Undergraduate Scholarships and Awards

The scholarship was initiated in 2019.

Recipients must be a sophomore or above pursuing any major within the Department of Natural Resource Management.

The scholarship was initiated in 2012.

James Jessen holds SDState degrees in Wildlife and Fisheries (1967) and Entomology (1970), plus a doctorate from the University of Idaho. He worked as research liaison between agricultural chemical companies and land grant universities.

Barbara Jessen graduated from SDState in 1967 with a degree in Early Childhood Education, and later added a master’s degree from Washington State. She had a career in education and human services management. Jessen’s sons, Andy and Clay, earned degrees from SDState in 2000 and 2002.

The award was established in 2022.

Recipients must be pursuing a major within our department of Natural Resource Management.

This Research Award was established in 2022 by an endowment from Rebecca Kurtz Schwenke and Steve Schwenke.

Natives of the Midwest, Rebecca and Steve are passionate about native plants and value the impact that native plant production and restoration can have on our landscape. The goal of the research award is to engage undergraduates in research on the native plant materials industry- which encompasses native plant biology, ecology, or production. A highlight of this research award is the funds dedicated to allowing students to present their findings at professional society meetings.

The scholarship was established in 2013.

The 29-90 Sportsman's Club was formed on June 20, 1997 in South Dakota by Charles Rokusek as an educational and charitable nonprofit organization which will advance the education and science of sound natural resource management. It will also defend from waste and exploitation of the natural resources of our state and country in order to pass them on to the future generations and to uphold the ideal that natural resources are in the public domain and its scholarship was established in 2013.

The scholarship was initiated in 2019.

Initiated in 2011 to provide a scholarship to a student majoring in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, with a preference for a student from the Aberdeen area of South Dakota and must be a resident of SD and a Jackrabbit Guarantee.

Geneva Kettering Hogue established this scholarship with the desire to support enthusiastic, curious, college students with a desire to study Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. Geneva and her husband Jerome O. Hogue were high school sweethearts at different high schools in the Aberdeen, SD area. Jerome was from Warner, and Geneva was from Brentford and their lives were united in marriage for 62 years. Jerome enjoyed a successful law career in Flandreau following his service in the Marine Corps which took him to the Pacific during WWII. Geneva and Jerome have three children, Colin, Calla and Alisa who all attended and/or received advanced degrees from SDSU. Hunting and fishing were favorite pastimes of the Hogue family and it was Geneva’s desire that others be afforded the same opportunities through conservation and education through Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. We lost Geneva in the spring of 2022 at the age of 96.

The scholarship was initiated in 1988.

Dr. Holden, a Webster, South Dakota native and Professor Emeritus of Biology at SDState, served for 31 years in the department, 1956-1988. He was department head in the Botany Department from 1958 to 1967. He received his B.S. from SDSC in 1950 and his Ph.D. from the U of Chicago in Botany.

During his tenure here, he did natural area surveys in South Dakota and North Dakota. One of the outcomes of his efforts was his book “Dakota Visions." He worked very closely with The Nature Conservancy and was instrumental in the establishment of six native prairie preserves in SD.

Both ardent naturalists, Dave and Nelda led Christmas Bird Count field trips for many years. In 1983, Dave was presented the John Robertson Memorial award in Horticulture for his work in preservation of native prairie plants.

The scholarship is administered by the South Dakota Ornithologist’s Union and is awarded to an applicant demonstrating an interest in preserving our Biological Natural Heritage with emphasis in plant ecology or environmental biology.

The scholarship was initiated in 2013.

The Ecology and Environmental Science Scholarship Fund has been established and maintained with the kind contributions of alumni, SDState faculty and private supporters of the SDState ecology and environmental science major. The sole purpose of this fund is to provide several small scholarships to students actively pursuing the major and thereby encourage high academic achievement in support of sustainable natural resource management.

The Kringen Family Scholarship in Ecology was established in 2020 by David Kringen in memory of his parents and sister. The scholarship is for students pursuing studies in the field of ecology and environmental sciences with a preference to students studying aquatic ecology or water resource management.

The scholarship was established in 2005.

