The collection is composed of materials related to Roberta K. Olson’s tenure as dean of the College of Nursing at South Dakota State University and her broader involvement in nursing education and professional practice. Included are reports, correspondence, curriculum materials, program proposals, strategic plans, grant documentation, presentations, writings, newspaper clippings, photographs, audiovisual media, and instructional materials. The records document the development and administration of undergraduate and graduate nursing programs, including nurse practitioner and neonatal nurse practitioner programs, as well as the establishment of doctoral level nursing education. Also represented are statewide and regional initiatives addressing nursing workforce planning, articulation and transfer pathways, academic partnerships, and collaborations between South Dakota State University, the University of South Dakota, healthcare systems, and professional organizations. The collection further documents legislative activity, accreditation issues, professional association involvement, ceremonies, awards, and public events related to nursing education in South Dakota.

This collection documents of the evolution of nursing education and professional practice in South Dakota during the late twentieth and early twenty first centuries. It offers evidence of institutional leadership, program development, and policy discussions that shaped nursing education, advanced practice roles, and interinstitutional collaboration within the South Dakota public university system. The records support research into higher education administration, health sciences education, workforce planning, and the history of nursing education at South Dakota State University and statewide.