BROOKINGS, S.D. — Oct. 6, 2026 — South Dakota State University recently paid tribute to the university’s newest endowment holders.
The fifth annual University Leadership Honors investiture ceremony — honoring nine holders of endowed positions across five different colleges and programs — was held Sept. 24 in Founders Recital Hall in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center.
Four of the endowed positions are new and were awarded for the first time this year.
Through the generosity of donors, SDSU now has commitments in place for 70 endowed leadership positions. At the start of SDSU’s Bold & Blue comprehensive campaign in 2019, there were commitments for 13. New endowments require investments of at least $500,000, with some created from gifts of up to $5 million apiece.
“Donors remain interested because people are seeing the impact these endowments are having on South Dakota State University,” SDSU President Barry Dunn said. “The momentum we experienced during the Bold & Blue campaign, in terms of philanthropic giving and commitments to more endowed leadership positions, hasn’t slowed down.”
Dunn said the positions help SDSU recruit and retain talent, and they touch every part of the university.
“These endowed positions are transformational, and going from 13 to 70 in just seven years has elevated this university and strengthened our resolve to achieve Carnegie R1 status as a doctoral university with very high research activity,” he added.
The University Leadership Honors ceremony recognized the following individuals to occupy endowed positions at SDSU, and the donors who made those positions possible:
Rouzbeh Ghabchi: John M. Hanson Endowed Professor in Structural and Construction Engineering
Ghabchi joined the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at SDSU in 2016. He leads a research program in construction materials, focusing on advanced material characterization and infrastructure durability in cold regions, and serves as university director of the U.S. DOT Center for Transformative Infrastructure Preservation and Sustainability and as director of the South Dakota Local Technical Assistance Program.
This endowed professorship bears the name of John M. Hanson, a 1953 civil engineering graduate of South Dakota State College who earned a master’s degree from Iowa State University and a Ph.D. from Lehigh University, where he conducted pioneering research on prestressed concrete structures. Following service in the U.S. Air Force, Hanson built a distinguished career in structural engineering and earned numerous honors. His gift continues to advance excellence in teaching, research and student success at SDSU.
Md. Faruque Hossain: Beavers Charitable Trust Endowed Educator in Heavy Construction
Hossain brings more than 25 years of experience in construction management and sustainable development spanning academia, research and industry. The scholar and educator has managed and advised on major infrastructure, transportation and energy projects valued in the billions of dollars. Through his teaching, research and professional engagement, he continues to advance innovative construction practices while preparing the next generation of industry leaders.
Founded in 1955, The Beavers is an honorary organization of construction companies and industry professionals dedicated to advancing the heavy engineering construction industry. The Beavers has long invested in SDSU construction management students, and funding an endowed educator furthers that commitment by strengthening teaching, fostering connections between industry and academia and preparing students for successful careers in the field.
Jason Sternhagen: Metzger Endowed Educator in Power Systems Engineering
Sternhagen has been with SDSU’s McComish Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science since 2009 in several roles, including management and technical support of department laboratories, recruitment and outreach activities and teaching a wide range of electrical engineering courses. He currently serves as chair of the Electrical Engineering Curriculum Committee and is also the coordinator for the Center for Power Systems Studies, which promotes careers in the power industry and prepares students for them.
Electrical engineering grad Blair Metzger and his wife, Julie, have supported SDSU through numerous contributions to the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering. Their gift reflects a shared commitment to developing future engineers who will support electric utilities and rural communities throughout the region. The endowed position supports power systems instruction, student recruitment, industry partnerships, career development and leadership of SDSU’s Center for Power System Studies.
Kevin Kessler: Keith and Glynn Bartels Endowed Director of Athletic Bands
Kessler directs The Pride of the Dakotas Marching Band, Pep Bands and the Concert Band, teaches courses in the music education curriculum, and is a clinical mentor for student teachers. During his tenure, The Pride has performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C., and this fall will perform in the Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade. He is active as an adjudicator, clinician and guest conductor.
Keith and Glynn Bartels are supporting the future success of one of SDSU’s most cherished traditions, strengthening the leadership, resources and student experiences that contribute to SDSU’s athletic bands program. During their student years, Glynn performed with The Pride of the Dakotas, orchestra and symphonic band, while Keith sang in The Statesmen. Their daughters also performed in The Pride, and the family has continued decades of service, philanthropy and support of the university.
