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This collection documents the 1977 South Dakota Delegation trip to Cuba, which included members of the South Dakota State University basketball team. The material primarily captures the media coverage and public reception surrounding the trip. It includes national, state, and unidentified newspaper clippings; press releases; and excerpts from radio broadcasts, many of which report on the delegation’s activities and the political context of the visit. Also included are photographs, rosters of participants, and an audio tape outline titled Cuban Stories, which appears to provide a narrative or interview content related to the trip.

The collection contains correspondence that sheds light on the earliest stages of planning, including references to Fidel Castro and U.S. Senator George McGovern, whose 1975 trip to Cuba helped catalyze this exchange. Though much of the formal planning documentation is missing, the surviving memoranda and letters illustrate efforts to coordinate the trip under challenging diplomatic conditions. Additional items include material from the Cuban newspaper Granma and various internal and external communications concerning the delegation.

The collection is a resource documenting a rare Cold War-era cultural exchange between a U.S. university delegation and Cuba. It offers insight into the role of sports diplomacy, the influence of political figures such as George McGovern, and the broader media and public perception of such initiatives during the late 1970s.

This artificial collection consists of assembled materials, publications, and documents related to buildings and landmarks on the campus of South Dakota State University. Developed over time rather than through a formal records transfer process, it draws from a variety of sources, including university departments, staff, and individual donations. As a result, the files vary widely in content and completeness, with some buildings represented by detailed construction specifications and dedication materials, while others include only clippings or brief correspondence. Materials are added as they are discovered, and there is no comprehensive or systematic effort to document every campus structure. The collection spans from the late nineteenth century to the present and documents the development, use, renovation, and historical significance of SDSU buildings and landmarks. It reflects the university’s physical growth and changing infrastructure and includes building specifications, construction and renovation plans, capital outlay reports, budget data, architectural blueprints, maintenance records, and materials related to dedications, groundbreaking ceremonies, anniversaries, and other commemorative events. Buildings represented range from academic halls (such as Shepard Hall and Crothers Engineering Hall), agricultural facilities (such as Dean Farms and the Agronomy Buildings), research centers (such as the Northern Plains Biostress Laboratory and the Raven Precision Agriculture Center), libraries, student housing and unions, athletic facilities (such as Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium and Coughlin-Alumni Stadium), and landmark structures including the Coughlin Campanile and Woodbine Cottage.

The Dakota Farmer Collection is composed primarily of printing plates, specialty publications, survey reports, correspondence, and photographs documenting the development, promotion, and influence of The Dakota Farmer, a prominent agricultural periodical in the northern Great Plains. The bulk of the collection consists of printing plates used in publication production, including column and cover mastheads, ornamental frames, and original artwork. These visual elements reflect the magazine’s branding and editorial identity during the early to mid-20th century. A detailed inventory of the plates is provided in the container list.

The publications within the collection were primarily produced for advertising and marketing purposes, aimed at demonstrating the magazine’s value to potential advertisers. The reports consist of surveys conducted among farmers, merchants, and bankers in North and South Dakota, assessing the magazine’s market reach, readership habits, and its role in shaping regional agricultural discourse.

A notable file documents the process of contracting a redesigned cover for The Dakota Farmer. This material includes correspondence between magazine staff and the contractor, critical evaluations of contemporary agricultural publications, and three proposed sample covers. The file offers a unique view into the publication’s design decisions, aesthetic considerations, and promotional strategies.

Together, these materials illustrate The Dakota Farmer’s function not only as a journal of agricultural information but also as a tool for regional promotion and commercial engagement in the Dakotas.

This collection contains research materials, correspondence, photographs, publicity materials, and draft content related to the book The College on the Hill, authored by Amy Dunkle with contributions by V.J. Smith. The book is an anecdotal history of South Dakota State University, and the collection reflects the research and writing process behind its creation. Materials include chapter drafts, topic files, interview transcripts, university ephemera, and digital media. The collection spans a wide array of subjects, including student life, university traditions, athletics, Hobo Day, campus buildings, academic departments, notable alumni and faculty, social events, and broader historical moments such as wartime campus life, political visits, and student activism. Also included are photographic prints and digital files used for publication, chapter ideas not included in the final text, and materials connected to university history and memory.

This collection documents how institutional memory is shaped through personal narratives, oral histories, and archival sources. It captures the lived experiences of students, faculty, and administrators from the late 19th century through the early 21st century. The collection provides researchers with insight into the cultural traditions, social history, and academic tra

This collection contains photographs taken by Clav Snow during his time as a student at South Dakota State College in the early 1930s. The images document campus life and student activities, including Hobo Day celebrations, military Field Day Exercises, candid gatherings, and academic settings such as a psychology class. Also featured are photographs of the SDSC Boxing Club, campus buildings and landmarks, and fellow students. The collection offers a visual record of student experiences and campus culture during that period.

This collection consists of materials related to Blanche Avery Johnston, a member of the South Dakota State College Class of 1916. The materials provide insight into student life in the early 20th century and the experiences of Johnston and her classmates. Included are a booklet titled College Life at South Dakota State College, a news clipping featuring an interview with Johnston about the first Hobo Day celebration, a series of letters exchanged among members of the Class of 1916, and photographs documenting their time at the college. These items offer valuable documentation of campus traditions, student correspondence, and collegiate culture during the 1910s.

The materials in this collection were collected and donated by Dr. Charles Woodard of the South Dakota State University English Department. The collection is primarily composed of correspondence between Audrae Visser and Dr. Woodard, much of which documents her literary development and academic work. Included are many of Visser’s writings created to fulfill class assignments, such as book reports, instructional texts, and a Pioneer Humor Project undertaken for the Heritage of the Prairies Institute at Southwest State University in Marshall, Minnesota.

In addition to extensive correspondence, the collection contains clippings, photographs, and a wide range of poetic and prose writings by Visser. These include autobiographical sketches, children's stories, fiction, speeches, and both published and unpublished poetry. Notable published works represented are Country Cousin, Honyocker Stories, Pheasant Flights, and Prairie Poetry. Also included are materials related to her awards, honors, and organizational memberships, as well as written accounts of her travel experiences and photographs she took on various trips, including one to Mexico. Writings by other authors and anonymous works are also present.

The Army Administration School Records document the presence and operation of military training programs at South Dakota State College during World War II. Materials include a written history of the Army Administration School with lists of officers and likely participants; survey reports detailing buildings and property provided to the Army by the college; and administrative or instructional materials such as course evaluations, correspondence, and enrollment statistics. A scrapbook offers contextual materials including newspaper clippings, photographs, and event programs. Additional documents relate to the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP), such as geography course outlines, evaluation forms, and a summary of credit-transfer questionnaires. Notably, one unrelated artifact—a 1913 certificate for a purebred stallion—is also present, though its connection to the collection is unclear.

This collection provides insight into the integration of military training programs into land-grant college campuses during World War II. It highlights the role of South Dakota State College in supporting national defense efforts through infrastructure, instructional resources, and personnel. The records are valuable for understanding military-civilian collaboration in higher education, as well as the broader social and institutional impacts of wartime mobilization. The scrapbook materials also offer a unique visual and narrative record of military life and academic intersections during this period.