This endowed fund provides a scholarship annually to a sophomore, junior, or senior Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences major. Bartling instituted this scholarship because of his interest in students and natural resources.

Dave Bartling was born in Brookings and graduated from Brookings High School in 1972. He graduated from SDSU in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in park management. Dave was a Park Ranger in Utah and a Park Manager in South Dakota’s State Park system from 1978 to 1990. Dave became a conservation officer in 1990 and currently is the conservation officer in Deuel County for South Dakota’s Game, Fish and Parks Department. In 2002, Dave received the Game, Fish and Parks Boating Officer of the year award. Dave was named South Dakota’s Wildlife Conservation Officer of the year in 2004.

Initiated with an endowment in 2000, this scholarship is provided in memory of the Bjorklunds by their two sons.

Elvin Carl Bjorklund graduated from SDState with a B.S. degree in civil engineering in 1930. Elvin began a life-long career with the Soil Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Huron in 1935, and continued until his retirement in 1971. He passed away in 1990.

Ethel Eloys Nelson Bjorklund graduated from SDState with a B.S. degree in economics in 1930. She taught at Arlington High School. Elvin and Eloys were married in 1934. After their sons, Dick and Don, graduated from high school, Eloys returned to teaching and taught secretarial skills at Northwest College of Commerce in Huron until retiring in 1970.

During those 35 years, Elvin and Eloys developed a life-long commitment to the environment and conservation issues. Eloys passed away in 1997. Dick Bjorklund graduated with a degree in Industrial Engineering in 1959, and Don Bjorklund graduated with a degree in Economics and a 2nd Lieutenant’s commission in the US Air Force in 1961.

The scholarship was initiated in 1996.

The Conservation Officers Association annually provides a scholarship to a junior or senior undergraduate Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences major. They prefer someone interested in law enforcement.

The purpose of the scholarship is to promote the following objectives between the Association and its students; to promote the professional status and understanding of Wildlife Conservation Officers, other wildlife enforcement officers and wildlife law enforcement in general; to foster and promote communication, cooperation and professional relationships between conservation and enforcement officers and young people preparing to enter the profession; to recruit and develop a group of your people whose interest in the profession can be deepened and encouraged; to identify and reward outstanding young people preparing for the profession.

The scholarship was initiated in 2010.

Claude was born in 1893 on a ranch on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He graduated from high school in Valentine, Nebraska and began ranching near Rosebud, South Dakota with his wife and children. During the Great Depression, Claude moved his family to Sioux City, Iowa and worked as a livestock commission salesperson in the Sioux City Stockyards. Following World War II Claude returned to the Rosebud and started the L7 Ranch Company. He was an active conservationist and reseeded thousands of acres of farm ground back to native grasses. Claude was a leader in his community and the cattle industry until his death in 1973. This scholarship is given by his grandson Barry H. Dunn who followed in his footsteps.

The scholarship was initiated in 2005.

James A. Jennings graduated from the Animal and Range Sciences Department of SDState in 1952. He established this scholarship to encourage students to pursue a career in range management and to encourage students returning to production agriculture to obtain a degree in range management.

James is a retired banker and rancher. Emily graduated in 1951. The couple lives north of Spearfish. The couple has four grown children. Their three sons and their wives are all SDState graduates.

The Rock Hills Ranch scholarship was initiated in 2006. Garnet graduated with a B.S. in Biology in 1976. She was a substitute teacher for 20 years and now writes a rural life column for the Hoven Review and feature articles for the SD Grassland Coalition. Lyle is a 1977 General Agriculture graduate. They established the ranch near Lowry, SD in 1976. In addition to managing the ranch, Lyle also served as a full time Farm Bureau Insurance agent for 31 years, retiring in 2016. He is currently RHR project manager and a part-time crop insurance agent.

Luke graduated with a Range Science degree in 2006. He served as president of the Range Science club in 2005-2006. He joined the family ranching operation in 2006. He has since taken over general management of the ranch. He and wife, Naomi, have two sets of twins born in 2011 and 2014.

Kajsa was one of the first Jackrabbit Guarantee recipients. She worked as an Ambassador for the Admissions Department and Staters for SDState. Kajsa received her B.S. in Consumer Affairs with a Spanish minor in 2006. She and her husband, Chris White, live at Flag Stop Acres near Franklin, Tennessee. She currently wrangles their three young children and assorted animals and manages their Air BnB property.

