Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1885-2004 (Creation)
Extent
3.0 liner feet (3 records boxes)
Name of creator
Biographical history
Amy Dunkle spent nearly 20 years working in community journalism as a reporter, news editor, and managing editor. She later worked as a freelance writer for newspapers, magazines, and trade journals for over a decade. Dunkle is the author of The College on the Hill, an anecdotal history of South Dakota State University. She also served as communications coordinator for Rhode Island NSF EPSCoR, writing about research and education initiatives funded by the National Science Foundation.
Name of creator
Biographical history
V.J. Smith, a 1978 graduate of South Dakota State University, began his career at Allied Signal Aerospace in Kansas City during the 1980s. In 1990, he returned to SDSU as Assistant Athletic Director and became Executive Director of the SDSU Alumni Association in 1996, a role he held until 2007. He is the author of The Richest Man in Town and has built a career as a motivational speaker. Smith was elected to the South Dakota State Senate in 2018, representing District 7, and served until January 2021.
Name of creator
Administrative history
The South Dakota State University Alumni Association originated in 1889, when sixteen members of the graduating class of Dakota Agricultural College organized an association to maintain unity among graduates and strengthen ties between alumni and the institution. Early efforts to sustain alumni engagement included organized correspondence and publications, with formal outreach beginning in 1908–1909 under the leadership of Professor B. T. Whitehead. In 1910, the association launched the Alumnus newsletter, edited by Hubert B. Mathews, establishing a communication tradition that later evolved into STATE Magazine. Alumni involvement also contributed to the development of campus traditions, including early support for Hobo Day activities beginning in 1912.
During the mid to late twentieth century, the Alumni Association expanded its organizational structure and physical presence. In 1962, it adopted a resolution supporting the institution’s name change to South Dakota State University, an effort widely attributed to alumni advocacy. After operating from multiple locations, the association pursued a permanent headquarters, resulting in the dedication of the Tompkins Alumni Center in 1976. Subsequent enhancements included a patio and clock tower addition in 1980. In 1992, the Alumni Association incorporated as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It later undertook major initiatives such as the Return to Glory campaign, which funded the restoration of the Coughlin Campanile and culminated in its rededication in 2001. The association expanded digital outreach in the early 2000s, established the Jackrabbit Advocates in 2008 to support legislative advocacy for public higher education, and completed renovations to the Tompkins Alumni Center in 2010, including the creation of the Paul Freeburg Archives Room.
In January 2026, the South Dakota State University Alumni Association formally consolidated with the South Dakota State University Foundation to create the SDSU Alumni & Foundation. This merger unified alumni relations and philanthropic advancement under a single organizational structure, reflecting a coordinated approach to alumni engagement, fundraising, and long term institutional support for South Dakota State University.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This collection documents the research, writing, and production of The College on the Hill: A Sense of South Dakota State University History, an anecdotal institutional history authored by Amy Dunkle with contributions by V. J. Smith. Materials reflect the authors’ efforts to chronicle South Dakota State University from its founding in 1881 through 2003, with particular attention to the people, events, and circumstances that shaped the institution’s development from Dakota Agricultural College into a comprehensive public university.
The collection includes research files, correspondence, interview transcripts, chapter drafts, topic files, photographs, publicity materials, and digital media used in the preparation of the book. Subjects documented include student life, campus traditions, athletics, Hobo Day, academic departments, campus buildings, notable faculty and alumni, social activities, and broader historical contexts such as wartime experiences, political visits, and student activism. Also present are draft materials and chapter concepts not included in the final publication. Together, these materials provide insight into the construction of institutional history through personal narratives, oral histories, and archival sources, and offer researchers a rich resource for studying university memory, campus culture, and the social history of South Dakota State University.
System of arrangement
This collection is arranged into series:
- Series 1. Manuscript
- Series 2. Research
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
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Materials in this collection may be subject to Title 17, Section 108 of the United States Copyright Act. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with copyright, privacy, trademark, and other applicable rights for their intended use. Obtaining all necessary permissions is the user's responsibility. Written authorization from the copyright and/or other rights holders is required for publication, distribution, or any use of protected materials beyond what is permitted under fair use. .sdstate.edu/sdsu-archives-and-special-collections/researcher-registration-form)
The collection is open for research, but please note that the materials in the Archives do not circulate and can only be used In the SDSU Archives and Special Collections Reading Room.
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In most cases, the materials in this collection have not been digitized and are not available online.
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If you would like to know more about the contents of the collection, please contact the SDSU Archives at: Telephone: 605-688-5094 Email: arcrefs@sdstate.edu
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Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Reproduction of materials from the collection is subject to the following conditions:
- Permission: Written permission must be obtained from the SDSU Archives for any reproduction, publication, or quotation of materials.
- Copyright: Users are responsible for complying with copyright laws and securing any necessary permissions from copyright holders.
- Fragile Materials: Some items may not be reproduced due to their fragile condition.
- Charges: Reproduction charges may apply, and users will be informed of any costs in advance.
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Acknowledgment: Any reproduced material must include proper acknowledgment of the South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections as the source.
For more information or to request permission, please contact the SDSU Archives.
Languages of the material
English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
The college on the hill: a sense of South Dakota State University history, by Amy Dunkle with V.J. Smith.
Brookings, S.D.: South Dakota State University Alumni Association, c2003.
Call number: S537 S6 D86 2003
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
Copyright and Use Statement
In Copyright This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Materials in this collection may be subject to Title 17, Section 108 of the United States Copyright Act. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with copyright, privacy, trademark, and other applicable rights for their intended use. Obtaining all necessary permissions is the user's responsibility. Written authorization from the copyright and/or other rights holders is required for publication, distribution, or any use of protected materials beyond what is permitted under fair use.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Smith, V.J. (Vincent J.) (Subject)