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The first graduate of State to be named president, Sherwood Berg took office in 1975. He came to South Dakota State University after serving as the director of the Indonesia Project of the Midwest University Consortium for International Affairs. He had also served many years as the U.S. Agricultural Attaché in various countries around the world, in addition to his time spent as an educator at the University of Minnesota. Berg was president during a very difficult time. He was constantly beset by major budget cuts, but managed to create some lasting programs. One area that marked a great change was the internationalizing of the campus. Programs were set up in Syria, Botswana, Senegal and Mauritania, and the number of international students on campus grew. Berg was also an early proponent of the reciprocity program with Minnesota. In addition, he oversaw the groundwork for the first endowed chair for the university, the Ethel Austin Martin-Edward Moss Martin Chair in Human Nutrition.