Rock Hills Ranch was honored with the South Dakota Aldo Leopold Award for Conservation and the National Cattleman's Beef Association Environmental Stewardship Award in 2014.

The award was initiated in 1990.

The smithii Award is to recognize an outstanding senior who has shown leadership in Range Club and in the former Department of Animal and Range Sciences and now Department of Natural Resource Management.

Western wheatgrass is the state grass of South Dakota; the word smithii is part of its scientific name. The symbolism suggests qualities of leadership and dedication to science.

The scholarship was initiated in 1994.

SRM (Society of Range Management) Freshman Scholarship is supported by the South Dakota Section for the Society for Range Management. It is given to an incoming freshman or current freshman majoring in rangeland ecology and management.

The scholarship was initiated in 1986.

James K. “Tex” Lewis, Professor Emeritus, retired from SDState after 35 years of service to the range livestock industry, rangeland conservation and higher education as a teacher and researcher. “Tex” received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Society for Range Management and the Trail Boss Award from the South Dakota Section of the Society for Range management for his contributions. He passed away in 2007.

This scholarship is provided by the South Dakota Section of the Society for Range Management in honor of Lewis. Preference is given to Juniors in Range Science with at least a 2.7 grade point average who have demonstrated a sincere interest in range science or management. Scholarship need, involvement in student activities and character are considered in the selection of the recipient.

The scholarship was initiated in 2015.

The year was 1961. A young man, by the name of Dwayne Breyer, was hired to be a Soil Conservationist for the USDA – Soil Conservation Service in Pierre, South Dakota. For the first two years of his appointment, Dwayne trained under the people of the Hughes County Soil Conservation Service office. He learned how to write a conservation plan, how to administer and monitor it – truthfully how to get his feet on the ground. From Pierre to McIntosh, Dwayne went. When he arrived in 1963, Thomas Pozarnsky was the first guy to come over and visit him. Tom graduated from Utah State University after serving a stint in the United States military, and was now the area Range Conservationist for the USDA – Soil Conservation Service in Mobridge, South Dakota. It didn’t take long for him to indoctrinate Dwayne into the processes and practices of conservation in the area.

At the time, the Great Plains Conservation Program was up and going pretty strong and everyone wanted to get more contracts. They would take an entire ranch, get aerial photos and then take the ranch owners out onto the property and go over what the photographs showed. The land owner’s would present their goals, and based on the goals the conservation officers would build a conservation plan and work to implement it. This conservation puzzle they were continually working to piece together required a certain depth of knowledge, and Thomas had it – from range plant identification to agriculture practices of the area as per local precipitation zones. Of course there were procedures and protocol to follow, but Tom still made conservation work a lot of fun. Through the years, Dwayne learned more and more from Tom.

This scholarship was initiated in 2009.

Robert “Bob” Lee Hanten attended South Dakota State University in Brookings. Following graduate school, he went to work for the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks as a fisheries biologist in 1961 and soon became chief of fisheries. He retired as the Chief of Fisheries in 1997.

Hanten served the people and fisheries resources of South Dakota for more than 35 years. He guided the growth of the Department’s fish culture capability from one old antique hatchery at Pickeral Lake to three modern fish culture facilities and was intimately involved in the Missouri River Development plan that modernized recreational access to the Missouri River. Through his leadership, South Dakota has become noted for its quality fishing, attracting three million angler visits each year.

Hanten co-authored a book. Managing South Dakota Ponds for Fish and Wildlife, which is now a popular and much used book in South Dakota. In addition, he and his son wrote a chapter on Commercial Fishing and the Baitfish Industry in the book, History of Fisheries and Fishing in South Dakota.

Hanten fought for and attained the water rights for an allocated number of cubic feet per second of water flow in streams in the name of all people of South Dakota. He felt that everyone had a right to have water running in the streams of their state. Hanten also spent many years of his life working to clean up mining impacts to Whitewood Creek as well as other creeks in South Dakota.

