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125 candles
SDSU plans year-long celebration in honor of its founding
There’s a party in the works at South Dakota State University; however, it’s a little different than the average college party. For starters, it’s not limited to students, and it’s going to last the whole year.
In 2006, SDSU will celebrate its 125th anniversary. The celebration will kickoff Feb. 21, the University’s actual birthday, says Carol J. Peterson, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs and chairwoman of the overall 125th planning committee.
It will be a campus-wide event running from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Volstorff Ballroom of The Union, with the possibility of satellite parties scattered around campus.
Jim Woster, alumni and business relations consultant with the SDSU Foundation, will emcee the event, and several people will speak, including University President Peggy Gordon Miller and Student Association President Ryan Brunner. A legislative proclamation also will be read.
The SDSU Jazz Band will play, and the Women’s Choir will sing “Yellow and Blue” and “Happy Birthday.” Birthday cake will be served, and a new 125th SDSU ice cream flavor that will be debuted on that day.
According to Peterson, the event is an internal birthday party for students and faculty. She’s hopeful that offices will close down so that everyone can participate in the celebration.
The University’s history dates to Feb. 21, 1881, when the Dakota Territorial Legislative Assembly approved an act to establish an agricultural college in Brookings. It would be another three years before classes began and another eight years before statehood was achieved.
A formal observance
The anniversary Gala Event, as it’s currently being called, is the second scheduled event. The dinner will be held Saturday, June 17, and will be a black-tie affair, with tickets costing $20 to $25 per person, she says.
An important part of the event will be a video, which will re-create how the University started as a land-grant institution and follow its journey to the present, notes Peterson.
Next fall, the University is hosting a culminating event that will wrap up the celebration. The event will feature a variety of performing arts groups, including the Pride of the Dakotas Marching Band and the SDSU choirs. The date will be set in early 2006, Peterson says.
Souvenirs anyone?
In addition to the events, a souvenirs committee has been coming up with various keepsakes to remember the anniversary. The main souvenir is a 125th Commemorative Campanile paperweight, said Deb Gulbranson, member of the souvenirs subcommittee.
The paperweight is cast in an antique gold color and set on a piece of limestone that was removed from the Campanile during its restoration in 2000 and 2001. It will be available from The University Bookstore.
The group will sell lapel pins with the 125th logo as well as chocolate bars with the University’s trademark hobo imprinted on them. A Christmas ornament is also being designed and should be available in May 2006.
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