Keely Eagleshield: Larson Family Endowed Director of Wokini and Tribal Relations
Eagleshield is a proud Huŋkpapa Lakota of the Inyan Woslal He Oyate, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. She uses her director role to enhance American Indian and Indigenous student access and success in higher education through a multifaceted approach that supports and encourages SDSU staff, faculty and students to better understand Oceti Sakowin culture.
With a family commitment to helping others, Dale and his late wife, Pat Larson, and their daughters support others through the Larson Family Foundation. This gift emphasizes their commitment to South Dakota’s Native students who are pursuing academic goals and the Wokini Initiative’s ultimate goal of a collaborative and holistic framework to support American Indian student success and Indigenous Nation-building.
Christine Garst-Santos: Karen D. Stuck Endowed Director of the School of American and Global Studies
Garst-Santos has led the School of American and Global Studies since its founding in 2019, when two multidisciplinary departments merged into a single interdisciplinary school. Her defining accomplishment has been building a shared identity across 11 programs, making the Mike Huether Public Service Academy possible and preparing students from across the university for public service.
Karen Stuck grew up on a farm near Brentford, and after graduating from SDSU in 1966, began her journalism career at the Sioux City Journal. Eventually, she landed in Washington, D.C., where she had a 40-year career in federal service at the USDA, working in food safety programs and leading the office that represented the United States in the Codex Alimentarius Commission, a United Nations food standards program.
Crystal Levesque: Rick Wahlstrom Endowed Chair in Swine Production
A professor of monogastric nutrition at SDSU, Levesque’s career has been centered on improving the health and productivity of swine and poultry. Her research portfolio is extensive, as is her mentorship. At SDSU, she has contributed to the graduate training of 23 students and leads advanced communication training for another 130-plus graduate students across 17 U.S. institutions.
Richard “Rick” Wahlstrom dedicated 36 years to SDSU as a professor, researcher and head of the Department of Animal Science. He taught more than 3,500 undergraduate students, advised dozens of graduate students and helped establish SDSU as a national leader in swine science. Gifts from industry leaders, family members and friends honor his enduring legacy and support teaching, research and leadership for future generations of SDSU students.
Andrew Robinette: Paul E. and Doris J. Moriarty Endowed Professor of Choral Activities
Robinette teaches conducting and applied voice, directs the SDSU Concert Choir and the SDSU Statesmen and oversees the choral area. His research has been distributed to over 40 countries and regularly presented at conferences across the globe, and his choirs have been invited to and performed at multiple state and national conferences and toured nationally and internationally.
Paul and Doris Moriarty played a significant role in the growth of the Brookings community through Moriarty Construction, Moriarty Enterprises Inc. and Moriarty Apartment Rentals, as well as through Doris’ work at the USDA’s Farm Service Agency. The couple’s lifelong commitment to SDSU reflected a belief in the value of education and community investment. All their children attended SDSU, and together the couple made a lasting impact on Brookings, SDSU and generations of students and community members.
Alexis Stamatikos: Ethel Austin Martin Endowed Chair of Human Nutrition
With extensive education and training in nutritional sciences and dietetics, Stamatikos’ research reveals how cholesterol becomes deposited into arteries. This knowledge is used to create new therapies that stop this process to potentially prevent heart attacks or strokes. His research has been published in esteemed journals, and he has been awarded prestigious grants and awards from the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association and the USDA.
Ethel Austin Martin, a 1916 graduate of SDSU, helped shape nutrition education for generations of students and practitioners. She served as director of nutrition services for the National Dairy Council for 22 years and served as a professor, scientist, author and advocate for public health. The endowed chair position aims to advance multidisciplinary education and collaborative research related to nutrition, health and wellness. It supports innovation, academic excellence and the preparation of future leaders in the field.
About South Dakota State University
Founded in 1881, South Dakota State University is the state’s Morrill Act land-grant institution as well as its largest, most comprehensive school of higher education. SDSU confers degrees from seven different colleges representing more than 230 majors, minors and specializations. The institution also offers 39 master’s degree programs, 17 Ph.D. and two professional programs.
The work of the university is carried out on a residential campus in Brookings, at sites in Sioux Falls, Pierre and Rapid City, and through Extension offices and Agricultural Experiment Station research sites across the state. SDSU’s research expenditures for the 2025 fiscal year were more than $94 million. SDSU has a Doctoral University: High Research Activity designation on The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
For more information: SDSU News • www.sdstate.edu
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