In addition to his more visible duties, Hanten was instrumental in developing a cooperative research program with the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Science at South Dakota State University and the Biology Department at the University of South Dakota.

The scholarship was initiated in 1987.

The Brookings Chapter of the National Wildlife Federation has presented this award since 1987. The scholarship goes to an outstanding Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences sophomore. The award is based on academic performance and professional activities. The Brookings Wildlife Federation is interested in a wide array of wildlife-related issues.

The Brookings Wildlife Federation (BWF) was formed in 1980 when two local conservation groups merged to become an affiliate of the South Dakota Wildlife Federation. The BWF has had a membership ranging from 100 to 300 members. The BWF provides conservation and education services to the Brookings County area. The BWF funds, organizes and participates in local conservation activities and educational events for youth and adults, recognizes professionals and laypersons for conservation of natural resources and advocates the perspectives of outdoor recreationists during legislative sessions at the local and state level. The BWF is governed by a Board of Directors, and administered by a President, Past-President and Treasurer. The BWF publishes a monthly newsletter and monthly business and informational meetings are attended by 30 – 50 people.

The South Dakota Wildlife Federation (SDWF) was founded in 1945 by a group of concerned outdoor enthusiasts who cared about wildlife and were willing to work to protect the state’s natural resources. The Federation soon became the most important voice in the protection of hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation throughout the State of South Dakota. SDWF remains the leading and strongest organization demanding the wise use and conservation of our natural resources. SDWF has over 3000 members, including residents and nonresidents. The governing board of directors includes sportsmen, landowners and other concerned conservationists from all walks of life. There are currently 15 affiliate clubs throughout the state, including the BWF. Throughout SDWF’s history, affiliate clubs have promoted youth education, habitat improvement, landowner-sportsmen relations, legislative action and a host of other conservation-minded activities.

The scholarship was established in 2015.

Clifford Falken was a veteran of World War II. His unit was the first soldiers to arrive overseas when the war broke out. After serving almost five years he returned to South Dakota and married Alice (Anderson).

They lived most of their life in Deuel County South Dakota in the Hidewood Valley. Clifford farmed most of his life. The hills of the Hidewood Valley produced an abundance of wild game. Clifford spent many hours hunting, trapping and fishing. After the farm work was done Clifford would be off with is rifle, shotgun, bow or fishing pole. Alice was there to cook whatever Clifford brought home from his outings. Clifford was a true sportsman that loved the outdoors. The family of Clifford and Alice wanted them to be remembered for the love of the outdoors and wildlife by these scholarships.

Sadly, both Clifford and Alice have passed away since the establishment of this scholarship by the family in their honor.

The scholarship was initiated in 2015.

Dr. Robert A. Klumb was an exceptional colleague and good friend, whose life tragically ended in July 2013. Rob was a native of Wisconsin where he received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Wisconsin system (UW-Milwaukee and UW-Steven’s Point). Rob earned a Ph.D. degree from Cornell University in 2003, where he studied the energetics and near-shore habitat use by larval alewife. He joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a Fisheries Biologist in 2002 and became Project Leader of the Great Plains Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office in 2009.

Rob was fundamental in leading federal research initiatives on the endangered pallid sturgeon. He maintained a strong connection with South Dakota State University, where he served as Adjunct Associate Professor and mentor to numerous graduate students.

To recognize his professional contributions, his colleagues and family have established the Dr. Robert A. Klumb Memorial Scholarship Endowment and Robert A. Klumb HAMMS Award presented annually to each of an undergraduate and an outstanding graduate student at South Dakota State University.

Initiated in 2011 to provide a scholarship to a student majoring in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, with a preference for a student from the Aberdeen area. The recipient must be a South Dakota resident and a Jackrabbit Guarantee.

Geneva Kettering Hogue established this scholarship with the desire to support enthusiastic, curious, college students with a desire to study Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. Geneva and her husband Jerome O. Hogue were high school sweethearts at different high schools in the Aberdeen, SD area. Jerome was from Warner, and Geneva was from Brentford and their lives were united in marriage for 62 years. Jerome enjoyed a successful law career in Flandreau following his service in the Marine Corps which took him to the Pacific during WWII. Geneva and Jerome have three children, Colin, Calla and Alisa who all attended and/or received advanced degrees from SDState. Hunting and fishing were favorite pastimes of the Hogue family and it is Geneva’s desire that others be afforded the same opportunities through conservation and education through Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences.

