South Dakota State University. Centennial Steering Committee

The Centennial Steering Committee was formed on July 16, 1979, to guide the university through the celebration of its Centennial year (1981). H.M. Briggs, President Emeritus, was appointed Chairman of the Committee, while David Pearson, former Vice President of South Dakota State University was appointed Vice-Chairman. The committee, made up of representatives from various units on campus and from outside the university, first met on July 21, 1980. At this meeting, Briggs outlined the charges of the committee and explained that each member of the Steering Committee would also take the role of sub-committee chairperson for the respective area of the university. Once some tentative activities were brainstormed, the Steering Committee members were further broken into sub-committees to deal with specific projects. With this basic structure, the Steering Committee began its work. They received an initial stipend from the University to perform their functions, which was added to throughout the committee's existence. While the subcommittees performed much of the work of the Steering Committee, the Centennial Office, consisting of Briggs and an office assistant, Yvonne Ehlebracht, managed much of the day-to-day work. The office was responsible for the overall running of the committee, maintaining the budget, keeping the files, and arranging and paying for meetings and trips. In addition, much of the correspondence associated with the event was filtered through this office.