Black Hills State University
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Former names
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Dakota Territory Spearfish Normal School Black Hills Teachers College Black Hills State College |
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| Motto | Where Anything is Possible |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1883 |
| President | Tom Jackson, Jr. |
| Provost | Rod Custer |
| Students | 4,722 |
| Undergraduates | 4,153 |
| Postgraduates | 586 |
| Location |
Spearfish, South Dakota, U.S. 44°29′49.63″N 103°52′22.18″W / 44.4971194°N 103.8728278°WCoordinates: 44°29′49.63″N 103°52′22.18″W / 44.4971194°N 103.8728278°W |
| Campus | Rural |
| Colors | Green and Gold |
| Nickname | Yellow Jackets |
| Mascot | Sting the Yellow Jacket |
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Sporting affiliations
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NCAA Division II – Rocky Mountain |
| Website | www |
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Black Hills State University (BHSU) is the U.S. state of South Dakota's third largest public university, offering both undergraduate and graduate programs. The 123-acre (50 ha) campus is located in Spearfish. Close to 4,500 students attend classes at this campus, as well as sites in Rapid City, Pierre, and through distance offerings. Enrollment comes from all 66 counties in South Dakota, 44 states, and 29 countries. BHSU is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents.
The predecessor to Black Hills State University operated from 1881 to 1883 and was called Dakota College or Dakota Academy. Dakota College was funded by the Congregational Church and was not affiliated with BHSU. In 1883, in support for a new normal school, John Mauer put up a plot of land west of Spearfish Creek for sale for $800. Joseph Ramsdell collected money from donors and bought the land for $790.85. John Wolzmuth, Frank J. Washabaugh, and E.M. Bowman also gathered funds for the school. Established by the Dakota Territorial Legislature, the new school was called Dakota Territorial Normal School, and a temporary building was constructed in late 1883. Van Buren Baker became the first administrator and teacher at the school on April 14, 1884; he left Spearfish in December after leaving the school nearly bankrupt. The school reopened in September 1885 under the leadership of Fayette Cook; 70 students were enrolled at that time. The coursework initially consisted of high school classes and one year beyond high school. The Normal School Main Building was constructed in 1887 and stood until 1925. A laboratory school was opened in 1895 and lasted until 1963.
By 1924, the school was authorized to adopt a four-year curriculum leading to a Bachelor of Science in Education degree. As a result of the 1939 outbreak of World War II in Europe, BHSU created a 12-week civil aeronautics course, which had 44 graduates in its first year, in 1940. Most of the graduates went directly to the military. When the US entered the war in 1941, the course was cut down to eight weeks. Known informally as a teacher’s college during the 1920s and 1930s, the name was officially changed to Black Hills Teachers College in 1941. During Russel E. Jonas's presidency from 1942 to 1967, several new additions to the campus were made, including new dorms, an additional library, and a three-story classroom building. On July 1, 1964, in recognition of the broadening educational opportunities offered by the college, the legislature officially changed the name to Black Hills State College. BHSU had its first enrollment of 2,000 students for the 1968–1969 academic year; this was partially due to draft evasion by men during the Vietnam War. Students protested against the war on-campus in October 1969. The local Veterans Club chartered an airplane to drop leaflets that read "America, love it or leave it" on the protesting students. In 1970, Richard Gibb of the South Dakota higher education commission proposed that BHSU be changed from a four-year college and into a junior college under a larger university system to be established in Rapid City; he also proposed that the secondary teachers' Masters program be scrapped. The legislative branch of Spearfish, along with contemporary BHSU president Meredith Freeman, argued that population growth made it necessary for BHSU to remain an independent four-year university, and that financial complications might arise as a result of the change. The Board of Regents ruled that while BHSU would remain a four-year college, the Master's program would be withdrawn. As a result, summer enrollment, especially by education majors, dropped significantly.
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