The scholarship was initiated in 1966.

Dr. Spawn was the first head of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences at SDState. Spawn had a strong influence upon the Department and the many students who were in the program during his years at SDState. In 1964 the Spawn family, former students, and other friends helped establish this scholarship endowment in Spawn’s name. The memorial award has been presented annually since that time. The recipient is selected on academic performance and must be a junior Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences major from South Dakota or an adjacent state.

Dr. Gerald Spawn was born in Chester, South Dakota, in 1907. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in entomology in 1931 and his Master of Science degree in 1933 from SDState. He then was employed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a Junior Refuge Manager. In 1938, Spawn joined the faculty at SDState to teach entomology and to develop a curriculum in wildlife management. He received his doctorate in wildlife conservation from Iowa State College, Ames, in 1941. Spawn was Head of the Entomology-Zoology Department at SDState from 1953 until July 1963 when he was appointed Head of the newly developed Department of Wildlife Management. The graduate program was expanded in 1957 to include advanced study in fisheries and wildlife. The cooperative Wildlife Research Unit was established at SDState in 1963. Spawn died Aug. 31, 1963, two months after seeing the Department of Wildlife Management organized.

The scholarship was initiated in 2010.

Jeffery Donahoe is a Sioux Falls native and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1971. Jeff grew up hunting and fishing with his father and is an Eagle Scout. He earned his bachelor’s degree in wildlife and fisheries sciences from SDState in1975. Jeff began his career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1978. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Georgia in 1987. Jeff went on to serve as the Chief of the Division of Realty in Washington, D.C. and served as the Secretary to the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission from 1994 – 2003. He is currently a Special Assistant in the National Wildlife Refuge System with the USFWS. Jeff continues to be a Boy Scout leader and enjoys hunting and fishing with his sons.

Pamela Donahoe is a native of Midland, Texas, and met Jeff while working in Atlanta, Georgia. Pam graduated from Angelo State University, now affiliated with Texas Tech University, with a degree in journalism and business. Pam’s career included positions in marketing and public relations. She continues to work in public relations, is an active volunteer and fundraises for the high school band in Arlington, VA. The Donahoes have two sons, Joseph and Daniel. Joe is a graduate of SDState.

Initiated in 2004 with a $99,500 endowment, this fund provides numerous scholarships each year to undergraduate Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences majors. Jerome Norgren was vitally interested in natural resources and this endowment was provided by his estate. Receipt is based on academic excellence.

Jerome Norgren was born Aug. 25, 1903 in Centerville, South Dakota. The family settled in McCook County and later moved to a farm in Orland Township, Lake County, in 1942. Jerome graduated from Centerville High School and later served in the Army during World War II. He farmed in Orland Township most of his life, up until he moved to Madison, SD to live with his sister, Carolyn. Jerome passed away Dec. 15, 1998. During his lifetime, Jerome was an avid conservationist, gardener and a keeper of honeybees. He was also a poet-philosopher who enjoyed writing on the quandaries of nature, life, death and humanity itself.

The scholarship was initiated in 1976.

The Lake Campbell Wildlife Club, Mound City, South Dakota, strongly believes that education and educational opportunities are important to sound conservation. Because of these beliefs, in 1976 the club established a scholarship award. Since that time the club has annually presented a scholarship to a Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences major at SDState.

The scholarship, based on academic performance, goes to a junior who is a South Dakota resident. The club prefers that someone from the north central region of the state be selected, if possible.

Initiated in 2005, this endowed fund provides a scholarship annually to a sophomore or junior Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences major. Larry, an alumnus of the Department, has a strong interest in rewarding natural resource students for academic performance.

Larry grew up in Brookings and graduated from Brookings High School in 1961. Larry received a B.S. (1966) and M.S. (1968) in wildlife and fisheries sciences from SDState. During his career, Larry was employed by the Saskatchewan Fisheries Research Laboratory, South Dakota Department of Game Fish and Parks; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. He is now retired. His career focus primarily involved working on fisheries and other aquatic ecology issues on the Missouri River, and on boreal lakes and reservoirs in Saskatchewan, Minnesota and Michigan.

