for innovative curriculum and sought after by large multinational corporations for partnerships.  Information technology is infused in all aspects of teaching and learning at Dakota State.  Because of this integration between technology and curriculum, DSU's grad consistently find employment in their chosen careers.  In fact, the overall placement rate for DSU graduates for the past five years has been over 92%, with several of the degree areas reporting 100% placement.

With just over 2,400 students, DSU uses size to its advantage, quickly adopting emerging technologies and reacting to changes in business, education, and industry.  That ability to adapt became apparent after 9-11 when computer security came to the forefront.  Dakota State began preparing a curriculum that would train both undergraduate and graduate level students to become leaders in the information assurance field.  The university also began an accreditation process that culminated this spring when DSU was one of ten colleges in the country to be named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Education by the National Security Agency.

Dakota State recently installed the first iris recognition system in the state of South Dakota as part of a biometrics initiative that is tied to the schools focus on computer security.  Biometrics involves recognition of individual traits of a human being.  The iris system uses a computer to capture a video image of the colored portion of a person's eyes.  Since no two patterns are identical, this becomes a unique identifier to that person.  DSU is using the iris recognition system to limit access to the specially equipped hacker's lab in the Technology Classroom Building.  This lab is used to teach students how hackers gain access to computer networks, and how to build security systems to keep those same hackers out.

As freshmen arrive on campus each fall, they become part of another new and innovative program at Dakota State.  DSU is the first university in the state and one of the few in the county to implement a wireless mobile computing initiative using the Gateway M275 Notebook.  The M275 is a full-size performance notebook that converts into a tablet with a large rotating screen. Students will be leasing the tablets from the university but because this is a required addition to the DSU learning environment, it is eligible to be included in the financial aid package. The leasing fee will cover the computer and all software, service and support, accidental insurance and more. The amount the student will pay over a 4-year period will be less than what they would pay to get this device and the software if they were to purchase it privately. All freshman and sophomore level students will be required to have the tablets, with upperclassmen and graduate students eligible to opt in to the lease program. All DSU faculty will also have tablet pcs.

Dakota State is a wireless computing environment, meaning that internet access is available everyone on campus.  This allows students using the tablets to log in outdoors, in the dining area or in the recreation areas and check email, chat with friends, and download assignments.  Instructors using the tablets in class can project lecture materials onto large screens, using the writing function to make notions on the information in full view of the students. There is also a function that allows the instructor to navigate between his work and students for projection purposes.  Dakota State extended the innovation paradigm beyond the classroom when it became the first university in the state and only the second in the country after Texas A&M to create a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). CERT is a Federal Emergency Management Agency program that prepares citizens to respond in an emergency, be it a natural disaster or terrorist attack. Building managers from across the DSU campus completed the training which involved disaster preparedness, fire suppression, medical operations and light search and rescue.

With a focus on recruitment and retention, DSU offers a guaranteed scholarship of $1,000 or more to students achieving a 24 or above on the ACT. $500 to students achieving a 21 to 23 score on their ACT test. For scores of 24 or higher, a student may receive $1,000 or more. This scholarship is renewable for 4 years, providing the student maintains a 3.0 grade point.  DSU’s recognition by the NSA provides additional scholarship opportunities for students through the federal government and gives the university the ability to apply for federal and state research grants as well.

With a size comparable to a private college, Dakota State provides the value of a public education under the tutelage of faculty, administration and staff that continue to think big with innovation, advancement, and access to technology.

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