Jo Beatty Voas Kallemeyn, graduated from Brookings High School in 1961, attended SDState, and received a B.A. from Metro State University in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1984. As well as parenting her children, her career experiences include preschool education and office administration. She has two sons, Major Randall D. Voas, USAF who was killed in Afghanistan in 2010, and Jeffrey A. Voas, SDState, B.A. 1994. In 1986, at their 25th high school class reunion, Jo and Larry re-met and married a year later. They live at Spearfish. They have two grandchildren.

The scholarship was initiated in 1994.

The McCook Lake Izaak Walton League initiated a $100,000 scholarship endowment fund. This endowment provides numerous scholarships annually. The awards are based on academic scholarship. The McCook Lake Izaak Walton League provided this endowment because of their commitment to natural resource management.

The McCook Lake Izaak Walton League Scholarship Program was created to establish a lasting scholarship program under the Izaak Walton name, and as a way for the McCook Lake Izaak Walton League to leave its mark on conservation for and with coming generations. The McCook Lake Izaak Walton League chapter was chartered on July 6, 1936. The chapter is a not-for-profit organization. All proceeds to the chapter are used for scientific, educational and conservational purposes in the public interest.

The scholarship was initiated in 2012.

Paul A. Vohs Jr. was born in Kansas City, Kansas, Jan. 19, 1931, to Paul and Martha (Long) Vohs. He and his family lived in Telluride, CO from 1937 to 1942. He graduated from Wyandotte H.S. in Kansas City, KS in 1949. Paul attended Kansas State College for his freshman year and was activated with Navy Reserve Squadron VF 884 during the Korean War where he served as an aviation ordinance man. After release from active duty, he returned to Kansas State and finished his B.S. degree in Agriculture (Zoology) in 1955 and was commissioned as an Ensign in the Navy Reserve. He earned a MS degree in Zoology from Southern Illinois University in 1958. He earned his Ph.D. degree in zoology at Iowa State University in 1964 after joining the faculty in 1963. He served as an instructor, assistant professor and associate professor until he moved to Oregon State University in 1968 where he served as professor and as Extension Wildlife Specialist.

He accepted the position as professor of wildlife and head, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences at SDState and served from 1974 to 1976. From there, he went to work with the USDI, Fish and Wildlife Service as unit leader of the Oklahoma Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit until 1979 when he was asked to transfer to Washington, D.C. as the Supervisor of all of the Cooperative Wildlife Research Units across the US. He was appointed director of the Denver Wildlife Research Center (USFWS) in 1983. He moved to Iowa State University in 1987 as leader of the Cooperative Fisheries and Wildlife Research Unit and served until 1992. In 1992, he became a Senior Editor and assistant branch leader with the Information Transfer Center in Fort Collins, Colorado. He retired from the federal government in 1995. He continued to serve in the Navy Reserve throughout his career and retired as a Captain in 1987. Paul married Jeanette Kilzer, an elementary school teacher in Ames, Iowa, in 1962.

The scholarship was initiated in 1959. It annually goes to a junior from eastern South Dakota. The Chapter has always taken great interest in undergraduate education. This became an endowed scholarship in 2006.

Mission statement of the Sioux Falls Chapter Izaak Walton League: To conserve, maintain, protect and restore the soil, forest, water and other natural resources of the United States and other lands; to promote means and opportunities for the education of the public with respect to such resources and their enjoyment and wholesome utilization.

The scholarship was initiated in 2008.

South Dakota Walleyes Unlimited members love fishing and enjoying the beautiful lakes and rivers of South Dakota. They are making sure these pristine waters are available years to come for their children and grandchildren. They are a charitable organization.

In 2008, South Dakota Walleyes Unlimited began providing four $500 scholarships annually to undergraduates who are residents of South Dakota.

South Dakota Walleyes Unlimited is dedicated to preserving, protecting and improving all fisheries within the state of South Dakota. Through memberships, community involvement and family participation we can restore the forage base and create restocking programs that will benefit all South Dakota waters.

South Dakota Walleyes Unlimited will strive to accomplish these tasks in a fiscal, environmental and responsible manner.

The scholarship was initiated in 2006 in support of a Jackrabbit Guarantee student.

Dr. Stephen Zebarth earned his degree from SDState in 1988 in chemistry. He went on to dental school at the Medical College of Virginia and earned his Doctorate of Dental Surgery in 1993. Dr. Zebarth now owns a dental practice in Winchester, Virginia where he currently resides.

The scholarship was initiated in 2019.

The endowed scholarship was initiated in 2001.

It is for South Dakota residents with high academic and leadership potential. This award is in memory of Glen and Mayme Streeter and was instituted in their memory by the Streeter family.

Glen and Mayme Streeter both grew up on the prairies of South Dakota and married in 1928. They owned two farms near Madison, South Dakota. Glen was recognized as the Soil Conservationist of the Year in 1972 for his restoration of a degraded farm on the west shores of Lake Herman into highly productive lands with terraces, trees, grassed waterways, wetlands and permanent wildlife habitats. Glen and Mayme both derived much pleasure from seeing wildlife thrive on their lands. It is the desire of the Streeter Family that the recipients of the scholarship emanating from this memorial will in turn leave South Dakota lands and their natural resources in an improved state of conservation for future generations.

The scholarship was initiated in 1984.

The late Wilbur Allen, inventor of the compound bow, had a strong conservation ethic and interest in wildlife and fisheries education. Because of this, Elizabeth Allen established a $350,000 scholarship endowment in his name. The initial endowment investment occurred in 1984. This endowment allows the Department to provide scholarships to undergraduate Wildlife and Fisheries majors. More than 10 Allen Scholarships are typically provided each spring and fall semester.

The Wilbur Allen Scholarship Fund in Wildlife Sciences was presented by Elizabeth Allen, in memory of her husband, Wilbur, a dedicated wildlife conservationist, scientist, outdoorsman and sportsman. Wilbur Allen visualized the need for thoughtful preservation of land and wildlife. These ideals, coupled with his mechanical abilities led him to revolutionize the archery industry with his invention of the compound bow. Mr. Allen was employed in several areas of industry which gave him the business skills that he could later use in his own corporation. As his compound bow grew in popularity, it soon took up all of his time. Expansion of his business led to the need for specialized tooling, which he designed and built himself. Patented in 1969, the compound bow has been accepted as the standard of the industry. This consequently reflects the ingenuity and capability of its inventor, Wilbur Allen.

The grant was initiated in 2001.

An Endowment established in honor of Jon Haertel, vertebrate biologist in biology and microbiology. Jon’s love of vertebrate animals and long-time contributions to the study of vertebrates resulted in establishment of this endowment by Lois Haertel in support of undergraduate research on vertebrate animals at the Oak Lake Field Station. This grant is competitive, requiring the submission of a research proposal and is awarded every other year.

The research grant was initiated in 2017 in honor of Charles and Marcia McMullen who have been long-time supporters of the Oak Lake Field Station.

Chuck served as the first director of the Oak Lake Field Station and was instrumental in working with President Robert Wagner to establish the field station as a resource to students interested in the natural sciences. This endowment provides support for NRM undergraduate students interested in conducting undergraduate research in natural resources at the station.

Chuck and Marcia McMullen have a long association with South Dakota State University. Before his retirement in May 2002, Chuck spent 36 years on campus working as an instructor and professor and later as head of the Biology and Microbiology Department. He later served as associate dean of academic programs for the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences. Chuck was called out of retirement in August 2004, to assume the position of Interim Dean of the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences until a permanent dean was named. Chuck has a Bachelor of Science degree in biological sciences from Northern State University, a Master of Science in Botany and Ph.D. in agronomy from SDState.

Marcia began her employment with SDState as a secretary in the Physical Plant Department. She later worked in staff positions for Public Broadcasting, the College of Family and Consumer Sciences and the Briggs Library. She retired in 2002 after 42 years of service to the State of South Dakota. Marcia has an associate’s degree in general agriculture from SDState.

Chuck and Marcia live in Brookings. They have two children and five grandchildren.

The grant was initiated in 2001.